Chapter 7

Friday, January 3

While Blomkvist packs for Hedestad, he argues with Berger about his decision to take Vanger up on his offer. The twosome is in Blomkvist's apartment along with the other part-owner of Millennium, art designer Christer Malm. Blomkvist assures Berger that he's accepting Vanger's offer to preserveMillennium's reputation by getting out of the picture, as well as to acquire the information Vanger has on Wennerstrom. Berger sees Blomkvist's decision as giving up on the magazine and leaving her and Malm in the lurch for a year. Finally, Malm interjects his opinion by telling Blomkvist to go and assures him that he and Berger will keep the magazine alive while he's gone. Berger, still unconvinced, expresses her feeling that Blomkvist will never return.

The narrative then cuts back to Salander who is awakened from sleep by a call from Armansky. Armansky informs Salander that Frode, Vanger's lawyer, has called and asked them to drop their investigation of Wennerstrom. Armansky assures Salander she'll get paid for her work thus far, but Salander is still unhappy about the news as she finds the financial affair quite intriguing.

Chapter 6

Thursday, December 26

Vanger shares a few more facts about Harriet's disappearance, showing Blomkvist numerous photographs from the day she vanished. Vanger explains his theory that someone murdered Harriet during the commotion surrounding the car accident. He thinks that the killer hid the body in a car trunk until the bridge was cleared so that the murderer could then dispose of the body in secret. Vanger and Blomkvist eat dinner, and Vanger insists that the final detail of his story will be shared after they finish their meals.

The scene then cuts back to Salander, who visits Plague, a man who is as skilled with electronics as he is inept with social situations. She provides Plague 5,000 kronor in exchange for an electric cuff, a tool used by hackers. Plague calls her "Wasp," a code name drawn from her wasp tattoo.

The narrative returns to Vanger, who shows Blomkvist the wall of pressed flowers and explains that when Harriet was a child, she began the tradition of giving him a pressed flower in a handmade frame every year. The year after she vanished, Vanger began receiving a flower again, and he is certain that the arrival of the flowers is meant to remind him of his grief.

As the chapter comes to a close, Vanger finally makes Blomkvist his offer: Vanger wants Blomkvist to live in Hedestad for a year, using all of his investigative energies to try to solve the mystery of Harriet's disappearance in exchange for 200,000 kronor a month — a fee that will be doubled if he actually solves the case. Although Blomkvist finds the sum impressive, he's still hesitant to agree. At this point Vanger, seeing Blomkvist waiver, reveals his ace card. Vanger has information that can prove that Wennerstrom is a crook, and he'll provide Blomkvist with evidence at the end of Blomkvist's year of work.

Chapter 5

Thursday, December 26

Henrik Vanger

Henrik Vanger notes Blomkvist's interest in Harriet's story and proceeds to relate the specifics regarding the day of her death. The Vanger clan had gathered at his house to talk business one summer day. Mid-afternoon, a horrible car accident blocked the bridge to Hedeby Island, causing chaos for a few hours as people on the Hedeby Island and Hedestad sides of the bridge attempted to save the drivers. Although Harriet was seen during the commotion, she had vanished by the time things settled down. Vanger insists that the only plausible explanation for her disappearance is that she was murdered and the killer skillfully got rid of the body. A search of the whole island and the waters around it never produced a sign of Harriet.

Next, the scene shifts to Salander, returning to Christmas morning. On that morning, Salander read Blomkvist's book,The Knights of Templar: A Cautionary Tale for Financial Reporters. In her reading, she learns more about Blomkvist's disappointment with his fellow reporters. Salander begins to understand why Blomkvist got so much negative press during the trial — he had made plenty of enemies through the stories he had written and the reporters he had ridiculed. During the early afternoon, Salander sends a cryptic message to the e-mail address plague_xyz_666@hotmail.com before setting off to do reconnaissance on Wennerstrom's apartment building. She easily sneaks into the building, photographs the electrical box in the basement, and scoots out without arousing any suspicion. Upon returning home, Salander receives an equally cryptic response to her cryptic question from plague_xyz_666.

