The Girl Who Lived Twice follows David Lagercrantz's second in the Millennium series, The Girl Who Takes An Eye For An Eye. The Girl in the Eagle's Talons, the seventh in the series, will be published at the end of August 2023 and is written by the talented Karin Smirnoff, author of the atmospheric and chilling, My Brother.

Compared to the previous book in the series The Girl Who Lived Twice felt a bit slow and there is less focus on Lisbeth and Mikael. It almost feels as of they are secondary characters who coincidentally stumble upon a case, but they remain on the sidelines of the story. Naturally they play a part in solving the murder, but there's almost too little focus on them as characters. We do, however, get some insight into Lisbeth and Camilla's childhood and history. The sections set on Everest also make for interesting reading and adds to the ominous atmosphere and tension.

After the dramatic end of this novel, I'd love to see where Smirnoff takes the story to next!

The Girl Who Lived Twice is a welcome return to some great characters – Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist – as well as some not-so-likeable people such as Lisbeth’s sister Camilla, and back into the world of Millennium magazine (though the publication doesn’t feel like it features as heavily in this instalment).

I enjoyed this continuation of the series, as I enjoyed the other Millennium novels by Lagercrantz, and it’s good to be back with the characters. However, as before, I still feel that Lisbeth as a character is quite a lot different to how she was in Stieg Larsson’s original Millennium novels. I feel Lisbeth would have behaved quite differently in the original series – but at the end of the day, this isn’t those original novels, so we can’t expect her to be exactly the same. To be honest, we don’t see as much of Lisbeth as I’d like full stop in The Girl Who Lived Twice, but I did enjoy what I saw of her and Blomkvist, and their interactions.

I have to admit I felt a bit confused by all the characters in this book, but that’s something I often feel in this series, not helped by the fact they’re not familiar names (which is of course completely my problem!). I was intrigued by what happened to the man who was found dead, and wanted to know more, and at the same time I didn’t really connect with the Everest storyline.

The book features a complex storyline which has plenty of twists and turns - as I have come to expect from this series – but some of the narrative did not hugely engage me. But The Girl Who Lived Twice is still well worth a read for anyone who is a fan of the previous books.

I enjoyed this very much. The style is much more like the original and I had the same feeling for the characters. The plot was good, it was exciting and a real page turner. . I look forward to reading more about the adventures of Salander and Blomkvist.

The sixth book in the Millenium series (the third since David Lagercrantz took over) works much like the last two: a great thriller with a slow build up to an intense second half, but lacking a certain something from the original trilogy. Lagercrantz is a great writer, but he is not Stieg Larsson.

Setting aside the inevitable and yet probably unfair comparison of the two authors, the book itself works as a capstone to one of the many storylines since the second book - Lisbeth's relationship with her family, initially centered around her father and now transferred to her sister Camilla. Added to this is a new investigation for Mikael, involving a dead homeless man, genealogy, climbing in Nepal and the usual political shenanigans. All of it unravels until our two heroes are fighting for their lives, all ending with a tense finale and a surprising conclusion.

We get a much deeper dive into Lisbeth's past in this book, uncovering various secrets and lies surrounding the Salander family. However, this seemed to come at the expense of the key relationship, which came across as stunted and weaker than it has been, especially compared to the first three books. Although this is probably an inevitable result of the expansion of the Millenium universe, it was sad to miss out on those key moments between the two main characters.

All in all, a terrified thriller that will keep you reading, but which may leave you slightly disappointed if you were hoping for Larson levels of genius!

Let me begin by stating that I was in favor of the continuation of Millenium series by an author other than the late Stieg Larsson and I've enjoyed the first two books ("The Girl in the Spider's Web", "The Girl Who Took An Eye for An Eye") but this one failed to meet my, admittedly high, expectations. It is an overall mediocre attempt in bringing beloved fictional characters such as Lisbeth Salander or Mikael Blomkvist back to life, in a story that lacks a clear direction and a plot that seems to be flat and without the necessary exciting twists and turns that usually make a crime novel a success.

