Not my sort of thing at all, but wow, so absorbing. I couldn't stop once I started. I think the writing must be good, but it was certainly invisible as I was reading- I was inside the book entirely. Some bits were so suspenseful I had to put it down and walk away- but I came right back. The only thing that struck me as odd was Larsson's apparent obsession with Salander's tattoos & piercings. If he mentioned them once, he mentioned them a million times- and generally in the context of someone or other being shocked or appalled by them. The characters (the good guys, anyway) were sympathetic and involving. The mystery was good. I'm on to the next one. ETA: After thinking about it overnight, I went to Wikipedia and read the plot summaries of #2 & #3. That was plenty.