Where oh where is Lisbeth Salander…....

Book Information

"The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons" authored by Karin Smirnoff, is a 368-page mystery/thriller published on August 29, 2023. It’s the latest release in the “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series. Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book for review.

Summary

In the remote and resource-rich northern parts of Sweden, big changes are happening. Criminals are taking the lead in a gold rush, but that's not what brings Lisbeth Salander to the quiet town of Gasskas. She's there because she's become the guardian of her niece, Svala, whose mother has gone missing. Two things are clear: Svala has some incredible talents, and someone is keeping a close watch on her. Meanwhile, Mikael Blomkvist is heading north too. His life is falling apart as Millennium magazine is about to close, his relationship with his daughter is strained, and there are troubling rumors about her fiancé. When these rumors turn violent, Salander becomes Blomkvist's last hope.

My Thoughts

I was a huge fan of the original “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series written by Stieg Larsson so I was excited to have a chance to read the latest installment in the series.

"The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons" by Karin Smirnoff kicks off slowly, with the first third of the book feeling somewhat uneventful. The writing frequently veers into ambiguity, leaving readers unsure about certain events, which could be attributed to artistic style, translation gaps, or less-than-stellar writing. Whatever the case, it diminishes the overall reading experience.

A notable aspect is that the series protagonist, Lisbeth Salander, is absent for a significant portion of the book, making her first appearance only around the 20-30% mark, and even then, her involvement in the narrative is limited. This may disappoint fans expecting more of Lisbeth.

The story unfolds through various viewpoints, offering insights and building intrigue at times, but also causing confusion in certain sections. The distinction between characters' thoughts and spoken words is sometimes unclear, adding to the complexity of the narrative, and making the book somewhat challenging to follow.

For me, this book doesn't fall into the category of easy reads. Between ambiguity, translation nuances, multiple points of view, numerous plotlines, and a multitude of characters, readers must have unwavering focus to navigate the storyline.

The plot itself is uneven and often confusing, particularly for those who cherished Larsson's original Lisbeth Salander. Lisbeth in this book almost appears as a different person altogether. However, the book does redeem itself in its final third, as Lisbeth becomes more involved, and various plotlines converge, injecting some much-needed excitement into the narrative.

Recommendation

While "The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons" starts slowly with occasional ambiguous writing and lacks Lisbeth Salander's presence for a considerable portion, it eventually picks up in the final third. The complex narrative structure demands attentive reading, making it suitable for dedicated fans of the series who can overlook its initial drawbacks.

Rating

2 Wind Turbine Stars

I enjoyed the first three Stieg Larsson books, especially the first one, read the 4th by David Lagenkrantz, and took a hiatus. Decided to jump in with this 7th book to see how Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist were doing and how they had moved on with a new author. I wasn’t disappointed. This was a fun read, it clipped right along, and wasn’t overly complex. Set against the background of Sweden’s northern landscape, the setting is contemporary with the themes of increased population and electricity needs, race for mines and mineral rights, and push to gobble up vast land areas. All this leads to criminal activities intermingled with human and social issues, that are just the things that Lisbeth Salander cannot not jump into. Toss in her niece Svala, whom she’s called upon to take care of, much as she’s reluctant to, and we have a great storyline. And, Mikael Blomkvist? I’d say he was more of a semi-minor character here, which I was just fine with. Overall, I enjoyed this translated book, which had a great sense of place and time. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is one of my favorite series. I was apprehensive when it continued after Mr. Larsson's unfortunate death; however, the authors who have continued the series have done a fantastic job. The Girl in the Eagle's Talons is no exception. It begins with the usual frenzy of so many characters you can barely keep track and then evolves into a fast-paced story that you can't put down. Lisbeth is a more human, empathetic character in this iteration. It works! If you are a fan of the series, continue to read the new books!

This superb new outing for Lisbeth Salander, the seventh in the series playing out the late Stieg Larsson’s vision for a 10-book sequence of his Millennium series, gets written for the first time by a Swedish woman. Karen Smirnoff kicks the whole series up a notch with her tight plotting, exploration of complex family and friendship dynamics, insights into the characters’ motivations and feelings, feminist spin, and overall thrilling read.

