The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

A Lisbeth Salander Novel

By: Stieg Larsson, Reg Keeland - translator

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The thrilling first book in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series featuring Lisbeth Salander • Also known as the Millennium series

Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

Look for the latest book in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, The Girl in the Eagle's Talons!

Listen to the rest of The Millennium Trilogy.

©2008 Stieg Larsson (P)2008 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME

"Cases rarely come much colder than the decades-old disappearance of teen heiress Harriet Vanger from her family's remote island retreat north of Stockholm, nor do fiction debuts hotter than this European best seller...At once a strikingly original thriller and a vivisection of Sweden's dirty not-so-little secrets, this first of a trilogy introduces a provocatively odd couple." (Publishers Weekly)

"Combine the chilly Swedish backdrop and moody psychodrama of a Bergman movie with the grisly pyrotechnics of a serial-killer thriller, then add an angry punk heroine and a down-on-his-luck investigative journalist, and you have the ingredients of Stieg Larsson's first novel." (The New York Times)

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a striking novel. Just when I was thinking there wasn't anything new on the horizon, along comes Stieg Larsson with this wonderfully unique story. I was completely absorbed." (Michael Connelly)

The Story Begins

I was amazed by how engrossed I became with this story. The way the author introduces the characters and their lives made me want to know more. Good thing there are at least two more in this series.

Stieg Larsson weaves several plotlines into the mix. Some seem to fade into the background with all that is happening in front of you, But fear not, as all the threads are brought to conclusions by the end of the book.

The relationship that develops between Blomkvist and Salander is an unexpected delight as the characters play out their lives. With all the hate that is present in the book, it was so nice to se this powerful and complex relationship develop.

The book is a great listen and rates at least a second listen to get all that it has to offer.

I was completely absorbed from start to finish.

Would you listen to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo again? Why?

Because I never read books a second time.

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

NO

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I was sneaking into the bathroom; listening while others watched TV and missed an important appointment because I was so

Any additional comments?

Probably one of the best books I've read in years.

Couldn't stop listening!

Would you listen to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo again? Why?

Yes. I can't wait to listen to the story with my husband so I can see if he can solve the mystery and I would like to discuss the story line with him.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo?

It was memorable from beginning to the end.

Good detective story with an Swedish twist.

Interesting story of a disappearing girl that has a few twists and turns. As a Swedish author, Stieg Larson crafts and tale that is all the more interesting being told from a different cultural standpoint. Simon Vance does a top notch job of narration with well voiced (but not over the top) characters that are easily identifiable. The book alone is 4+ stars, but the excellent narration pushes it to 5 and the Author/Narrator combo has me downloading the next in the series as I type.

The Girl with the Dragon TAttoo

Great book, looking forward to reading the next book; great narrator; will look for more of his books also;

Trigger heavy and worth it.

This book deals directly with violence against women, so there are obviously triggers.

The bastard get what's coming to them in the end. Trust me and read through it.

Great story.

What did you love best about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo?

I think this is a great pop novel. I ended up purchasing all three audio versions of the book. I'm giving it a four on story, because I feel like in the end it's a pop novel. It captured my interest and held it well, but I wasn't blown away by the writing.

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

I think that Simon Vance does a great job of telling the story and making the characters come alive.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It's a bit long to listen to in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

I definitely recommend it.

Loved It!!!

Great listen...I recommend to anyone that needs to listen to something different! Simon Vance did a great job. ;-)

not all you might think

As others have already stated this book is quite slow at first and made me wish for C.S. Lewis. However, it does pick up transforming into a great mystery. 4 stars might be more than i should give due to the begging and the sadomasochism towards the end of the book. I would be embarrassed to recommend this book to many of my friends due to the amount of sadomasochism contained within the book.

Best book ever

A book for the ages. Classic. Well constructed. As often as I've listened to it - it never gets old.