Let’s get down to the basic question on many people’s minds, and then expand on the topic a bit: Is THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB any good? The answer is a resounding “yes.” Let me qualify that: It will not get the Lisbeth Salander/Millennium franchise created by Stieg Larsson any new fans, but if you liked the original trilogy, you will find a flawless continuation of the series here, expertly provided by veteran Swedish scribe David Lagercrantz. This volume is good enough, in fact, to prompt me to seek out Lagercrantz’s other fiction (wish me luck on that). I also give credit to translator George Goulding, who picks up the nuances of Larsson’s style flawlessly from sentence to sentence and page to page for this Swedish-to-English translation.

Those who fell (or re-fell) in love with Nordic noir will find themselves reminded of why they began the assignation with THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO and have continued it. THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB has it all: complex plots, troubled characters with off-kilter personalities, dark humor, and political machinations that permeate every corner of the book. Oh, by the way: Let us give credit where credit is deserved and thank Lagercrantz, Goulding, and all the powers that be at Knopf (and those who labor unceasingly on their behalf) for a section entitled “Continuing Characters from the Millennium Series.” This glossary of sorts will dramatically increase your enjoyment of this latest installment.

"THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB has it all: complex plots, troubled characters with off-kilter personalities, dark humor, and political machinations that permeate every corner of the book."

Just to be clear, THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB is not the series’ legendary fourth volume, which was in some stage of completion at the time of Larsson’s death. This is an original work, separate from that, but the equal of what has gone before. As one might expect, it begins from several different points of view that spin off into plotlines that slowly but inexorably coalesce into a fascinating whole. Intrepid investigative reporter Mikael Blomkvist is a bit at loose ends. His beloved Millennium muckraker is on the ropes, having been acquired in a deal to keep it financially alive in the midst of the current print journal bloodbath. The problem is that it is about to be de-fanged, and the new owners want to remove Blomkvist from the editorial board and send him off to London. To make matters worse, he hasn’t found any muck worth raking lately.

Blomkvist’s salvation comes in the form of a late night telephone call from a brilliant though somewhat bizarre IT expert named Frans Balder, who has the ability to take computer intelligence to a new and dangerous level. Balder is afraid that some very strange people are after him, and he’s right. His research soon results in his troubled but extremely talented young son in terrible danger. Blomkvist, who has been more or less ghosted by Salander, seeks her assistance. As it happens, Salander is not totally unaware of Balder’s work, and soon their paths intersect in a heart-stopping vignette that will leave your heart in your mouth.

Neither you nor Stockholm will ever be the same as the hunt for Salander proceeds. One of the people doing the hunting may surprise some readers, even as we get a bit more of Salander’s backstory and how she came to be The Girl. Throw in a rousing conclusion and a happy ending, and you have the perfect book with which to end the summer.

Lagercrantz is the perfect choice to keep the Larsson legacy alive. Are there issues --- legal, moral and otherwise --- that still surround the series? Yes. The problem, of course, is that the person who could resolve them is deceased. Given what we have and what is left, I believe that readers can continue to read the Millennium series --- with Lagercrantz at the helm --- without guilt and with much enjoyment.