An English translation of the Swedish crime novel "the Men who Hate Women". The Swedish title says alot. It's a thriller based around two crimes, sadistic hate crimes against women and financial crime. Officially there are two plots running through the story, but they never overlap.
It starts off with Mikael Blomkvist, who is convicted of libel against a corporate magnate. He never defended himself during his trial because he knew he could not prove his innocence. After he is convicted, he is hired by an old man looking to solve the supposed murder of his beloved niece, Harriet, 30 years ago. Mikael agrees, not really expecting to find anything... but he does. He is joined by Lisbeth Salander, a delinquent investigative genius with a twisted view of the world. She is the other protagonist in the story and you become very sympathetic towards her when you learn of her background. Together, they find out that Harriet is alive and living under a different name in Australia after running away that fateful day 30 years ago. She'd run away because she'd been suffering sexual abuse from her brother, a sadistic serial killer who continued to practice his twisted hobbies with other women after his sister left.
After Mikael solves the case, he goes back to clearing his name of the libel conviction - which he succeeds.
This is a great book, the story is suspenseful and unexpected. The crimes are graphic and unapologetic. I don't think I could ever read it again, nor could I ever watch the film version.
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