Cái Giá Phải Trả tải về miễn phí cuốn sách

Randy Rattansingh _and_esigns — I thought about reducing my rating to three stars because parts of this book were way too dark, even for me. Ultimately, though, I had to give this gripping book four stars because it was so difficult to put down. Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist and founding editor/publisher of an edgy Swedish magazine, has just lost a lawsuit accusing him of libeling a powerful businessman. Facing three months in prison and the probable demise of his career and magazine, he reluctantly accepts a mysterious job offer from 82-year-old businessman Henrik Vanger. The offer: to move up to a small island off the coast of his native Sweden and, under the guise of writing Vanger’s biography, get to the bottom of the mysterious 1966 disappearance of Harriet Vanger, Henrik’s great-niece. Henrik is convinced that Harriet has been murdered, and by a member of his family, no less (this conclusion becomes increasingly logical as you learn how truly warped some of these dysfunctional family members are). Blomkvist eventually hooks up (on many levels) with Lisbeth Salander, an eccentric 24-year-old woman from an apparently horrific background. Salander is an expert researcher with legally and morally questionable methods who is tough, capable, and presumed by the courts to be mentally incompetent given her asocial presentation and complicated legal history. Together, Blomkvist and Salander uncover information which escaped the authorities back in 1966 and, in doing so, step on the extended Vanger family’s toes and put themselves in danger. Although this aspect of the plot follows stereotypical mystery formula conventions (upon finally figuring the mystery out, our hero can’t resist the temptation to confront the killer and almost becomes his victim, but is rescued at the last minute by his partner), the formula worked, at least for me. I liked the twist at the end as well. And mystery cliches not withstanding, the exotic (at least, for me) setting of Sweden compensated for plot devices which were arguably banal, a point Rivkie also made in her review. What worked less (for me) were the dark, warped family secrets behind the mystery. I do recommend this book for people who want a thrilling read, but be warned – you need a strong stomach at times.