The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Stieg Larsson

This is actually my second time starting this book, the first time I got probably 1/3 of the way through and for some reason the names were getting jumbled and I couldn't keep the characters straight and the book was difficult to read. This time I found it to be a fascinating novel, though heavy on the sadists...lol The novel opens with Lisbeth, who is thought to be mentally handicapped, getting a remedial job at a detective agency doing cleaning, copying, and various tasks. Her past is hinted at, but we know it must be worse than described because she is insistent people shouldn't be pitied for not rising above their upbringing. Her boss decides to fire her because she doesn't get along with his staff and never talks. When he sits down to talk to her she matter of factly states what his staff is doing instead of working and that she has been doing their tasks. He decides to try her out as a detective. She does an astonishingly thorough job and we learn she is a skilled hacker. She is hired to investigate a journalist, who was being imprisoned for Liable. The other half of the story deals with the journalist, Blomkvist, who wrote an article about a ganster billionaire, Wennerström, but part of the story was fictional as his source was a henchman. Right before going to his 3 month prision sentence, Henrik Vanger, a wealthy CEO hires Blomkvist to investigate the 40 year old murder of his niece Harriet. Vanger decided to hire Blomkvist based on the report from Lisbeth. The cover story is that Blomkvist is writing a Biography for Vanger. Meanwhile Lisbeth's guardian dies and she is awarded a new one who rapes her. She gets it on tape and after branding him with a full chest tattoo, shows the tape and threatens him unless he stays out of her life. Blomkvist learns of Lisbeth's report on him and wants her to help with his investigation. We learn she has a photographic memory. Much to everyone's surprise Blomkvist and Lisbeth solve the crime and uncover murders tracing the last 60 years done by Harriet's father, and then continued by her brother after she killed her father. They find Harriet still alive in Australia as a successful business woman. Blomkvist publishes a book exposing Wennerström's crimes, redeeming his reputation. Later Wennerstrom is arrested and apparently an unknown woman (Lizbeth) went to the bank and walked out with some of his fortune.