41/2 Stars.
The spellbinding conclusion to Steig Larsson's "Millinnium" trilogy picks up after the action in "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." Lisbeth Salander is taken to the hospital after being shot three times. She's in critical condition with the bullet that entered her brain.
Her friend, journalist, Mikael Blomkvist found her and notified the authorities. He also told the police that he had tied killer Ronald Niedermann to a road sign and they could take him into custody. However be careful of him. Police don't pay attention to his warning and Niederman kills one cop and severely beats another before escaping.
Former Russian hit man, Alexander Zalachenko is also taken to the hospital. He is Salander's father and had shot her and buried her alive. She is always resourceful and digs out of the grave and smashes a hatchet in his face. However, weak from her wounds, she isn't able to kill her father.
Inspector Modig and Criminal Investigator Marcus Erlander, from the violent crimes division are investigating.
Blomkvist asks Insp. Modig if she will make sure that there isn't a cover up for the crimes against Salander by the Secret Service, SAPO. They had brought Zalachenko to the country and declared Salander insane when she finally took action against Zalachenko for the years of extreme physical abuse he gave to her mother.
Blomkvist also convinces his sister, Annika Gianni to act as Salander's attorney. Gianni is a fierce advocate of crimes against women and is an excellent choice for this job.
In the complex but suspenseful plot, Everett Gullberg,is a former chief of Sweden's secret police. It was he who appointed Gunnar Bjorck, who was one of the major players in the recruitment and cover up of Zalanchenko. Gullberg tells his current secret service group that they must work together to discredit Salander and stop Zalachenko before he can tell what he knows.
This is a significant work of literature. It does for Sweden what "Doctor Zhivago" did for Russia. The novel is very realistic and emotionally captivating. It could have used a bit of editing but nonetheless is an outstanding novel.