Lisbeth has a secondary role here, and even though her conflict with her sister Camilla is built from the early pages, she is mainly busy with hacking in order to help Mikael to uncover the truth about a suspicious suicide of a foreign man who was once a guide at Mountain Everest. The main plotline seems compelling enough in the first part of the novel but it quickly reveals its weak structure and lack of inspiration. When the reader learns the truth about the beggar's suicide in the third and final part of the book, he is not sure if he really cares any longer. The subplot concerning the feud between Lisbeth and Camilla is equally dull and the final showdown is so implausible that almost makes you laugh.

David Lagercrantz's prose has a nice flow but seems to be rather naive in some parts while the characterization in "The Girl Who Lived Twice" is not as strong as it was in the previous two novels. Both the two protagonists, Mikael and Lisbeth, seem to be constantly out of depth, while the secondary characters and villains, who were one of the most interesting aspects in S. Larsson's original "Millenium" trilogy, are outlined in an awkward manner. Lagercrantz tries to connect the book's plotline with those of the previous two but even that is unsuccessful as the result seems -more or less- forced.

There was a major conflict between the Larsson's family members, Stieg's father and brother, and Eva Gabrielsson, Stieg's partner for more than thirty years, regarding the rights in the "Millenium" legacy. Gabrielsson claims to be the only person suitable to continue the series, as she was involved in some parts in the original trilogy -though not in the writing process itself- mainly having to do with some of the characters and locations used in the novels. Thus, she was not supportive of D. Lagercrantz's writing endeavor, but the Larsson family, who finally inherited the rights, agreed and gave him the green light to extend the series. The reading audience was divided into two groups, with some absolutely loving the new novels and others hating it. Personally, I was positive from the beginning as I'm in favor of bold writing experiments like this one. Unfortunately, "The Girl Who Lived Twice", which is the last book in the series written by Lagercrantz, left me with a bitter taste and as I finished reading, I couldn't help but feeling kind of nostalgic remembering the original trilogy's brilliance.

I enjoyed the original Stieg Larrrson trilogy of books and I did in fact read this author’s first continuation novel which I found ok but not nearly as compelling as the original series so I did not read book 5.
When this book(6) popped up on NetGalley I thought I’d give this series another go.
To be truthful it wasn’t bad and I managed to finish it in a few days. I felt it was better than Lagercrantz’s first attempt but it still wasn’t quite as good the original.
In this book Salender is busy trying to find her evil sister, Camilla, and kill her before she herself is killed.
Camilla is surrounded by the Russian mafia and appears to be fixated on their dead gangster father, blaming her sister for his death and the wretchedness of her early life.
Blomkvist is investigating the death of a homeless beggar after being contacted by a forensic pathologist who suspects foul play.
I thought the part of the plot about Everest and Sherpas was interesting as the author had obviously done a lot of research on the subject.
This was a reasonable attempt at a continuation of the Dragon Tattoo series and as it was some time since I had read the originals I wasn’t able to compare it too closely which was probably a good thing.
Salander was well drawn and so was Blomkvist. The author managed to convey their relationship quite well. The plot was really two intertwined stories and it became quite complicated in places but it was a fast paced read which kept my interest.
All in all this is a reasonable attempt to continue Larrsons original Millennium Trilogy. It must be very hard to write a book using someone else’s characters and Langencrantz has not done a bad job.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the Millenium series and was very excited when I get this ARC.
I had high expectations but I was somehow disappointed.
I felt that the characters were different and the plot less gripping. An entertaining read but not as good as the other installments.
I'm curious if there will be another installment in this series.
I recommend it but please keep in mind that it can feel like a different series.
Many thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author, David Lagercrantz, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Girl Who Lived Twice in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I thought this book provided a good good.
The storyline was certainly intriguing and the characters are well drawn.
It is one of those books that you would have to read to know whether you like it or not. I don't think there will be too many Larrson/ Lagercrantz fans that will be disappointed.
3.5 stars.

So... i didn't know this was going to be the end of supposedly the second trilogy, and I am also already wondering if it is going to be the last one or....Lisbeth Salander remains one of the best characters in this type of novels and I will always be happy to read some other stuff where she is involved....

