The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons by Karin Smirnoff
This is the seventh instalment in the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series. Originated by Stieg Larson (deceased) in a three book trilogy (and televised via three successful films), the main protagonist Lisbeth Salander’s story was taken up by David Lagercrantz via a second three book trilogy. This instalment is written by another author who has taken up the mantle, commencing what feels like a third set of three books.
Previous novels introduced, slowly and reluctantly, Lisbeth’s estranged family members. A father, a sister, a half-brother, all of them wishing her dead. This novel sees Lisbeth called to Sweden’s northern region as she’s the emergency contact of a 13 year old girl, her niece, whom she has never met. Separately (as they rarely speak), Mikael Blomkvist the journalist has also travelled to Gasskas for his (estranged) daughter’s wedding to a local politician. Worlds collide for Lisbeth and Mikael, even in the quiet backcountry of Gasskas. A major biker gang is pursuing Lisbeth’s niece, there are nine missing local residents (including the niece’s mother), corrupt council members, a proposed wind farm, reluctant land owners and a very shady wind farm developer whose people enjoy torturing those weaker.
This instalment is written in the present tense (whether deliberately or due to translation from Swedish into English by Sarah Death). Whilst the first six books were written in the past tense, their English prose flowed comfortably with the story, the only jarring words being Swedish names, places and some nouns hard to translate into English. The involved reader simply ignored the unpronounceable Swedish words and kept reading. This instalment is more difficult to get comfortable with, written in the present tense. Whatever the shortcomings, the author had nailed all previous characters flawlessly, particularly Lisbeth and made her actions in this story utterly believable.
Sufficient violent criminals meet their end (that’s not giving away the ending) and sufficient more characters are still around (to Lisbeth’s chagrin), leaving the reader to well believe there will be two more novels from this writer in the new future. Long may Lisbeth Salander live!
Reviewed by Belinda Coombs
MURDER AND CRIME READING GROUP
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