A Sad Goodbye

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest:  Millennium #3 by Stieg Larsson

Thriller

I saved this book for several years, knowing it would be the last one by Larsson and I just hated saying goodbye to all the characters, especially Lisbeth.  I always feel such sadness when I end a series, especially one that is truly over with no hope of a comeback.  While I have read that another author is going to take up the series, it just won't be the same without Larsson at the helm.

At this book opens, Lisbeth is lying in a hospital bed with a bullet in her brain--just where the last book left off.  When she awakens from her coma, she finds her father, and the man who tried to repeatedly kill her, in the same hospital just a few doors down.  It's a race to see who will be mobile first--to strike like a deadly cobra.  Oh, the tension from a hospital bed!  Genius! 

I have always loved the character of Lisbeth.  There are so many reasons for her to engage in self-pity, but she refuses to become a victim and, instead, becomes an advocate for womens' rights.  For a change, though, Lisbeth can't do this all on her own.  She has to call Mikael for help--who comes running right away.  Love that guy!  This story ties all the loose ends up with a bow.  Nothing is left out or left unanswered.  I loved that Larsson didn't have a chippy/happy ending for everyone.  Some books, some characters, just don't get that and that is exactly, perfectly right here.

Even though I saved it for years, this book was not a disappointment.  It truly lived up to my expectations.  I am only disappointed there will be no more.  I have been reading some other Swedish authors but none come close to Larsson.  If you know of a another author like this one, please, oh please, pass along a new recommendation.