This book has popped up in numerous instances in my life before I was given a chance to read it. When finally offered, I was happy to say it kept my interest. There are issues: the writing, at times, feels plodding and lackluster. There were many times where I felt events happened redundantly or could have been streamlined in a way to maintain tension; how much of that is due to translation, or due to Larsson's passing away and only giving a manuscript, I cannot say. I also was more than a little uncomfortable with the portrayal of women in this work. More specifically one woman - Lisbeth Salander. I have read a few negative reviews on here about this work, and many argue for and against the evidence of misogyny. I, for one, do not think Larsson thought he was a misogynist; nor do I think he intended to write misogynistic characters. I think it's clear his work was supposed to be the opposite - and, by and large, I think he succeeded. For me, it was little things that pinged some still unresolved issues surrounding women: the over-indulged and often repeated descriptions of Salander's body, the trite romance between Salander and Blumkvist that I would have rather done without - that lead me to this. As many have noted before me, its easy to fall into prejudicial ways of being when its baked into your culture. For Larsson, I give him credit where credit's due: his story treats the humanity of women better than many. It still leaves much to be desired.

As for the mystery itself, I was pleasantly surprised. I had no inkling as to the mysteries nature upon beginning, and I was impressed at the author's ability to wind so many concepts and focuses into a whole that didn't collapse under its veritable weight. Sure, there were long-winded places, and I (like many) sometimes got lost in the slow, mechanical moments. But any novel that can actually throw some good curveballs deserves some credit. That's not me tooting my own incredible skills for discernment so much as my lament that most stories promising twists do not surprise me in the slightest. I distinctly had some points in this book where I did not expect the red herring to be a red herring, and that made me happy. Stylistically, I felt once I understood what the author was going for, I was able to groove along with him. I still wish another editor had maybe made a pass at it, and I'm a little confused about the extent of it's hype. It was good, but never that good.

All in all, it's a book I was happy to read. I'm not sure whether I will read the sequels, but I am glad to place this bestseller on my 'read' list.