Member Reviews

I really enjoyed "The Girl In The Eagle's Talons." It was great to be reintroduced to some of the characters, especially Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. It was a wonderful page-turner and kept me excited & engaged while reading. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes mysteries and thrillers. If readers enjoyed the first three books in the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson, they will also love this book. It was very cinematic and would make an excellent movie.

Was this review helpful?

The small Swedish town of Gasskas is under pressure. A consortium plans a forest of wind turbines, a direct conflict with the pristine beauty of the surrounding mountains and its needed tourism. Michael Blomkvist, alienated by Millennium magazine going totally digital, arrives for his daughter’s marriage. The groom, a city manager, has a dark past and perhaps a darker future, which strains the father-daughter relationship even further. Added pressure comes from the kidnapping of her son, Blomkvist’s grandson. Lisbeth Salander, despite her reluctance, has been named caretaker of her gifted teenage niece, and arrives in the town to discover that the 13-year-old might be in danger. The mounting tension threatens the town, strains damaged relationships, and ultimately explodes into violence. An excellent addition to this remarkable series.

DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series

Was this review helpful?

After seven books, I’m sad to report that this new Millennium novel was highly disappointing. Larsson set the bar so high, that it’s unfair to compare the rest of the volumes to the original trilogy, but Lagercrantz’s books were fun. The Girl in the Eagle's Talons is the first of a planned three by Karin Smirnoff, who actually lives close to where Larsson grew up. I really liked Lisbeth’s niece, a new character who has a lot in common with her aunt. As for the rest, I’m afraid that I found it boring. There is too much information about mining, wind energy, reindeer husbandry and, most of all, politics. Larsson didn’t shy away from this, but this book is too localized to appeal to me. For instance, there are too many dialogues about the political parties in Sweden, about which I know nothing. My problem is, I wasn’t invested enough to even Google it, and in the end it didn’t matter. The baddie sounds like a Bond villain, but instead of cheesy fun, he gives long speeches about the state of the environment (I think, to be honest, I’m not sure). The plot takes a long time to set up characters and situations that don’t pan out, or fall by the wayside. Maybe some will become important in the sequels, but it distracted from the plot. I was looking forward to reading this book so much that I feel let down. I hope other readers enjoy it more.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf!

Was this review helpful?

I read all of the other books in this series years ago so I was very excited to get an ACR of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. It was great to jump back into the story of Lisbeth and Mikael. The beginning of the story was hard to get into. There were many characters with unfamiliar names and places which made it hard for me to keep track of who was who and what they were doing. Once I got about halfway in, it was good. I liked the new character, Svala, who is Lisbeth's niece that she is guardian of. Svala is in trouble with the wrong people and Lisbeth and Mikael have to come to her rescue. The book was a bit graphic but so were the others. It was somewhat farfetched that Savla was able to do all that she did but I was happy with the ending and would probable read another book in the series.

Was this review helpful?

I loved the original books in this series, and I will continue to read their sequels by different authors. They are entertaining, but getting a little formulaic. This book was fun to read, but I find it hard to believe all the coincidences that keep happening between the characters. I did really enjoy the character of Svala, and the relationship between her and Lisbeth kept me going in the book. But if you like these books, and enjoy the theme of men doing terrible things to women, and then the women getting revenge, you'll want to keep reading too.

Was this review helpful?

The latest addition to the Lisbeth Salander series, delivering a compelling Nordic Noir novel. With her own distinct voice, Smirnoff captures the essence of Stieg Larsson's iconic character while crafting an intricately woven tale.

In this installment, Lisbeth Salander once again finds herself immersed in a dark and treacherous world, where power, corruption, and violence collide. The narrative effortlessly brings forth the gritty atmosphere of the northern Scandinavian setting, immersing readers in a world where secrets lurk in every corner and danger looms at every turn.

Smirnoff's skillful storytelling, compelling character development, and atmospheric writing make this novel an intriguing crime fiction.

Was this review helpful?

I was aware of other authors continuing the Millenium series after Steig Larsson's death, but I dismissed them as money chasers. I was offered this book for free by Net Galley and enjoyed it very much. It had a lot of the same feel of the original books, and I was happy to be reunited with Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomqvist. I have since borrowed the first one in the extended series, and I am enjoying that one as well.

