The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium Trilogy, Book 1)
Despite knowing the outcome of the central mystery, it was still worthwhile getting to know some of the characters better, particularly Lisbeth. The writing itself is awfully dry, but that may be the translation, and I wasn't expecting much. I was curious beforehand about how graphic the book would be in describing the rapes and other gruesome details, especially as compared to seeing them portrayed in the two movie versions. The book could at once be less and more graphic. And while Lisbeth is an intriguing character, Mikael is definitely too much of a superhero or "perfect" guy--the character men are meant to identify with since all the chicks dig him and we ladies are meant to love. You know, because he doesn't hate women.
