The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (original title in Swedish: Män som hatar kvinnor– literally– men who hate women) is a crime novel by the late Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson. It is the first book of the "Millennium series" trilogy, which, when published posthumously in 2004, became a best-seller in Europe and the United States. Plot
In December 2002, Mikael Blomkvist, publisher of the Swedish political magazine Millennium, loses a libel case involving allegations about billionaire industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström. He is sentenced to three months in prison, and ordered to pay hefty damages and costs. Soon afterwards, he is invited to meet Henrik Vanger, the retired CEO of the Vanger Corporation, unaware that Vanger has checked into his personal and professional history; the investigation of Blomkvist's circumstances has been carried out by Lisbeth Salander, an unusual young woman who works as a surveillance agent with Milton Security; even Salander's boss, Armansky, has doubts about her but is afraid to enquire too closely into her background.
Blomkvist is promised considerable financial reward and solid evidence against Wennerström, in exchange for writing the Vanger family history. Vanger believes that his great-niece, Harriet, was murdered by a member of the family 36 years earlier, and has spent the intervening years obsessively but unsuccessfully seeking the answer to the mystery. Harriet disappeared at a time when nearly every member of the family was present on the island where the Vanger estate is, but when the island was, temporarily, effectively cut off from the mainland by an accident blocking the only access bridge. Blomkvist moves to the island and begins his research into the history of the Vanger family and Harriet's disappearance.
Shortly after Blomkvist arrives, he begins an affair with Cecilia Vanger, a cousin of Harriet's, now a head teacher and a few years Blomkvist's senior. He has lost touch with his long-standing lover and business partner, Erika Berger, who is angry with him for accepting Vanger's offer and leaving her to run Millennium in Stockholm. Eventually it is Vanger himself who persuades Berger to come and visit, and a deal is made to enable the magazine to benefit from an association with the Vanger Corporation.
Lisbeth Salander is under the care of a legal guardian. When her guardian, Holger Palmgren, suffers a stroke, he is replaced by lawyer Nils Bjurman, who takes advantage of his position to beat and sexually abuse her. After using a hidden camera to record Bjurman raping her, Lisbeth takes her revenge, torturing him and threatening to ruin him unless he gives her full control of her life and finances.
While searching through the evidence, Blomkvist decides that he needs a research assistant, and Vanger's lawyer mentions Salander. When he sees the report she prepared for Vanger, Blomkvist realises that Salander has hacked into his computer. He confronts her, but shows none of the anger she expects. Salander agrees to assist in the investigation, and a sexual relationship quickly develops, but keeps Blomkvist at a distance emotionally.
Blomkvist and Salander begin to realise that they are on the trail of a serial killer, with suspicion falling on Harriet's uncle, Harald Vanger, the only living family member sufficiently old to have been responsible for the killings. An attack on Blomkvist confirms their suspicions that they are on the right track. When looking through old photographs, Blomkvist realises that they contain a clue to the murderer's identity. When he becomes suspicious of Harriet's brother, Martin Vanger, and goes to his house, Martin takes him prisoner. Martin reveals that the murders were started by his father who later encouraged his teenage son to participate. Martin admits to murdering dozens of women, but denies killing his sister. Martin tries to murder Blomkvist, who is saved just in time by Salander. Trying to escape, Martin drives his car head-on into a truck on the wrong side of the road and is burnt to death.
By following a trail that leads first to Cecilia's sister Anita, who now lives in London, Blomkvist and Salander find out that Harriet is still alive and in Australia. Blomkvist flies over and learns the truth about Harriet's disappearance: that her father and her brother had repeatedly raped her; that she killed her father by drowning; that her cousin Anita had smuggled her out of Sweden. Blomkvist persuades her to return to Sweden, where she reunites with her uncle, who makes plans for her to take the position of CEO of the Vanger Corporation. Blomkvist accompanies Salander at the funeral of her mother, who has just died. After taking out her grief at the loss of her mother on Blomkvist and accusing him of just wanting a sexual relationship, Salander leaves the island. Later that night, she returns to Blomkvist.
Blomkvist is furious when he learns that the evidence against Wennerström that Vanger promised him is useless. However Salander has already hacked Wennerström's computer and has discovered that his crimes go far beyond what Blomkvist documented. Blomkvist and Salander work together in Blomkvist's cottage at Sandhamn. Using her evidence, Blomkvist prints an exposé and book which ruins Wennerström and catapults Millennium to national prominence. Meanwhile, Salander succeeds in stealing more than 2.4 billion US dollars from Wennerström's secret bank account.
Blomkvist and Salander spend Christmas together in his holiday retreat and their sexual relationship continues. On the day before New Year's Eve she is on her way to Blomkvist's home with a late Christmas present, intending to declare her love for him, but retreats when she sees him with Erika Berger.
As a postscript, Salander continues to monitor Wennerström and after six months, anonymously informs a lawyer in Miami of his whereabouts. He is found in Marbella, dead, shot three times in the head.
Characters
- Mikael Blomkvist – A journalist, publisher and part-owner of the monthly magazine Millennium.
- Lisbeth Salander – A freelance surveillance agent and researcher, specializing in investigating people on behalf of Milton Security.
- Henrik Vanger – A retired industrialist and former CEO of Vanger Corporation.
- Harriet Vanger – Henrik's great-niece.
- Martin Vanger – Brother of Harriet and CEO of the Vanger Corporation.
- Gottfried Vanger – Martin and Harriet's deceased father.
- Isabella Vanger – Gottfried Vanger's wife and Martin and Harriet's mother.
- Cecilia Vanger – Daughter of Harald Vanger and one of Henrik's nieces.
- Anita Vanger – Cecilia's sister and one of Harriet's second cousins.
- Birger Vanger – Cecilia and Anita's brother.
- Hans-Erik Wennerström – A corrupt billionaire financier.
- Robert Lindberg – Banker and Blomkvist's provider of background to libellous feature.
- William Borg – Blomkvist's nemesis.
- Monica Abrahamsson – Blomkvist' wife whom he marries in 1986 and divorces in 1991.
- Pernilla Abrahamsson – Their daughter who was born in 1986.
- Holger Palmgren – Lisbeth Salander's lawyer and legal guardian.
- Nils Bjurman – Lisbeth Salander's legal guardian and lawyer after Palmgren.
- Erika Berger – Editor-in chief/majority owner of Millennium monthly magazine, and long-standing lover of Blomkvist.
- Dirch Frode – Former lawyer for Vanger Corporation, now lawyer with one client: Henrik Vanger.
- Dragan Armansky – CEO and COO of Milton Security.
- "Plague" – Computer hacker/genius.
- Christer Malm – Director, art designer and part-owner of Millennium.
- Janne Dahlman – Managing editor of Millennium.
- Gustaf Morell – A retired Detective Superintendent.
- Anna Nygren – Henrik Vanger's house keeper.
- Gunnar Nilsson – Henrik's caretaker.
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