The action brings us to a small northern town in Sweden, Gasskas, in, where journalist Mikael Blomkvist has come to attend his mostly estranged daughter’s wedding to the town’s head commissioner, Henry Salo, as well as to further beyond with his only grandson. Blomkkist has quit his Stockholm magazine Millennium, as the print side closed to move instead to podcasts which Blomkvist disdains. Salo, a wheeler, dealer and overall not great guy, has been focused on luring companies to base wind turbine electric production facilities in the vast woods and mountains around town – with an eye to lining his own pocket in the process. Plus, he’s been cheating big time on his bride to be. Standing in his way on the energy deal: his Mom living in a remote cabin in the woods and refusing to leave her property, as well as a clan of reindeer herders whose living is threatened by the potential shutting down of grazing land.

At the same time, Lisbeth Salander arrives at Gassdas because her 13-year-old niece’s Mom (Lisbeth’s sister-in-law) has vanished along with access to $400 million in bitcoin. Overcoming her deep loner tendencies, Lisbeth sets out to vigilantly protect her niece and search for the girl’s missing mother. Her niece, Svala, who’s being watched and clearly in danger, emerges a fierce independent spirit as she partners with Lisbeth to figure out what’s going on and bring back her mother alive. Look to Svala to emerge as a young Lisbeth Salander in the making.

Lastly, there’s Marcus Branco, a sadistic, wheelchair bound CEO who’s intent on winning the energy deal in Gassdas, and who has secretly bought land including a large underground former Swedish military installment. Marcus orders the kidnapping of Blomkvist’s grandson to put pressure on Salo to award the deal to his company.

As Svala’s mom ends up having been kidnapped and Blomkvist’s grandson in the clutches of a serial killer, Lisbeth and Blomkvist once again have to team up to set things right. Throw in a corrupt biker gang, drug smugglers, a long-lost brother, and a gang of neo-Nazi’s, and the action keeps ratcheting up.

Description from the book page:
Lisbeth Salander returns, in a trailblazing new installment to the best-selling Millennium series
Change is coming to Sweden’s far north: its untapped natural resources are sparking a gold rush with the criminal underworld leading the charge. But it’s not the prospect of riches that brings Lisbeth Salander to the small town of Gasskas. She has been named guardian to her niece Svala, whose mother has disappeared. Two things soon become clear: Svala is a remarkably gifted teenager—and she’s being watched.
Mikael Blomkvist is also heading north. He has seen better days. Millennium magazine is in its final print issue, and relations with his daughter are strained. Worse still, there are troubling rumors surrounding the man she’s about to marry. When the truth behind the whispers explodes into violence, Salander emerges as Blomkvist’s last hope.
A pulse-pounding thriller, The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons sees Salander and Blomkvist navigating a world of conspiracy and betrayal, old enemies and new friends, ice-bound wilderness and the global corporations that threaten to tear it apart.
This is the third author to join the Millenium series and I thought she stayed true to Stieg Larsson's original trilogy. Full of pulse pounding action and mind blowing intellect on Lisbeth's part, the story also throws her into a new role as guardian for her niece. Overall I'm happy with how this story fits into the series and I'm hoping it continues.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had read the first book in this series, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and enjoyed it. I thought I had read more of the books in the series when I grabbed this one but I had not. I don't think it was necessary to have read the other books in the series to read this one, but like most series, you might want to. At the beginning of the book there is a list of characters in the Millennium series. However, the majority of these characters are not in this book. A list of characters in this book would have been nice as there are a lot of them. So much so, that I regretted not keeping a list of the characters. But then again, if you need a list to keep track of the characters, maybe you're not that much into the book and that was the case for me. There's a lot going on in the story, a lot of skipping around, a lot of POV, etc. Maybe a little too much going on. This was more of a keep reading to finish rather than keep reading because I can't wait to see what happens. Just wasn't for me. I received an ARC of The Girl in the Eagle's Talons in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge Lisbeth Salander fan, I was excited to see a new book released in the series that I have grown to love so much. After Stieg Larsson’s death, I thought no one would be able to fill his shoes in bringing Lisbeth and Mikael Blomkvist back to the page. David Lagercrantz exceeded my expectations and dare I say, I may have enjoyed his trilogy even more than the original.

Now we have yet another new writer attached to the series and I thought it was a hot mess. It is clear the author does not have either a journalistic or computer background and quite honestly, I’m not sure she read the previous novels, but instead was given a two sentence summary of the characters. Both Salander and Blomkvist are relegated to background characters in their own story with very little resemblance to the characters Larsson and Lagercrantz worked so hard to craft. There is no hacking. There is no journalistic search for the truth, no matter the cost. Instead of being the independent, devil-may-care super hacker that she is, Lisbeth is sidelined as a guardian to her niece and spends most of the novel worried about her safety. Mikael spends his time brooding about being a terrible father . The villains are over the top, the setting of a small municipality is unrealistic, and the coincidences and intertwining relationships completely jump the shark.

