The Girl Who Played with Fire is the second in Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy. As the transitional book between the first and third, it is not quite up to the level of the first book; however, it is still exciting. The first time I read it, I was riveted, but on my reread, I noticed a few occasions where the writing was more journalistic than desirable. Nevertheless, it is still a real thriller and absolutely essential to read if you are going to finish the trilogy.
Lisbeth Salander’s visit to her evil guardian upon her return from her travels abroad creates a conspiracy against her. Her guardian is tired of toeing the line and decides to have her killed.
Mikael Blomqvist is soon investigating a crime, too. He has been working with a freelance journalist, Dag Svensson, to publish a piece on sex trafficking. When he stops by one evening, he finds Svensson and his girlfriend, Mia Johansson, recently shot dead.
As the investigation proceeds, Salander’s guardian is also murdered, and the police discover links to the murders of Svensson and Johansson. Lisbeth Salander finds she is being framed for all the murders, despite her never having met Svensson or Johansson.
Blomqvist is convinced that Salander is innocent. With Salander hiding out and following the leads from her side, Blomqvist tries to figure out who Svensson may have been investigating that resulted in his murder.
whatmeread 
I enjoyed all three books in the trilogy, though admittedly once you get past the shock of the 1st book, the 2nd and 3rd seem a bit more tame. And maybe they needed a stronger edit, but remember these were published after his death right? Whatever their faults the “Girl With…” series has incredible characters and plot lines.
Yes, I agree. It was only on the second read that I even noticed the writing issue, and the second book of a trilogy is always more difficult, I think, because it moves the plot forward but doesn’t resolve anything. The first book could have been a stand-alone, and the third book wraps everything up. Good points!
By the way, I wanted to say how much I enjoyed your postings from Scotland.