Was this review helpful?

I got about 25% in and it just wasn’t grabbing me. Maybe it will pick up when Lis Salander comes in? I’ve set it aside for now, but I’m hoping to get back to it at some point. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy.

Was this review helpful?

I was extremely excited to have gotten this from NetGalley and Knopf. As soon as I downloaded it, I immediately started reading it. I was sadly loosing interest and getting confused when people had thoughts and when they were speaking. I do wish Lisbeth had more of a role in this story. The pacing was a little off and at times a little confusing. Thank you Karin Smirnoff, NetGalley and Knopf for this digital copy.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.
I read all three of the Steig Larssen books and none of the next three written by another Scandinavian writer. This book is the first of a trilogy written by Karin Smirnoff that follows the last three. I did not feel that I had to have read
the last trilogy to enjoy this book.

I think Ms. Smirnoff is a good writer. It takes some courage to follow Larssen's book of Lisbeth and Mikael. The story jumps around a bit and I had to just hang in there and the pieces finally all fell together. Part of the fun of this book was the presence of 13-year-old, Svala, who might as well have been Lisbeth in the first book. She is wonderful and certainly takes center stage as she is as spunky, bright, and determined as Lisbeth ever was. The really bad guys are really bad. The good guys are imperfect humans and there are some right in the middle that just prove that the temptation to go the way of evil is so much stronger than the way of the good.

I enjoyed the book and look forward to the second in the trilogy.

Was this review helpful?

This was a disappointment. I wanted to enjoy this new addition to the Millenium Series, but it was so gratuitous, and somewhat unclear. The author jumps from several perspectives and timelines which is difficult to follow.
Additionally, there isn't really a mystery at the heart of this novel like we have seen in the previous books. This was more of a gory thriller about drug lords and rich people in Norway.
Perhaps I am missing something as an American reader or perhaps there will be changes to the final edit (I read an arc). However, I'm sorry to say that this will likely mark the end of my time with the series.

Was this review helpful?

great continuation of the series by a new author

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

Was this review helpful?

The Girl in the Eagle’s Talon
Lisbeth Salander is back. She has gone to the small Swedish town of Gasskas to take over the guardianship of a cousin, Svala. Mikael Blomkvist is also there to attend the wedding of his daughter. Mikael’s Millennium magazine has folded and he only produces podcasts now. He is also wary of the daughter’s fiancé, Henry Salo.
It turns out that Blanco, a ruthless international group, is interested in buying land in Gasskas to build an enormous onshore wind farm. When two of the landowners resist selling their property, Blanco takes drastic action. Then they must convince Henry Salo, a local official, to get the approval of the county for the project.
Lisbeth, her cousin Svala and Mikael all team up to thwart the criminals at Blanco.
This book is a continuation of Steig Larsson’s Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series. I enjoyed the book. However the authors tried but were unable capture the intensity of Larsson’s books. The book is not a stand alone story and new readers would learn little about the history of main characters.
I received this book from the publisher and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This is the seventh book in the Millenium/Lisbeth Salander series, the third author who has tackled the characters and overall plot. I liked this book, but it wasn't my favorite. Hearing that it was a part of a trilogy, I will admittedly most likely read the other two when they are published.

Part of why it wasn't my favorite is because it took 30% of the book before I was really able to get into it. I am used to that since I have read the other books, but I still thought there should have been a faster pace pace before getting almost a hundred pages into the book. I also felt like at times there was some confusion in the translations.

Overall, once the action picked up, I found the book to be enjoyable. I want more interaction between Lisbeth and Mikael because it is definitely being set up to head that way. We will see what the next two books bring!

Was this review helpful?

I loved this series when Steig Larsson wrote the original trilogy because it was so compelling and fun to read. I loved the characters of Lisbeth and Mikael Blomkvist. The Girl in the Eagle's Talon is the latest book in the millenium series. I love these characters overall, but they have changed and it is iffy if it is for the best or not. I'm inclined to say some of the changes were not necessarily for the best. Overall it was an okay read and interesting, but the story did not mention Lisbeth for a while and I didn't really like that since I enjoy her character so much. Thank you for letting me read an early copy of this!

Was this review helpful?

