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: “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). • 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, coming soon!

Listen to the rest of The Millennium Trilogy.

©2008 Stieg Larsson (P)2008 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"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)

Better than any US writer

I've listened to many mysteries, thrillers, etc., and keep looking for different authors to get away from the mainstream US "thriller" writers. Along with Henning Mankell this author actually writes a book without adhering to the basic US "script". The characters are wonderfully developed, and the plot twists keep you listening. Look for others like him and Mankell. You won't be disappointed.

Dragon Tattoo

Good book. Took a while to get use to the accents and English references.

Fascinating!!!!

Pleasantly surprised by this mystery novel placed in Sweden. Steig Larssen weaves a fascinating tale that moves slowly at first through the character development and then picks up the pace. Story is at its best when Lisbeth is on the scene. Looking forward to the release of the subsequent translations of this author's trilogy as I have been told. . Hope that the reader is the same also!!

Just as good as the movie!!!

I loved the movie and I love the book,I'm hooked!!! Already started the second book..
The great thing about the book it goes into a little more detail at the end,they tell the story about Harreit also her love life..I can already say this is the start of a great trilogy!!!
Must read!! This is a book that makes you finish all three in a week!!! Have fun!!

A good listen but...

This was an interesting story with good character development, a contemporary plot and an interesting setting. The narration was very good. Three things that disappointed me about this book are; First, the inclusion of sexual perversion in the story. It did not really add anything. Second, the fact that we never found out what all of the ugly business with the main character was. And, the ending left something to be desired.

Book 1 thrilled! I soared through books 2-3!

I spent so much of my life trying to rescue women, being the son of a single mom who struggled as a beautician to raise three sons alone. I learned to admire women who refused to be underachievers. The heroine of this novel is a champion of perseverance in the face of adversity, without soliciting emotions of pity or sentimentality. My mind raced through this exciting and rewarding thriller. I typically enjoy counterespionage and Western fiction genre. Too often, however, the counter espionage keeps you in a state of anxiety for the entire novel and does not give you enough opportunities to relax and enjoy action until the final end. Not so with "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and the two sequels that followed. The heroine gets sweet revenge and retribution throughout the 3 book series allowing the reader to enjoy a intellectually rewarding plot with many moments of emotional satisfaction as the heroine administers sweet revenge. Revenge can be so satisfying. Men who champion women may love this book. Women who refuse to let others control their destiny may love this book. Good prevails over evil. I finished all three books within 10 days. Last night I started listening again from the start. This is one of the best series I have ever enjoyed. I could not recommend any higher.

Listen to this!

Exciting stuff - I highly recommend this book. Narrator is excellent. First book of the series.

Crime writing to an art

This book is one of the best books I have ever read. The characters are so unlikely and endearing all I want to do is meet them and talk about the amazing experiences they have had. The narrator is great, his british accent lends gravitas to the book set in Sweden. Bravo to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Much better than I expected

A very well conceived story, engagingly read by Simon Vance. A friend warned me not to try to "figure it out" but I did predict a few of the key elements in the story. BUT, nonetheless, it did not detract, and I enjoyed the story to the end. The ending was bittersweet, but created a nice set up for the next book. P.S. If you like help keeping track of complicated plot elements, I recommend you go to Amazon and take a look at the family tree that is printed at the front of the book. I didn't need it, but it may help your understanding of the many Vanger family members in the story.

Great Book!

I enjoyed this book tremendously. The narration is superb! I found the characters were interesting and believeable, and the story was compelling. I was sorry to hear of the author's untimely death--- kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it?