Chapter 4

Monday, December 23–Thursday, December 26

Summary

Just before Christmas, Blomkvist goes to the Millennium office to clear out his things. While there, Blomkvist receives an unexpected call from Dirche Frode, the lawyer who met with Salander in Armansky's office on the day of the trial. Frode invites Blomkvist to Hedestad, a small village several hours north of Stockholm, to meet with his client, 82-year-old Henrik Vanger. Henrik Vanger is the retired CEO of Vanger Companies, a well-known and respected operation in Sweden that currently faces financial difficulties. Frode states that Vanger has a job offer for Blomkvist but that he is unable to say anything else. Blomkvist, surprised by the call and suspicious of the offer, asks for a few days to think about it.

Over Christmas, Blomkvist heads to his ex-wife's house to spend time with his daughter, Pernilla. Blomkvist's relationship with his daughter has improved since she's entered her upper-teens. Her younger years were spent in her father's company only through short visits. During Blomkvist's stay, father and daughter sit in her bedroom talking, and she tells him that she has joined a church. Later, Blomkvist calls Frode and agrees to trave to Hedestad. The scene then shifts focus to Salander, who is visiting her ailing mother in a nursing home. While Salander's mother is described as being in her mid-forties, she clearly has problems with her memory and her awareness of her surroundings. Salander is affectionate with her mother, even though she doesn't feel she has anything in common with her.

A return to Blomkvist finds him traveling by train to Hedestad. Frode picks him up from the train station and drives him to Vanger's home, which is on Hedeby Island, just outside of the village of Hedestad. Vanger leads Blomkvist to Vanger's study where he begins by stating that he once employed Blomkvist's father and that Blomkvist spent a summer on Hedeby when he was a child. Frustrated and surprised by this information, Blomkvist urges Vanger to get to the point. Vanger acquiesces and states that he has two requests: the first is for Blomkvist to write his biography. He piques Blomkvist's interest by telling the story of his brother Richard, a Nazi-supporter, and Richard's son, Gottfried, a lazy partier with no direction. As a young man, Vanger attempted to help his nephew Gottfried, but had no influence over the man. After Gottfried's death, Vanger and his family invited his widow and her two children to live near them. Unable to conceive offspring, Vanger saw the two children, Harriet and Martin, as his own. Vanger respects Martin, who has become the CEO of Vanger Companies, and mourns the loss of Harriet, who he says was murdered 40 years ago. It is Harriet's murder that drove Vanger to contact Blomkvist and to seek his help. Although he wants Blomkvist to write his biography, Vanger's second and most important request is for Blomkvist to solve the mystery of Harriet's death.

Chapter 3

Friday, December 20–Saturday, December 21

Summary

Blomkvist arrives at the Millennium offices after his trial to meet with Erika Berger, who is editor-in-chief of the magazine and also Blomkvist's long-time, off-and-on-again lover. During their meeting, Blomkvist insists that he step down as the magazine's publisher and take some time to sort out his feelings as well as figure out his next move. Although Berger doesn't want Blomkvist's departure to look like she fired him, she reluctantly agrees that his parting probably would be the best move for the magazine right now.

Erika Berger and Mikael Blomkvist

Despite her presence, however, Blomkvist continues to be unable to sleep and his thoughts shift to his current circumstances. He wonders about Lindberg's role in everything: Did Lindberg really want the story made public or not? Blomkvist considers the idea that Lindberg set him up, then dismisses the thought because Lindberg couldn't have planned their meeting on the island of Arholma. At this point, Blomkvist contemplates his own journalistic philosophy and how he is driven by an inner sense of right and wrong, not by politics. The intrepid reporter is happy Berger shares his vision; he knows that without her, there would be no Millennium.Berger spends the night with Blomkvist and, while she sleeps, he contemplates their history together. They met in journalism school and despite both of them marrying other people, they were unable to stay away from each other. Their love affair caused Blomkvist's wife to leave him whereas Berger's husband accepts sharing his wife with another man, something for which Blomkvist is very thankful.

