Fortyyears ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on theisland owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body wasnever found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder and that thekiller is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. Heemploys disgraced financial journalist Mikael BloMKVist and thetattooed, ruthless computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. Whenthe pair link Harriet s disappearance to a number of grotesque murdersfrom almost forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appallingfamily history. But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and BloMKVist andSalander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go toprotect themselves.