The Girl Who Played with Fire

A Lisbeth Salander Novel

By: Stieg Larsson, Reg Keeland - translator

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 18 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

The electrifying follow-up to the phenomenal best seller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ("An intelligent, ingeniously plotted, utterly engrossing thriller" The Washington Post), and this time it is Lisbeth Salander, the troubled, wise-beyond-her-years genius hacker, who is the focus and fierce heart of the story.

Mikael Blomkvist, crusading journalist and publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to publish a story exposing an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden, implicating well-known and highly placed members of Swedish society, business, and government.

On the eve of publication, the two reporters responsible for the story are brutally murdered. But perhaps more shocking for Blomkvist: the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to Lisbeth Salander.

Now, as Blomkvist, alone in his belief in her innocence, plunges into his own investigation of the slayings, Salander is drawn into a murderous hunt in which she is the prey, and which compels her to revisit her dark past in an effort to settle with it once and for all.

Listen to the rest of The Millennium Trilogy.

©2009 Stieg Larsson (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

“Boasts an intricate, puzzle-like story line . . . even as it accelerates toward its startling and violent conclusion.” (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)

“[A] gripping, stay-up-all-night read.” ( Entertainment Weekly)

“Gripping stuff. . . . A nail-biting tale of murder and cover-ups.” ( People)

The Girl Who Played With Fire

I absolutely loved this book. It held my interest from start to finish. The narrator was also very good with the voices.

Great Story and performance!

I read and loved the first book (paperback), but decided I wanted to experience the excitement in an audio version. Definitely did not disappoint. The narrator performs excellently all the different characters and of course Larsson’s writings are full of immersive details.

Amazing book!!

After listening to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo I couldn’t wait to get my ears on this book. It did not disappoint. For such a long book it just flew, I didn’t want it to end. Thank goodness there’s a 3rd!
What an amazing writer. It breaks my heart that he has passed. What a fabulous reader. Simon Vance really knows how to bring a book to life, every character well represented.
If there’s one negative it’s that there are a lot of characters and seems like they all began with the letter B. I know they weren’t but I had to really think and play back portions so I knew exactly who said what or to whom someone was talking with.
Overall, a great read. After I listen to the first I may start over again ;-)

English Accents and Swedish Locations

The first story was better but still very good. Simon Vance does a great job with all the characters. My only observation is all the characters have English accents but the story references Swedish locations. That just kinda odd.

Good story, but not as good as the first...

The first book in the Millennium series is a tough act to follow. This next book was a decent story but most of the suspense is at the end which is quite abrupt. I'm still going for the third book and I'm hopeful that it will be a little more like the first.

still awesome!

I am listening to the series after reading them years ago. Still just as good and spellbinding.

AMAZING!!!

This book is a simply wonderful gift for commuters. I would often find reasons to go to the store, just so I could listen some more in my car before calling it a night. You will stay on the edge of your seat...never a dull moment here!

Can't wait to start book 3

Awesome story line with a cool Star Wars twist. Can't wait to start book 3.

Fantastic, engrossing

Where does The Girl Who Played with Fire rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Maybe McKinty's Dead I Well May Be. This book stands out.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Torn between Mikhael and Lisbeth... So I think I'll split the difference with Mimi, who really was just an innocent bystander. But she's so wonderfully kind and normal in a world where people are just messed up crooks. She's up front about who and watch she is.

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The accents, the tones, the voices. His range is amazing.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not going to lie. I smiled hugely every time Lisbeth said, "Kalle f***ing Blomkvist."

Any additional comments?

It is brutal like the first but in a different way. A little slow to start but that's par for the course (first book was too). Engrossing, engaging, and a lover of challenging social norms or acceptability, this book is surprisingly human for as odd as its cast of characters is. And, maybe, that's why it's so human: Variety. individuality. Spirit. Goodness & Evilness.

Addictive

Second book in a compelling series. Start with book one! Freaking awesomeness!!! I can't wait to tackle book three.