Chapter 2

Friday, December 20

Summary

Chapter 2 introduces Dragan Armansky, CEO of Milton Security, one of Sweden's most lucrative and well-established security firms, located near the center of Stockholm. Armansky prefers the less risky aspects of his profession: providing services, such as body guards or high-tech surveillance, to wealthy companies and individuals. Providing private investigation carries the greater risk of the security firm being sued or brought into the courts if criminal activity is discovered.

Lisbeth Salander

After Salander's rocky start as an office assistant, Armansky allows Salander to revise an investigative report she considered sloppy and incomplete. Upon providing Armansky a report that stuns him with its thoroughness, Salander is reassigned to investigations. Despite some moments of tension, Armansky and Salander are able to find a common ground and to continue working together. Armansky's feelings become more protective and fatherly the more he works with Salander. Nonetheless, he seeks out Palmgren to find out more about Salander; what he discovers makes him uncertain whether he can trust her.Fortunately, Armansky has a trusted investigator who handles most of the more unusual or difficult requests he receives: Lisbeth Salander, a 24-year-old thinly built woman who dresses like a punk rock star and refuses to conform to Armansky's view of what a professional looks and acts like. Additionally, Salander has a tattoo of a dragon on her shoulder, along with several other tattoos that Armansky finds disconcerting. The young woman was referred to him by Holger Palmgren, a lawyer for the firm. Because Armansky trusted Palmgren's judgment, the CEO agreed to give Salander a chance at Milton Security.

Dirche Frode, a lawyer, insists on meeting with the investigator who drew up the report he requested on Mikael Blomkvist. Armansky, unable to find a way to avoid the meeting, sets it up and Salander proceeds to impress Frode with her cold attention to detail. She also shares speculation that Blomkvist, a man known for his reliable and insightful investigations in the past, may have been set up in the Wennerstrom libel case. Salander backs up her speculations by going into detail about Blomkvist's background and noting that his previous work suggests he would never publish something without proper evidence. After hearing Salander's description of Blomkvist and her thoughts on the Wennerstrom case, Frode asks Salander to investigate further. Reluctantly, Armansky agrees to allow her to work on the case, although he fears her involvement might place Salander in a dangerous situation.

Chapter 1 of Part 1 Incentive

Chapter 1 Friday, December 20.

Mikael Blomkvist from the Movie. 

Chapter 1 begins in Stockholm, Sweden as "Kalle" Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist and part owner and publisher of an investigative magazine named Millennium, steps out onto the courthouse steps after being convicted of libel. Someone among a crowd of his peers calls him "Kalle," and Mikael is forced to recall his entrance many years ago into the world of journalism. He stands on the steps, answering the reporters' questions tersely, and thinks back on the day when he discovered a band of bank robbers as a youth. During the flutter of media attention that surrounded him following the police capture of the robbers, one of the reporters covering the story dubbed him "Kalle," after a child detective from the books of Astrid Lindgren, an esteemed Swedish author of children's literature. Although Blomkvist has always hated the nickname, he refuses to lose his cool in front of the reporters. After taking a few questions, he leaves.

Blomkvist takes a bus to a quiet café where he contemplates his court fines and his sentence of 90 days in jail. During the trial, he felt calm, but now he's overcome with a sense of doom. He knows that once he finishes his jail sentence, he'll have a hard time finding work because no editor would easily trust him again. At this point, Blomkvist begins to wonder how he ended up in this whole mess in the first place.

Returning to the time when Blomkvist first became interested in Hans-Erik Wennerstrom, the CEO who brought the libel case against Blomkvist when Blomkvist reported on Wennerstrom's questionable business activities, author Stieg Larsson employs a space break to indicate a flashback — a technique he uses throughout the novel to show a shift in time or focus. The Wennerstrom affair began a year and a half before the trial, on a summer afternoon. While out sailing with a few friends, Blomkvist is surprised to see Robban Lindberg in the boat that is docking next to his on the island of Arholma. Blomkvist hadn't seen Lindberg for years, although they were good pals in college. The two decide to hang out in Blomkvist's boat for the evening, drinking and discussing business ethics. The topic stirs interest within both of them, because Lindberg works as a high-end banker and Blomkvist often writes about corporate corruption.

