The Girl with Ice in Her Veins: A Lisbeth Salander Novel

Smirnoff’s second Millennium novel (after The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons) is a treat for longtime series fans. Several months after the events of the previous book, Lisbeth Salander’s 13-year-old niece Svala Hirak is interning at the newspaper Gaskassen. She’s also part of an environmental activist group, whose newest member, Simon Frisk, is an advocate for extreme—sometimes violent—protest. When Simon sexually assaults Svala and one of the teenage reporter’s friends turns up murdered, she links up with a dangerous ally to take revenge. Meanwhile, Mikael Blomkvist is hired to helm Gaskassen fresh off of his cancer diagnosis, while Lisbeth searches for her hacker friend Plague, who has been kidnapped by Marcus Branco, the sadistic crime lord who killed Svala’s mother and seeks a hard drive containing $400 million in bitcoin that only Svala can unlock. It’s a lot of plot, and Smirnoff makes no room for newcomers to the series, assuming that readers have a near-photographic memory of details from the previous novels. Those who have been following along closely, however, will be rewarded with clever twists and poignant developments in the relationships among the core cast. This continues Smirnoff’s hot streak. (Sept.)