The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest

This is the third book in the Millenium trilogy. Although it's not quite as good as the first one, it is indeed a fine end to the series. The characters are well drawn, and feel like old friends - not always 100% believable at this stage, but if you've gotten this far you really don't care any more.

What can I say? I loved it! What am I going to do now, now that I have read all three ... I think I'll back to the first and start all over again :-)

I was so looking forward to reading this book after several late nights enjoying the first two books, but I struggled with this one. There is less action than in the first two books and yet more characters are introduced, some which appeared as quite one dimensional. The story follows the legal process and the gathering of evidence. I also found myself getting frustrated with the lack of sophistication in describing the emotions and motivations of the different characters. I did find it entertaining in parts, which is why I have awarded it three stars, but the quality of writing evident in the first two books was not there. Is it possible that this book was not edited before being released?

Liked this. Part 3 of the Trilogy by Stieg Larsson. If I had to pick the best of the 3 I think I preferred the first (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

We could not wait for vol. iii to come out in U.S. in July. Ordered it from amazon.uk... So did a friend of ours. Vol. iii is a classic. Had to put it down, so intense. Got up at 3:30 a.m. and finished reading it. Amazing story about responsible journalism, strong women looking out for one another (and for justice); compassionate friends of both sexes; a government that faces up to its shortcomings, and, of course, a stubborn, brilliant and lonely heroine that I love.

It is most unfortunate that we won't have any future novels from Stieg Larsson. There have been very few 'series' that have been as good - and even fewer that actually got better with each sequel. The characters seem real, the setting alive and the stories captivating.

This is the third book in the Millenium Trilogy (The girl with the dragon tattoo; the girl who played with fire; The girl who kicked the hornets nest) and just like the first two books it is a fantastic novel. I simply could not put this book (or the previous two) down. Each novel has so many twists and turns throughout and, with the very memorable characters created, makes the Millenium Trilogy one of the best set of books I have ever read. Highly recommended!

Simply breathtaking. Larsson promised so much with the first of this trilogy that it was reckless to believe he could deliver over the course of all three, but what a finale! The Hornet's Nest makes mincemeat of its six hundred pages and Larsson reigns supreme over every one of them. Picking up where volume two left off, with the reader in shock from the events at Gosseberga, volume three sees Salander and Zalachenko whisked away to hospital, both unlikely to survive their ordeals, whilst Blomqvist has to deal with the inevitable police fallout. The story starts with a bipolar split between extreme skill and awareness on the one hand matched in equal measure by gross incompetence and insensitivity on the other. And in a sense, Larsson maintains this contrast throughout, as he builds the two teams who will compete in the final encounter, first one side then the other seeming to have the upper hand. Larsson expertly interleaves the various threads of this story, never losing control, always keeping the reader fully involved but never confused, and at such a breakneck pace it is difficult to take a breath. Once again, whether true or not, the depiction of police procedure and now the expose of a relationship between government and secret service is entirely believable, giving the reader no reason to question the underlying mechanics of the investigation or the various personnel involved. But do not believe that this is simply a roller-coaster, carpet-bagging ride that relies on sex and violence and sensational escapades to get by, there is subtlety here and hard-researched insight into social groups, social problems, cross-border crime, state institutionalism, a too-hot-to-handle media and a criminal justice system under severe pressure. Larsson's breadth and depth of understanding is at times quite staggering as we are raced from the daily round of the national health service to the raw reality of gang culture to the debilitating effects of bigotry and personal ambition, Larsson embraces it all. And it does not all come together in the final five pages; this is a closing episode that builds credibly over time to a liberating crescendo. Unbeatable.

it did not dissapoint. the only sadness is that Larsson passed away and we will not be recipients of any more of his wonderful work.

What a great read, didn't want it to end and started reading really slowly to savour the style. Such a well crafted and layered trilogy leaves you absolutly gutted that it's the last one.....so i read it again. Best set of books ever read!