Karin Smirnoff

© Thron Ullberg

Strong women

Karin Smirnoff takes up Lisbeth Salander’s story

by Stephanie E. Ponder

Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist are back. This time Swedish writer Karin Smirnoff continues the fast-paced stories of the stars of the Millennium series, which began with Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

In The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons Lisbeth is named guardian to her niece, Svala, while Mikael faces troubling rumors about his would-be son-in-law. The Connection recently asked Smirnoff about The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons.

Costco Connection How did you prepare for writing this book?
Karin Smirnoff I had to find a plot of course and knew instinctively that I would place the story up north where I live (and actually where Stieg grew up). There is a lot happening in this area of Sweden with the mines and minerals we have, the growing need for electricity and huge land areas that are being exploited. The population is growing very rapidly and hence also a criminal world that I realized would be perfect turf for Lisbeth Salander.

CC What did you find most challenging—or exciting—about continuing the stories of Lisbeth and Mikael?
KS Lisbeth Salander was one of the reasons that I liked Stieg’s novels so much. She is a phenomenal character. … But I felt that I needed to let her develop a bit, and I was thinking about how to do that. Give her a child? No, too much trouble, and I couldn’t picture Lisbeth changing diapers. In those thoughts, Svala was born. A teenager, but in some ways more of a grown-up person than Lisbeth.

Mikael was more difficult for me to build a relationship with. I have always thought that he is a bit one-dimensional. … But I think he will show more sides as the story goes on.

CC What else would you like readers to know about you and/or this book?
KS I feel proud continuing to write about Stieg Larsson’s iconic characters, and I hope that the reader will find the engagement that I have felt writing the book. This first part has an overall background theme of exploiting the world to develop electricity. The next parts will have oil and mining as backdrops. And Lisbeth Salander will always carry on fighting men who hate women, of course.

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