Such as (SPOILER ALERT):
- the dragon tattoo would have meaning or at least the girl with the tattoo was a most central character. Instead, we're left to wonder about her and her mysteries, making it clear this was a first of a series
- there wouldn't be extreme sexual sadism. But there was, twice. Almost gratuitous but not quite. Shocking and disturbing nonetheless.
- that the author wouldn't sometimes give extremely specific details - fixating on software descriptions, sandwich descriptions, etc. And his settings? Glossed over all those details indeed.
When I was young I went through a mystery novel phase ... sometime after my Louis L'amour and Zane Gray phase, and before my foreign classics phase. And in that phase, this book would be pretty good. But now? Meh. I find fiction pretty darn boring, even when it compels me to read further. It was a pretty good story with surprising twists and turns, and few too extreme to dash my willing suspension of disbelief.
And I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist, but the author died at 50 of a massive coronary? Seems suspicious indeed, especially after his extremely clear descriptions of poisons and other murder possibilities. He was a journalist, extremely vocal against the extreme right, and it doesn't seem that unlikely that they would have eliminated him.
OK. Maybe i don't care if I'm a conspiracy theorist.
Anyhoo, this is a pretty good vacation read and it's a fun ride. Just not earth shattering.
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