Quindi a quanto pare siamo arrivati alla fine sella seconda trilogia e mi sto giá chiedendo se potrebbe essere l'ultima, anche se non ci credo. Resta il fatto che Lisbeth Salander resta uno dei migliori personaggi in questo genere di romanzo e non mi dispiacerebbe continuare a leggerla.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE ARC

An excellent continuation of the complex character that is Lisbeth Salander. Lagerkrantz excels in weaving a complicated plot that takes in an expedition to the summit of Mount Everest and the death of a homeless man in Stockholm. Once again Salanders past brutally comes back in the shape of her sister and it will have horrendous consequences for those closest to her. An excellent, fast paced and well researched novel that I devoured in one sitting.

I liked the millennium girl series,but I didn't love them,and so from that view point I'm happy with the stories going forward and Lagercrantz taking over the writing.
This one felt like a slow build,story wise. A lot of getting everyone in the right place and up to speed for an action packed finale.
There is a risk that Salander is becoming a side note in her own books,she didn't feature much in this one I felt.
However,it was an enjoyable read and interesting story.
I'll be back for next installement

I was so impatient to read this book that I actually bought it before I was approved by the publisher and oh boy what a fantabulous read it was !!!
David Lagercrantz has done a fantastic job of continuing this wonderful series and making it his own and in my opinion this was even better than the last book. Lisbeth Salander once more is fighting for survival with Mikael Blomkvist looking into what just seems to a simple story of a vagrant but this turns out to be a lot more complicated and the book runs at one hell of a pace from then on.
I know some people will always make comparisons with the the Stieg Larsson books but I am just thrilled that this series is continuing and that David Lagercrantz as I said is in my opinion is making a mighty fine job of it ...I loved the book and I hope to see more in the series.
My thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books, Maclehose Press for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

There are many readers who, like me, cannot quite let go of Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander, and have ended up reading David Lagercrantz's resurrected Lisbeth, even when you can feel that there is likely to be a sense of disappointment upon reading his latest addition to this iconic series. There were elements of this that I enjoyed reading in this plot driven narrative, but nothing can disguise the glaring shortfalls when it comes to characterisation and character development, and nowhere is this more apparent than in a Lisbeth who feels like an empty shell, a parody rather than an authentic creation. This along with the creaking weaknesses of some of the plotlines makes for an unsatisfactory whole, although there are some thrills to be gained as the different threads begin to connect near the end.

Lisbeth is in Moscow, and has reinvented herself into the persona of conventional businesswoman, albeit one who carries a gun. Motivated by her need to gain vengeance, she has her evil but beautiful sister, Camilla, in her sights but finds herself crippled by a past that threatens to destroy her in the present. Camilla has some formidable allies, such as Russian GRU military intelligence agent, Ivan Galinov, a charming if entirely ruthless man, and Zvezda Bratva, the criminal enterprise established by Salander's brutal father, the now dead Alexander Zalachenko. In the meantime, in Stockholm, Mikael Blomkvist is unsettled, worried about Lisbeth, and gets drawn into the death of an extraordinary unidentified homeless man that is beginning to look like murder and acquires a surprising girlfriend in Catrin Lindas. In a story that takes in Russian troll factories churning out lies, disinformation and fake news to destabilise democracy globally, a Swedish government minister being torn apart by his past, the Russian criminal underworld, and a tragic 2008 Everest mountaineering party, it all culminates in deadly danger edging towards those close to Lisbeth.

I have no doubt that many readers will enjoy Lagercrantz's latest outing for Salander, and I admit that there were aspects of the novel that absorbed and engaged, but it is undoubtedly an uneven read. There is a part of me that doesn't envy Lagercrantz at all, it must be difficult having to shoulder the huge expectations of the army of fans devoted to Larsson's Salander that anyone would struggle with, if not impossible to fulfil, few could face this burden with equanimity. For those of you planning to read this, I hope you enjoy this, there is much that is entertaining about it. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.