The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - thoughts

Let me just say this -- Lisbeth Salander is not a likeable person, but I so want to be her.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the third installment in Stieg Larsson's trilogy featuring this amazing character, is another exciting read from start to finish.  I don't want to reveal too much about the book in case anyone hasn't read the first two books (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and The Girl Who Played with Fire) - and I think you do need to read them before starting on the third - so I'll just say that the story picked up quite seamlessly from the end of the second book.  In this novel, the focus wasn't so much on Mikael Blomqvist, the quirky journalist; but rather on Salander and several other very strong female characters:  Erika Berger, Blomqvist's colleague; Annika Giannini, Blomqvist's sister and Salander's attorney; Monica Figuerola, a police officer aiding in the investigation; and Susanne Linder, an employee with the security firm for which Salander did some consulting work.

But it is Salander who just makes the book for me.  She has been through so much - well, CRAP - in her life so her reluctance to speak to anyone in authority is well justified; but it is the way she finds ways to stick it to those who have wronged her that just make me wish that I could have her strength and assertiveness (and her computer smarts) even for a little while.

It is unfortunate that Larsson passed away before he was able to bask in the amazing success of this series.  I would love to see where he may have taken these characters, and what other stories he had to tell.