Any time a new Lisbeth Saunders novel hits the bricks, I'm on board, no matter who has penned it. But despite utilizing the requisite elements that made the original Steig Larsson trilogy so compelling, such as corporate corruption at a high level and well done action sequences, this latest installment somehow lacks the spark that makes a reader root for Lisbeth no matter what she does. This time there is a personal element to the inclusion of Mikael Blomkvist that seemed forced. Much has been made of the fact that the newest writer to take up this challenge is a woman, but that should not be the overriding reason for choice of a writer. Or a translator. The pacing was off as was the character development. Others have pointed out the difficulties in translation, and that may have contributed to my negativity.

Was this review helpful?

The Girl In The Eagle's Talon is another addition to the millineum series with Lisbeth Salander. Smirnoff is the third author to write in this series.
While it is good to see Salander back the series and characters have changed and not always for the best, with each author.
That said, it is a good book

Was this review helpful?

Excellent continuation of The Girl…… loved the characters and the plot. This centers around Svala a thirteen year old who lives in the worse kind of hell. Her mother disappears and a motley crew of the worse kind of criminals are after a hard drive and password with a fortune in crypto currency. When her grandmother dies (murder) the gang takes Svala. She has special talents with numbers and can crack any code/safe. Svala is a genius and very determined to get revenge on these low life’s. She escapes temporarily and that is when social services gets involved and it’s revealed that Lisbeth is her Aunt through Lisbeth’s half brother who was murdered with Lisbeth’s evil father. The last thing Lisbeth wants is to be responsible for a teenager who in many ways is her spitting image. Svala wants two things; to find her mom and to understand who killed her dad. Meanwhile Mikael arrives in the same town for his estranged daughter ‘s wedding. Millennium has just shut its doors and was turning to podcasts. Mikael is at loose ends. After meeting his daughters’s fiancé, who is the manager of a small town counsel that is making shady deals for wind power. Throw in a psychopath Billionaire and the evil keeps on coming. Eventually Lisbeth’s and Mikael’s stories overlap. The book has many frightening twists and turns which make it a perfect continuation. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC for an honest review. And Borzoi Books.

Was this review helpful?

This book follows in the same style and legacy as the previously written books by Stieg Larsson. Mikael Blomkvist is headed to the town of Gasskas, where his daughter is marrying the local big shot on the town council. The town is in the midst of change as electricity is extremely cheap and corporations are looking to profit from the resources in the town. A new character appears, Svala, who is the niece of Lisbeth Salander. Svala has a disease that doesn’t allow her to feel pain even with broken bones. She is much older than her young years and the relationship between Svala and Lisbeth is interesting.

The story doesn’t mention Lisbeth for quite some time. It revolves more around the goings on in the town of Gasskas and with Mikael. The writing format/style was very similar to Stieg Larsson so if you enjoyed his style, you will enjoy this book. The story was interesting and there were definitely elements of bad men, greed and intertwined plots. Enjoy this next chapter.

Was this review helpful?

The Girl in the Eagle's Talons marks the beginning of a third trilogy with a third author in the Millennium series started by Steig Larsson. I was very excited to get this advanced copy from NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor. Thank you.

The girl with the dragon tattoo, Lisabeth Sanader, finds herself to be the only living relative available to determine the fate of her niece, Svala, whose father was Lisabeth’s step brother and also whom Lisabeth had a hand in his death. Lisabeth travels north to meet this thirteen year old genius and finds Svala in a mess of trouble. At the same time, Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist and Lisabeth’s former ally in solving crimes, is in the area to witness his estranged daughter’s marriage to Henry Salo. He is the municipal bigwig looking to bring a wind farm into the area to the dismay of the landowners. Of course there is a wicked stepfather and a diabolical monster to contend with. The story pulls the desperate parts together into a cohesive story.

This is plenty of intrigue, murders, violence, abuse,kidnapping, trafficking and mayhem that is common throughout the series to keep you riveted. That said, I found the writing, translation or both to be somewhat less nuanced and sophisticated as I was hoping. There were a lot of italicized sentences and paragraphs giving us the thoughts of the speaker. This made the reading experience less enjoyable for me. It was more like reading annotations rather than the complete novel. Just changing back to the original font would have helped.

Was this review helpful?