Stieg Larsson: The Real Story of the Man Who Played with Fire

Stieg Larsson: The Real Story of the Man Who Played With Fire  by Jan-Erik Pettersson

Ever since reading the Millennium Trilogy and learning about the tragic circumstances of the author's sudden death, I have felt compelled to learn more about this new Swedish author, Stieg Larsson.  And the more I have read about Larsson, the more I feel the literary world has lost a strong, passionate voice for women's rights and social justice. 

Pettersson shows how Stieg's energetic championing of social justice and women's rights characterized his life as well as his work, ultimately culminating in the Millennium Trilogy and particularly the characters of the unforgettable Lisbeth Salander and Michael Blomkvist. Larsson started his career as a journalist and eventually established his own magazine, called Expo, devoted to monitoring right-wing extremists.  In fact Larsson became an expert on extremist groups and was frequently interviewed or asked to consult with other countries, governments and political leaders.

Luckily, this book is not so much a biography, as it is a reflection and personal insight and explanation into a colleague and friend and what motivated him.  While the book starts out somewhat slow and tedious as Pettersson gets bogged down into a description and history of the area in which Larsson grew up, it picks up as he shifts his focus to Larsson himself.  His research spans Larsson's full life (1954–2005) and includes substantial detail about Larsson's early interests in left-wing politics, which motivated him to monitor and counter the rise of neo-Nazi fascism in Sweden, a course that endangered his life.  Pettersson claims this was the main reason why Stieg and Eva, his partner, never married.  He did not want to endanger himself and Eva by having information about themselves on a public register.  Pettersson provides several examples of deadly retaliation on journalists and the general public, when these extremist groups feel threatened.  Consider the current case of mass killings in Norway.

Pettersson claims Stieg had a sense that his books would be successful.  He was involved in the planning, production and negotiations in having rights to his books picked up by publishers in other countries. Stieg also was aware a film company in Sweden was interested in adapting his novels to the screen. Fans of the novels will appreciate this behind the scenes and insightful look into the Man Who Played with Fire.

The House of Silk: a Sherlock Holmes Novel

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

It has been a long wait, but Sherlock Holmes has returned.  The House of Silk is the first sanctioned Sherlock Holmes story by the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate.  And they could not have chosen a better writer to tackle the style and tone of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories.  Anthony Horowitz is a meticulous wordsmith, having penned a series of very successful novels, known as the Alex Rider series, but he was also the writer and creator of the BBC series, Foyle's War. 

Horowitz also is a Sherlock Holmes expert, and it definitely shows in this intricately woven tale of three interrelated mysteries.  Holmes is still in top form using his powers of observation and deductive reasoning as he alone connects the dots between three different mysteries. Horowitz gets everything right-the familiar narrative voice, brilliant deductions, a very active role for Watson, and a perplexing and disturbing series of puzzles to unravel.  As a student of 19th Century literature, Horowitz stays true to the master himself, Conan Doyle, in terms of authenticity of plot, language, and characters.

Speaking of characters, they are all here...from Dr. Watson, Inspector Lastrade, Mrs. Hudson, brother Mycroft, and Sherlock's crew known as the Baker Street Irregulars.   The story begins, as most Sherlock Holmes stories do, with a visit from a potential client to 221B Baker Street.  This client is a fine arts dealer who is seeking Holmes' help, because he is being menaced by a strange man in a flat cap - a wanted criminal who seems to have followed him all the way from America.  Holmes and Watson find themselves being drawn ever deeper into an international conspiracy connected to the teeming criminal underworld of Boston, the gaslit streets of London, opium dens and much more.  I mustn't give anymore away.  So come Watson...the Game's afoot!

I know I will be and I am sure other devoted Sherlockians will be hoping for Horowitz to convince Watson to reveal other Sherlock Holmes cases, which he was unable to publish before.  

The Informationist

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens

If you have been lamenting the loss of Stieg Larsson and his "one of a kind" female protaganist, Lisbeth Salander, you will find some satisfaction in Taylor Stevens' first novel, The Informationist.  Her female protaganist, Vanessa (Michael) Munroe, is a breath of fresh air.  She is an informationist and a linguist with the ability to blend into any country and obtain the knowledge sought by her high-paying clients.  Her client in this case is a distraught father, whose daughter has gone missing while traveling in Africa.

Vanessa Michael Munroe is both beautiful and androgynous at the same time. She is a chameleon by nature.  To some she is Munroe, to others, she can pass herself off as the boy Michael and to a select few, she is Nessa.  She has an encyclopedic mind, that stores, sorts and processes information.  Taylor Stevens has penned a fast-paced, gripping, edgy mystery with a heroine you will come to admire and respect.  As a huge fan of Larsson's heroine, Lisbeth Salander, it was exciting to run into another volatile and exotic female character, that will leave you wanting to learn more about her, just as Larsson did in his masterful Millennium trilogy.  I immediately went out and bought Stevens' next Vanessa Munroe thriller, The Innocent.  Stay tuned for that review.  Hopefully a studio will pick up the rights to these books.