Lindberg quickly steers the conversation to the topic of Wennerstrom. The banker relates an elaborate tale of potential fraud on the part of Wennerstrom and his investment company. Wennerstrom's company received 60 million kronor from the Swedish government to open a packaging factory in Poland. The factory, named Minos, remained open for two years and then quietly fell apart. Wennerstrom's company returned 6 million kronor of the original 60 million kronor loan, which the government accepted without question and the matter seemed to be over. Lindberg explains that he was one of the bankers reviewing the documentation and that although he couldn't find anything wrong with the paperwork, something felt odd to him.

Lindberg continues his story, saying that several years after the Wennerstrom's Minos operation collapsed, Lindberg happened to be in Poland and discovered that Minos was never the factory that was represented on paper. Through conversations with locals in Lodz, the city near which the factory was built, Lindberg discovers that Minos rarely had enough materials to produce anything. Blomkvist is confused why Wennerstrom, a businessman for whom 60 million kronor was a meager sum, would attempt such an obvious fraud for such a small amount. Lindberg reminds him of what the financial world was like in the early 1990s, stating that interest rates were high so loans were hard to come by. Therefore, Wennerstrom saw the loan from the Swedish government as easy cash to finance his company. Lindberg ends his tale by inviting Blomkvist to use him as an anonymous source if he chooses to pursue an investigation into Wennerstrom's financial dealings.

The Vanger Family Tree

Prologue

In the Prologue we learn that there is a man that each year he receives "Mystifying flowers" that arrive by post on the first day of November. They are "always beautiful and for the most part rare flowers, always pressed, mounted on water-colour paper in a simple frame."

This year the man received a white flower. Unknown to him the flowers Latin name is Leptospermum Rubinette. A plant four inches high with small, heather-like foliage and a white flower with five petals about one inch across.  Also called known as Desert Snow.   The plant is native to Australia and to the aboriginal people it was regarded as sacred. The flower is difficult to grow in Sweden because it thrives in a dry climate and had to remain indoors half of the year.

We learn about the the policeman- a hardened veteran. Who has solved many cases in his life but the "Case on the Pressed Flowers" has been unsolved for years. This mystery only seems important now to the policeman and the eighty-two-year-old birthday boy .

Discussion Questions for the end of the Reading

Get the most out of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with these reading group discussion questions:

1. Careful observation is the foundation of any successful journalist's or private investigator's career. Discuss how the various characters' outward appearance aligned with their true personality in this novel.
2. Lisbeth Salander's character is enigmatic and antisocial throughout much of the book. What do you see as the catalyst for the slow emergence of her personality?
3. Lisbeth judges everyone harshly, including herself. What do you think of her assessment of Blomkvist?
4. While poverty, social injustice, parental abuse, and difficult childhoods are often cited as explanations for criminal behavior, Lisbeth believes in free will and choice. Do you agree?
5. What propels Blomkvist to lay aside his professional ethics and take on the investigation proposed by Vanger?
6. The relationship between Blomkvist and Cecilia is fraught from the beginning. How does Cecilia come to terms with it? What do you think about her decision?
7. How successfully does Larsson develop Lisbeth's connection to her mother? Is there anything about their relationship that helps shed light on Lisbeth's behavior?
8. Were you surprised by the book's portrayal of right-wing fanaticism and violence against women in a country known for its liberal views?
9. Which character's duplicity—or innocence—did you find the most unexpected? Which one emerged as your favorite?
10. Discuss Mikael Blomkvist's role in the investigation. Do you feel that he made as important a contribution as Lisbeth? Why or why not?
11. The narrative contained a number of plot twists. Who did you imagine sent the framed flowers to Vanger each year?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

First book:


The Girl with Dragon Tattoo- By Stieg Larson


Summary: An engrossing debut thriller, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has been an international sensation, a bestseller in its native Sweden and throughout Europe. It features an unforgettable heroine: a brilliant 24-year-old punk-goth computer hacker and private investigator named Lisbeth Salander. Together with Mikael Blomkvist, a financial journalist on a most unusual assignment, she tracks a serial killer through a dangerous maze of business, political, and family secrets. 


Week One: Part 1 


Here we go : )