The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest is a 2007 crime mystery thriller written by Stieg Larsson, published by Norstedts Forlag, and narrated by Simon Vance. Serving as the third entry in the Millennium series, the story follows Lisbeth who’s awaiting trial, Mikael’s efforts to prove her innocence, and the conspirators who are willing to go to great lengths to silence Lisbeth forever.

Story

Liked the first book and the second book and loved the third book as well. The story does have a different pace and a different tone because of the legal aspect of it which I thought was a good change of direction. Yeah, the story does start off relatively slow but it introduces new elements of the story and new characters and motivations. Because of this I can understand why some people would have issues with the pacing. There is a story involving Erika Berger and her husband having a stalker, which does introduce a Milton Security operative named Lisa. Lisa is an interesting character but the storyline doesn’t add much to the story nor does it delve more into Erika’s character. Another problem I can see readers having is the fact that most of the time Lisbeth is laid up in the hospital instead of hacking computer networks, clubbing with Mimi, or taking on gangsters and criminals.

The story is good but let’s be honest, we read these books for the two leads, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. I was rooting for my girl Lisbeth every step of the way. Not only is she smart and resourceful but her growth feels like it’s progressing. She’s had it bad and it’s no wonder why she sees the world the way she does but by the end of the book we see that she learns accepting help from others and to consider other people, even buying them Christmas gifts. Mikael shines going to great lengths to protect the people he cares about and helping Lisbeth prove her innocence and freedom. Also, a major player to get the spotlight is Blomkvist’s sister Annika Gianinni who comes to Lisbeth’s aid as her attorney.

This time around our heroes have to deal with a Ronald Niedermann who’s on the run for murder, Lisbeth’s psychiatrist Dr. Teleborian, and The Section, the secret group within Sapo. Lisbeth and Niedermann have their final confrontation which does come to a satisfying conclusion. Each of these villains pose a threat to Lisbeth, contributing to much of her hardships. Overall, the story and characters are pretty solid. (4 out of 5)

Production

Again Simon Vance completely kills it. The man is a professional and he again makes the world of Millennium a fun and engaging read. He’s great with the narration and when it comes to the many characters, he’s able to distinguish them effectively for the most part. Some characters do tend to sound like others.

Stieg Larsson is a talented writer and his ability to keep the thrilling elements strong just says what category of writer he is. There’s a lot of detail to the world and characters that make the setting feel so real. Again, Larsson brings some important themes to the table. He talks about the media and how effective slander is, mental illness and how it is addressed in society, corruption of police and government officials.

Admittedly, there is a lot going on and sometimes it’s hard keeping track of all of the characters, subplots, and locations. Now there is an element that I’ve seen in all three of these books and Larsson seriously has me scratching my head. Why do all of these women fall head-over-heels for Mikael. Most of the female characters he deals with have interesting qualities, and I’m not saying them developing a relationship with Mikael is bad, but why do they all seem to just jump in bed with him. It seems like a repetitive plot point and a superficial one at that. Couldn’t he put in some work to get their attention and why are they broken up in the next book. Just seemed like a waste of time. Overall, the writing, direction, and reading were topnotch.

Overall, despite the change of pace and tone, this is still a solid read and deserve a thumbs up. (4 out of 5)

The Verdict

In the end, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest is a really good conclusion to the events and arcs started in the previous two books. The story remains rich with complexity and depth, the characters are given their time to shine and develop, the writing and dialogue touches on some specific themes while being meaningful, and, of course, the narration is just solid. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest gets 5 out of 5.

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