The Girl Who Played with Fire

Larsson, Stieg. The Girl Who Played with Fire. 2009. (Fiction Larss.S)

I'm going to take the liberty of quoting from my 2009 review of Larsson's first book in the trilogy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: "If you enjoy a good yarn, a novel setting (it’s set in Sweden, of course, where I’ve learned nothing can be accomplished unless someone makes coffee), and a compelling set of characters sure to reappear in the subsequent two books, you can’t go wrong with this one." 
Larsson's second installment does not disappoint. In fact I'd say he raised the bar with an action-packed plot and many nail-biting, near-miss cliffhangers. I understand now why so much coffee is needed--this book is definitely caffeine-powered and totally absorbing. Mikael Blomkvist, investigative reporter, is again our hero. Lisbeth Salander, the eponymous girl of the title and one of the most unusual heriones you'll ever meet, is back, too, and she's laying low, plotting revenge for past abuses, and using her highly refined computer hacker skills to confound both her friends and her enemies. There are good cops, bad cops, innocent victims, sleazy reporters, sociopaths, corrupt government officials, and even a Swedish sports hero thrown into the mix of colorful characters. Larsson has cranked up the violence in this book, and there's no pussy-footing around some grim episodes. The plot is satisfyingly twisty and only partially resolved--the closing scene leaves you hungry for more.  (Barbara L., Reader's Services)

The Lady in the Lake

Chandler, Raymond. The Lady in the Lake. 1942. (Paperbk Mystery Chand.R)

Raymond Chandler's classic The Lady in the Lake has lost none of its appeal over the decades. Private investigator Philip Marlowe searches the hills near Los Angeles for a missing woman. Other than a few dated expressions, Chandler's style has a real freshness to it. Taut language, constant action. (Shira S., Reader's Services)

Let the Right One In

Lindovist, John Ajvide. Let the Right One In  2007.

From Scandinavia comes Swedish author John Ajvide Lindovist's debut of Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in), a vampire-genre novel set in Sweden in the early 1980's.  Oskar, who lives with his divorced mother in the Swedish suburb of Blackeberg, is a lonely 12-year old boy, cruelly taunted by his classmates. Oskar also shoplifts, collects in a scrapbook newspapers clippings about gorey homicides, and fantasizes that he's a serial killer. One cold night while stabbing a tree with a stolen knife, he notices a strange girl from his apartment complex watching him. She's shabbily dressed and smells bad, but after they talk, he's determined to make her his girlfriend.  In the ensuing weeks, as their intrigue and wary affection for each other grow, he discovers her sickness--she lives off the blood of humans. Repulsed, he decides to end their relationship. Meanwhile, the gruesome murder of a teenage boy in nearby Vällingby has terrified the surrounding community--and the alleged killer, an aging former school teacher from Stockholm, continues to elude police.  But soon afterwards, his next intended victim is found in the most terrifying of circumstances at the local swimming pool...and the killer is in their midst!

Let the Right One In  is now also a critically acclaimed film, directed by Tomas Alfredson (2008). The DVD was recently reviewed for The Loft . Watch the official movie trailer! --Russ K.

Wintergirls

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Wintergirls. 2009 (YA Fiction Ander.L)

Much has already been written about the eating disorders anorexia and bulimia, but none in such an intensely vivid and personal way as Wintergirls. Eighteen-year-old Lia tells her story in journal format with heartbreaking honesty. The book begins with the death of her former best friend Cassie, whose many calls for help went unanswered - and we feel Lia's guilt, despair, and loss throughout. Her compulsive quest for the perfect size zero and her self-punishment push her further and further into a nightmarish world that we experience too. We hear the pain and sorrow resonating in her poetry:

   Dead girl walking, the boys say in the halls.

   Tell us your secret, the girls whisper.

   I am that girl.

   I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.

   I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

This book will stay with you long after you've finished reading it. For young adult and adult readers. (Laura H., Reader's Services)