rbharath 's review for:

The Girl in the Eagle's Talons by Karin Smirnoff

3.0

mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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The first three books in the series are among my favourites with strong plots and great characters (especially Lisbeth Salander). I liked Book 4 as well, Book 5 was decent, but Book 6 was disappointing. I was curious about this one as it kicks off with a new author. To the credit of both David Lagercrantz & Karin Smirnoff, the characters of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist do stay somewhat true to the original. But over the course of these 7 books, the thrill and excitement in the plot and characters is very much diminished though there are decent current themes in the stories. 

The story takes us to Gasskas in Northern Sweden and both Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander get there for different reasons. Lisbeth is called by child protective services to be the guardian of 13-year-old Svala, who recently has become an orphan and is the daughter of her late half-brother. Though initially sceptical, Lisbeth strikes a bond and is protective of the intelligent girl. Blomkvist’s career is at a crossroads as the Millenium magazine is closing its print edition and will be only digital. His daughter Pernille is set to marry an influential local man, Henry Salo. There are ambitious projects for renewable energy which have been kicked off in the area, and gangs have got involved. 

I liked the introduction of Svala’s character and some of the gang crime in the story. Both Blomkvist and Lisbeth come across as lower energy versions of their previous selves. The sense of excitement and anticipation, as also the brilliant interplay between Blomkvist and Lisbeth in the earlier books of the series was missing. It is also possible that the translation and average audio narration made it appear so. Hopefully, the books to come, get back to being closer to the best of the series. 

Thanks to Netgalley, Quercus Audio, MacLehose Press and the author for a free electronic review copy.