About the Author
Stieg Larsson, born in 1954, was a journalist. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Expo from 1999, and had previously worked at a major News agency for many years.
He was one of the world's leading experts on antidemocratic, right-wing extremist and Nazi organisations, and was often consulted on that account. He died suddenly and unexpectedly in November 2004, soon after delivering the manuscripts for three Crime Novels to his Swedish publisher. These novels make up the Millennium Trilogy, which has gone on to sell more than 3 million copies in Sweden alone. Tragically, Larsson did not live to see the worldwide phenomenon his work has become.
Review
"A publishing sensation, an accomplished crime writer who seemingly came from nowhere. . . Crime fiction has seldom needed to salute and mourn such a stellar talent as Larsson's in the same breath. . . A gripping crime debut that lives up to the hype" - Joan Smith, Sunday Times
"The ballyhoo is fully justified. . . The novel scores on every front - character, story, atmosphere and the translation" - Marcel Berlin, The Times
"The style is leisurely and detailed, the plot interesting and credible but above all the heroine is splendidly original. . . an extraordinary book" - Jessica Mann, Literary Review
"A rip-roaring serial-killer adventure" - John Williams, Mail on Sunday
"Absorbing and idiosyncratic" - Caria Mckay, Daily Mail
"Stieg Larsson's ambitious debut novel is a potent package. . . It boasts a timely over-riding theme. . . a remarkable and distinctive punk heroine, a fascinating portrait of some aspects of modern Sweden, and a steadily accelerating narrative of. . . great verve and brio. . . This is a book of great scope and veracity, astonishing for a first novel" - Bob Cornwell, Tangled Web
"A striking novel, full of passion, an evocative sense of place and subtle insights into venal, corrupt minds" - Peter Guttridge, Observer
"[Larsson] writes with pace, power and authority on every page. Not to be missed" - Classic FM
"When a writer delivers such a complex and fascinating portrayal like that of Lisbeth Salander all we can do is bow down in gratitude. It doesn't get much better than this" - Gefle Dagblad, Sweden
"In the case of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, every word of praise that's been pinned to it is richly deserved. . . The book is dark and absolutely compelling. . . one of the finest crime fiction novels it's been my privilege to read. . . Even if the two remaining books in the trilogy are only half as good, Larsson will have left a formidable legacy" - Sharon Wheeler, Reviewing the Evidence
"More than a book, a drug" - Le Nowel Observateur
"This book took over my life the moment I cracked its spine. . . a multi-layered, multi-charactered tale by a writer of some considerable power. Full of social conscience and compassion, with considerable insight into the nature of corruption, it just knocked me out. . . This could be the crime-fiction novel of 2008" - Ali Karim, Shotsmag
"The thriller of the decade" - Evene-fr
"Larsson's novels are a danger to public life. Parks become clogged with readers; the working world is paralyzed - all because no-one can let go of his books" - BamS
"Swedish crime fiction, like the country itself, has both class and a social conscience. It was only a matter of time before it produced its own War and Peace. . . The plotting and pacing are masterful. No wonder Europe has gone wild over Blomkvist and his riveting sidekick" - Sydney Morning Herald
"The books are selling in their millions across Europe and it's not hard to see why. . . partly because it's well plotted but more, perhaps, because of the anger Larsson directs at his targets. . . Highly effective and a very good read : I look forward to the sequels" - Andrew Taylor, Spectator
"This book is a sensation, and without a doubt likely to be one of the top thrillers of this - or any other - year. . . The mystery enthralls to the very end. . . and it's not without its serious side - this is also an impassioned social commentary. . . Truly fresh, totally compelling" - Readings Books Review, Australia
"The book [is] more concerned with the idea of detection as an intellectual exercise, like a crossword puzzle of human emotions, than a murky procedure compromised by the buffets and trials of real life. . . This never feels like a by-the-numbers thriller" - Jonathan GIBBS, Independent on Sunday
"Anticipation of the treats in store in the remainder of the trilogy are, sadly, tempered by the knowledge that shortly after presenting his manuscript, Larsson died of a heart attack aged 50. . . [but] his perceptive insights into the abuse of power by both individuals and institutions are designed to reach a wider readership than he could ever have imagined" - Roger Perkins, Sunday Telegraph
"Unlike other thrillers - powerful though they may be -Larsson's linger long after turning the last page" - Le Monde
Prologue
It happened every year, was almost a ritual. And this was his eighty-second birthday. When, as usual, the flower was delivered, he took off the wrapping paper and then picked up the telephone to call Detective Superintendent Morell who, when he retired, had moved to Lake Siljan in Dalarna. They were not only the same age, they had been horn on the same day - which was something of an irony under the circumstances. The old policeman was sitting with his coffee, waiting, expecting the call.
"It arrived."
"What is it this year?"
"I don't know what kind it is. I'll have to get someone to tell me what it is. It's white."
"No letter, I suppose."
"Just the flower. The frame is the same kind as last year. One of those do-it-yourself ones."
"Postmark?"
"Stockholm."
"Handwriting?"
"Same as always, all in capitals. Upright, neat lettering."
With that, the subject was exhausted, and not another word was exchanged for almost a minute. The retired policeman leaned back in his kitchen chair and drew on his pipe. He knew he was no longer expected to come up with a pithy comment or any sharp question which would shed a new light on the case. Those days had long since passed, and the exchange between the two men seemed like a ritual attaching to a mystery which no-one else in the whole world had the least interest in unravelling.
The Latin name was Leptospermum (Myrtaceae) rubinette. It was a plant about ten centimetres high with small, heather-like foliage and a white flower with five petals about two centimetres across.
The plant was native to the Australian bush and uplands, where it was to he found among tussocks of grass. There it was called Desert Snow. Someone at the botanical gardens in Uppsala would later confirm that it was a plant seldom cultivated in Sweden. The botanist wrote in her report that it was related to the tea tree and that it was sometimes confused with its more common cousin Leptospermum scoparium, which grew in abundance in New Zealand. What distinguished them, she pointed out, was that rubinette had a small number of microscopic pink dots at the tips of the petals, giving the flower a faint pinkish tinge.
Rubinette was altogether an unpretentious flower. It had no known medicinal properties, and it could not induce hallucinatory experiences. It was neither edible, nor had a use in the manufacture of plant dyes. On the other hand, the aboriginal people of Australia regarded as sacred the region and the flora around Ayers Rock.
The botanist said that she had never herself seen one before, but after consulting her colleagues she was to report that attempts had been made to introduce the plant at a nursery in Goteborg, and that it might, of course, be cultivated by amateur botanists. It was difficult to grow in Sweden because it thrived in a dry climate and had to remain indoors half of the year. It would not thrive in calcareous soil and it had to be watered from below. It needed pampering.