This second book of the Millennium Trilogy drifts along at first following the ever intriguing Lisbeth Salander as she reinvents herself. The time spent with her at the beginning probably surpasses the time spent with her in the entire first book—but it is worth it as she remains interesting, even becoming more so. The second and third books are all about how Salander became Salander. It is a mystery hinted at in the first book, played with in the second book and revealed fully in the third. The time spent only with Salander ends just as it started to become stale and the book returns to the back and forth jump in narratives that worked so well in the first book. Something that could easily be distracting or irritating or confusing works quite well to keep all the pots on the stove hot. While I miss the drive of the first book provided by two separate mysteries, this book compensates by providing many angles to the mystery of Salander’s past as well as introducing a nice selection of new and interesting characters—most of whom are bad guys. I missed that the two main characters from the first book barely communicated but it did created a nice spark any time their words crossed. This book ends not quite with a cliff-hanger but it does end suddenly—leading directly into the next book. While a tad annoying didn’t really detract from the whole. Once it gets rolling, it moves with gusto…especially the last third of the book. The sense of peril is real and ominous and seemingly unavoidable.