Many have suggested that the translation may be the problem, however the translation does not negate the fact that Lisbeth and Mikael are mere shells of their former selves and the typical Scandinavian eco-thriller plot does not save the book either.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

In this Book #7 of the Millennium series, Lisbeth Salander is back in full force, but in a little bit different capacity. She has taken her niece, Svala, into her care as Svala’s father (Lisbeth’s brother) is deceased (did Lisbeth kill him?) and her mother is missing. As there is no other relative willing to take her in, Lisbeth is asked by social services to care for her until someone else comes available.

Svala is a precocious 13-year-old who is as remote, uncommunicative, and brilliant as Lisbeth is. However, Lisbeth has always been the young genius in the past, but now with a gifted 13-year-old around, Lisbeth seems older, off-balance, and a little bit out-of-touch. But after all that, when it comes to implementing a plan to save those she loves, she is still the genius Lisbeth Salander that we all know and love!

This one has lots of twists and turns, and all the characters seem to be intertwined in one way or another. With the help of Mikael Blomkvist, the pieces all come together. It is an exciting addition to the series, that kept me on the edge of my seat. I think Karin Smirnoff did an excellent job, and I look forward to the next book in the series!

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Karin Smirnoff, and Knopf for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

This is the seventh installment in a series that I was not familiar with. The Girl in the Eagle's Talons seemed like a read I might be interested in, but this author didn't seem to grab me with this one. The story was a bit confusing from some of the points of view of the characters. I wasn't familiar with language where I would know what was going on. The lead that I was familiar with Lisabeth Salander didn't seem to be as prominent as in the beginning novels. The author did bring the story together by the end, but it was just not my cup of tea. I appreciate the opportunity to receive this arc. Others might enjoy this complicated story and please give it a try, but I like a nice flowing plot where I know where I am going.


#TheGirlintheEaglesTalons
#NetGalley
#Knoff

Thank you to NetGalley for and advanced digital copy of this book.

Something is going on in the North country, usually scenes of Christmas cheer year-round. But now there are those who want to destroy the natural beauty and animal habitats for money. LOTS of money.

Lizbeth is brought to this snowy countryside when she is named guardian to a niece she never knew existed. The daughter of her now-dead brother, Svala has been left alone when her mother goes missing and her grandmother dies. Lizbeth, who doesn't even have a pet, is certain she is NOT the person to take charge of this 13-year old girl, but there is nowhere else for her to go.

Meanwhile, Michael Blomvkist is also headed to the same area for his daughter's wedding. And he longs to see his grandson, although he is not sure what he thinks of his future son-in-law. He seems to be involved in some shady dealings, but he is a hero in the town and seemingly can do no wrong.

But at the wedding, all their worlds collide when Michael's grandson is kidnapped. Everyone is using their particular skills in finding the child and Svala's mother, whose cases may be linked.

I have liked this series since I read the first one many years ago and the new authors seem to keep to the idea of the stories and carry on the series flawlessly.

I am appreciative of the review copy of this new Salander book. Unfortunately for me, my interest in this book waned as the writing/plot development didn't land for me as much as it has in earlier books. Some of this might be more an issue with knowing a character from earlier books and different writers, not as much about this author per se, and going in expecting one kind of book/voice and not getting it. I appreciate the chance to return to favorite characters and hope that the voice of Salander and Stieg Larsson can carry on but with a little more of the original style/grit and rawness of Salander and her backstory, and her amazingly fascinating approach to revenge and justice.

Sorry to say this wasn't it for me. It pales in comparison to the original author of this series, Stieg Larson's work. The writing was choppy and the villians cartoonish. It didn't have the same mood and atmosphere and brilliance of the originals, and maybe it was the translation but a lot of awkward phrasing and overall confusing and uninspired plot. Sorry to say this just missed the mark completely. Perhaps if my expectations werent so high from the original author's contributions I wouldnt be judging it so harshly but I'm honestly not sure about that.

