The Girl Who Lived Twice by David Lagercrantz

(hb; 2019: sixth book in the Millennium series. Translated from the Swedish by George Goulding.)

From the inside flap

“Lisbeth Salander─the fierce, unstoppable girl with the dragon tattoo─has disappeared. She’s sold her apartment in Stockholm. She’s gone silent electronically. She’s told no one where she is. And no one is aware that at long last she’s got her primal enemy, her twin sister, Camilla, squarely in her sights.

“Mikael Blomkvist is trying to reach Lisbeth. He needs her help unraveling the identity of a man who lived and died on the streets in Stockholm─a man who does not exist in any official records and whose garbled last words hinted at possible damaging knowledge of people in the highest echelons of government and industry. In his pocket was a crumpled piece of paper with Blomkvist’s phone number on it.

“Once again, Salander and Blomkvist will come to each other’s aid, moving in tandem toward the truths they each seek. In the end, it will be Blomkvist─in a moment of unimaginable self-sacrifice─who will make it possible for Lisbeth to face the most important battle of her life, and, finally to put her past to rest.”

Review

Twice is another excellent, burn-through entry in the Millennium series, more action-oriented and lighter in tone and storyline than its predecessor books. As with previous Millennium stories, Twice’s references and events are timely, this time around because of certain characters’ ties to Russia, hacking and other dark, often nefarious, deeds and intentions.  At this point in the series, there are less revelations about its key characters (the Salander sisters, Blomkvist), making it feel less personal than its first four books, but this is not a problem for this reader, because Twice is an entertaining wrap-up of sorts, concluding the second within-the-series trilogy. This, like the other books in this series, is worth owning.

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz

(hb; 2017: fifth novel in the Millennium series. Translated from the Swedish by George Goulding.)

From the inside flap

"Lisbeth Salander is an unstoppable force: Sentenced to two months in Flodberga women's prison for saving a young boy's life by any means necessary, Salander refuses to say anything in her own defence. She has more important things on her mind.

"Mikael Blomkvist makes the long trip to visit every week - and receives a lead to follow for his pains. For him, it looks to be an important expose for Millennium. For her, it could unlock the facts of her childhood.

"Even from a corrupt prison system run largely by the inmates, Salander will stand up for what she believes in, whatever the cost. And she will seek the truth that is somehow connected with her childhood memory, of a woman with a blazing birthmark on her neck - that looked as if it had been burned by a dragon's fire."

Review

Takes is an excellent, entertaining addition to the Millennium series that expands the themes, characters, action, conspiracies and cliffhanger-ish feel of its predecessor books. Of course, everything ties – directly or indirectly – to Lisbeth Salander’s past, a thrilling read that is worth owning, one that promises a sequel. If you are new to the series and interested in reading Takes, I would suggest reading its prequel, The Girl in the Spider's Web, otherwise you might not enjoy it as much.

Followed by The Girl Who Lived Twice.

The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

(hb; 2015: fourth novel in the Millennium series. Translated from the Swedish by George Goulding.)

From the inside flap:

"Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist return.

"She is the girl with the dragon tattoo -- a genius hacker and uncompromising misfit. He is a crusading journalist whose championing of truth often brings him to the brink of prosecution.

"Late one night, Blomkvist receives a phone call from a source claiming to have information vital to the United States. The source has been in contact with a young female superhacker -- a hacker resembling someone Blomkvist knows all too well. The implications are staggering. Blomkvist, in desperate need of a scoop for Millennium, turns to Salander for help. She, as usual, has her own agenda. The secret they are both chasing is at the center of a tangled web of spies, cybercriminals, and governments around the world, and someone is prepared to kill to protect it."


Review:

Lagercrantz's pick-up of Larsson's Millennium series maintains the same steady-build-then-explosive feel of the first three books in the series. Again, the characters -- some of them familiar, some of them new -- are worth rooting for or hissing at; the intensity and intentions of those characters are alarming and thrilling, lending additional urgency to the physical (sometimes fatal) action. These elements are further heightened by the cinematic (but character-true) jump-cut editing, especially during the multi-character cliffhangerish sequences.

Spider's Web is a fun, reader-hooking-from-the-get-go and deepening-of-the-familial-storyline read, one worth owning -- as are the previous Millennium books. (For those who have not read the first three books, Spider's Web also works as a stand-alone read.)

Followed by The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye.

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The resulting film was released stateside on November 9, 2018. Fede Alvarez directed the film, from a screenplay by himself, Jay Basu and Steven Knight.

Claire Foy played Lisbeth Salander. Sverrir Gudnason played Mikael Blomkvist. LaKeith Stanfield played Ed Needham. Sylvia Hoeks played Camilla Salander. Vicky Krieps played Erika Berger. Paula Schramm played Malin Erikson.

Beau Gadsdon played "Young Lisbeth Salander." Carlotta von Falkenhayn played "Young Camilla Salander." Cameron Britton played Plague.

Stephen Merchant played Frans Balder. Christopher Convery played August Balder. Claes Bang played Jan Holtser.