The Girl In The Spider's Web - David Lagercrantz

The Reviewer In The Spider’s Web

You know I do understand why this book was written. …… I think. When I was younger I can remember how bereft I felt at the conclusion of a book I really loved. There were times when I simply returned to the beginning and read it all over again so loathe was I to leave the world I had been fortunate enough to enter. So I get that feeling of wanting to keep hold of Lisbeth Salander. For weeks after I finished the Millennium Trilogy I used to ask myself, ‘What would Lisbeth Salander do?’ when I found myself in challenging situations. May I stress that I didn’t do what Lisbeth might have done but there was a comfort in thinking it!

So you would think I’d be ecstatic about another ‘Girl…..’ novel, wouldn’t you? Well I was, I am, I mean I think so, its just that - Stieg didn’t write it. So I had such a strong sense that I wasn’t reading about Stieg’s Lisbeth, I was reading about Lagercrantz’s Lisbeth and they are two different people. Mr. Lagercrantz has done his homework, the physical descriptions are spot on, the actions, the reactions, the interactions are pure Salander but ……… the essence of her isn’t truly there.

Can I say the same of Mikael Blomqvist? He was always a little one dimensional to me but I always figured he was supposed to be, the most perfect foil for Lisbeth. The Yin and Yang of Nordic crime.

So what do we really have here? On the one hand we have a cracking good crime thriller. An intricate plot full of technical cyber knowledge much of which went over my head. A journalist, a hacker, the police, all up against an unknown enemy dealing in  uncompromising violence. So objectively it’s a great read, five stars.

But if you can write a story this good why capitalise on characters who already exist? And maybe the answer to that question lies in the premise of my opening paragraph? May David Lagercrantz just loved the characters so much he wanted them to go on.

I wonder what Lisbeth Salander would have written if she been required to write a review of this book? Easy. She wouldn’t!!!