LISBETH SALANDER IS BACK - SORT OF

When Steig Larsson, the brilliant author of the Lisbeth Salander series, died suddenly at fifty years old in 2004, a conflict, with accusations, arose between his partner of thirty years, Eva Gabrielsson, and the family of his late editor. Eva had possession of Larsson’s notes, but they apparently were never used. Instead, the vacancy of the Millennium series was filled by a David Lagercrantz. He wrote a total of three books before Polaris Publishing bought rights to the series from the estate and plans are to release three new books written by Karin Smirnoff. This is the first one.

The Girl in the Eagle’s Talon is now released. Lisbeth Salander has returned and she moves through this novel with brilliance, and she is fearless. But like many revivals, they are never as powerful as the first one. She has been named guardian of her niece, Svalla, whose mother seems to have disappeared. Mikael Blomkvist, despondent over the termination of his magazine, Millennium, enters the plot. Salander helps him deal with his daughter’s upcoming marriage.

Action explodes, some of it is shocking and other scenes fall flat. It does not have the finesse or perfect action scenes of Larsson, but no one could match his brilliance.

My gratitude to Net Galley and Knopf for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was a big fan of the first 3 Lisbeth Salander books by the original author Stieg Larsson but haven’t read any of the series entries written after his death. I’m sure that’s why I felt lost throughout the early part of The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons by. Karin Smirnoff. I appreciated the list of characters at the beginning of the book to help me figure out who everyone was. It was pretty slow moving at the beginning but picked up to a decent pace. Still, this was not my cup of tea.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is one of my all time favorite series, the original three books that is. Usually not a series reader, this is one of the few series that I had to have each book immediately after finishing the previous edition. When the fourth book was published with a new author, I was skeptical. But I missed Lizbeth and Mikael so had to read it. As the books continued, the edge and rawness of the characters diminished and was replaced with drab shapeless characters I no longer recognized. Their unapologetic manner was gone from the page and something else took its place. Again The Girl in the Eagle's Talons tempted me with its alure of a new author and hope of a return to the earlier glory of the series. Alas, that was not to be for this reader. Sadly, I did read the book, and was disappointed. Salander and Blomkvist are dead to me in any future attempts to revive the series. I will take solace that a reread of the series is still in my future somewhere. For now, thank for for you time on the page and may we meet again someday. My rating 2.5 stars.

A lot has changed in this series: it's on its third author (Smirnoff), Lisbeth Salander has a full-time job with Milton Security, and Mikael Blomkist is trying to figure out what to do with himself now that Millennium magazine has ceased publication and become a podcast. The Girl in the Eagle's Talons relies on a lot of coincidence to set up the story: Blomkist and Salander both find themselves in the north, in the small town of Gasskas, Mikael for his daughter's wedding, while Salander has come to meet her 13 year old niece, Svala, who faces being put into the foster system if Salander won't take her in after her mother disappears. The Branco group, with connections to the Svavelsjö MC, wants to put a wind farm in the Gasskas area and will use any means necessary to get their way on the deal with the city, including threatening Mikael's daughter and grandson and Svala's mother. The book starts off slow, setting up all the threads that will interconnect in the story, and there are almost too many threads to keep track of, especially while also trying to remember who characters are from previous books. By the midpoint of the book the action starts to ramp up. Blomkist and Salander are essential to the story but there seems to be more focus on Svala, perhaps establishing her as Salander's heir-apparent. A solid thriller, but not on par with the original books in the series.

Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander are two of my favorite characters in crime fiction. And Karin Smirnoff has written some pretty good books in the past, so I was really looking forward to this one. Sadly, it didn't quite hold my attention. Partly because Lisbeth and Blomkvist are somewhat pushed to the rear in this story. I'll likely give it another shot in the future and definitely haven't given up on the series.

This was such a treat to get to read this book. I love the Dragon Tattoo series. This one did not disappoint. Of course we have the bad guys that Lisbeth kicks butt.
Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for the ARC.

In the tradition of Swedish mystery writing, this author is attempting to replicate the popularity of the previous Girl in.... books. (Dragon Tatoo?). She almost makes it, but not quite. Hope she keeps trying. It's a great premise.

I wish that the world would just let this series end. Karin Smirnoff is now the 3rd author to take up the mantle, and it shows. The characters just aren't the same, and we're getting away from the original power of the story.

If you could go into this book with fresh eyes as someone who had no experience with the rest of the series, I think you'd really enjoy it. However, the original trilogy is one of my favorites, so I didn't care for The Girl in the Eagle's Talons.