The "Steig Larsson" Trilogy (or "The Girl Who Kept Me Up Late Night Reading")

Note: I want to preface this post by adding a caveat of sorts. This trilogy deals with explicit sexuality and violence, particularly sexual violence, which may be offensive to many readers. My suggestion is that if you cannot stomach "Law and Order - SVU," or a show like "Criminal Minds," then these books are definitely not for you.

I loved these books. How can I tell? While reading every book since, I have longed for this trilogy. These books kept me up late into the night, desperate to get through "just one more chapter."

Let me start by saying I LOVE criminal drama. No matter how scared I get after watching "Criminal Minds" alone while my husband is at work, I just can't seem to pull myself away. I have seen so many episodes of Law & Order (all sub-brands included) that I cannot keep the storylines amongst the characters straight. These books satiated this love in me. Instead of catching my regular 7:00 Law & Order episode, I was far more content to open these books. These books are not your regular "detective fiction" or "mystery drama," but more firmly planted in the "criminal drama" genre (if such a genre yet exists in the literary world).

These books were also incredibly well translated. I say translated because I cannot speak to Mr. Larsson's actual writing of the book. I wonder if Steig Larsson's phraseology is as well-executed as it seems in the English translation. Nonetheless, I never found myself detracted from the story by the writing.

Let me also note how interesting it was to be transported to a locale I had neither heard, nor thought, much about. For the most part, all three books take place in Sweden, and while I can't speak to the legitimacy of the representation of the country in the books, the descriptions sure made me want to visit. How refreshing to read through a location other than a large American (or Canadian) city.

All in all, I would highly recommend these books (provided you enjoy the criminal genre and can stomach the sexual violence contained within) - but make sure you are ready to buy all three, or maybe even have all three on hand when you begin. Each book flows seamlessly into the next, and you will find yourself itching to see the plot to resolution.

For me, the only disappointment here is that Mr. Larsson, deceased shortly after submitting these manuscripts, will not be producing any more books in this great genre. 

Just Finished: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin, Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Currently Reading: Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Up Next: The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton