The anticipation surrounding the release of this, the third installment in the Millennium trilogy, is justifiably immense - possibly only the Harry Potter series has generated in recent years more expectation! And not unlike HP, the title comes heavily embargoed, to the extent that advance copies, on which reviewers and naturally our own humble publication depend, have been non-existent!

So when I was considering which book to take with me on my recent overseas travels, I felt a little thwarted - what better travel companion after all than a new Larsson! Then I discovered it was already translated into German, a language I'm fluent in. I promptly ordered one in from Germany which arrived shortly before my departure, and I happily packed it in my backpack - much to the incomprehension of my fellow travellers, for it was a massive brick of a hardcover book - 848 pages in fact, and a good kilo or so!

But I know for all you Larssonites out there the news of its dimensions will only make you even more excited - these are books that you never want to end, and if you're anything like me you find you keep reading them for hour after hour after hour! As one European review puts it: "Stieg Larssons novels are so intoxicating that they constitute a danger to public life. People reading these books will occupy pedestrian zones and parks, offices will be paralysed.... all due to Larsson's novels, that one simply can't put down".

Hornets' starts where Fire left off - Salander and Zalatschenko are fighting for their lives after the epic struggle that closed Book Two. When one realises that not only are they being treated in the same hospital, but in the same intensive-care ward, it becomes another of those trademark Larsson moments of high-tension: only a couple of rooms separate these two arch-enemies, and as they slowly come to consciousness and are restored in bodily function, we are on the edge of our seats! And as we know, Salander can improvise a weapon no matter what situation she finds herself in...! But for Salander the danger is not only from her father - as before, she also has the Swedish state apparatus seemingly out to neutralise her. The sinister psychiatrist Dr Teleborian returns to the action, for instance, with a diagnosis already prepared that will keep Salander locked away in an asylum for the rest of her days. The police are also seemingly intent on arraigning her for murders that we know she did not commit.

The revelation of the conspiracy against Salander and its background is at the core of this book, and that the plot goes to the highest echelons of the Swedish government (under the auspices of its secret service) - and that the liberty of an innocent is considered a necessary sacrifice for some sort of 'higher cause' - provides Larsson with ample opportunity to polemicize against the excesses of the so-called "model democracy" that is Sweden.

And as in his previous books, Larsson again uses the plot structure of parallel investigations to consummate effect. Blomqvist, much to Salander's aggravation, becomes her potential saviour by smuggling into her room a blackberry so that she can have access to the outside world and be able to follow her case - and we all know what she (and her "Hacker Republic" friends) are capable of - no computer system in the world is safe! Blomqvist himself meanwhile is busily marshalling evidence in the investigation of the murder of his journalist colleagues that will open up a veritable - yes - hornets' nest.

Then there are the police detectives who begin to smell a rat: Bublanski, Modig et.al., who aren't quite convinced that Salander is the lesbian satanist she's made out to be. Then there's the secret service's "Office of the Protection of the Constitution", who get wind of a special section in their organisation which seems to stand outside all normal scrutiny, and are unhealthily interested in the Salander case. One of their investigators, Monica Figuerola, is incidentally a charming addition to Larsson's roll-call of smart and sassy amazon-like heroines (and yes, Blomqvist falls for her, don't worry!). And our friends from Milton Security aren't going to stand idly by either as one of their number is in dire straits.

With such a canvas at hand it's a pure joy to see Larsson switch his narrative perspective so effortlessly from one set of these characters to another. One can only delight too in how meticulously he has planned the trilogy down to the very smallest detail, and created such memorable characters. No wonder top Hollywood producers are falling over themselves trying to secure film rights!

Speaking of which, while we've waited for this final volume, news has come out of an unseemly dispute between Larsson's life partner and his immediate family. Because they were not married, under Swedish law the family alone are the heirs of his estate. And it's not just about money - apparently his partner is still in possession of Stieg's laptop (which apparently contains as yet unpublished material, even possibly a further instalment of this series), so there's an almighty tug-of-war about who should have the right to publish it, control film rights etc. Let's hope they can come to a satisfactory arrangement - Larsson's work is after all to be celebrated, not squabbled over! I'll close by just mentioning a poignant moment in Hornets'. A newspaper editor on the verge of retirement suffers a fatal heart attack in his last weeks at work - an eerie parallel to Larsson's own misfortune (shortly after completing the trilogy he collapsed and died after taking the stairs to his 7th floor office - the lift was broken!). Larsson writes: "People should take care to withdraw someplace in order to die. They should go into retirement or a care home, in order to then suddenly one day provide a conversation topic in their tea-room at work. But to die at the workplace, in front of one's co-workers - that is somehow indiscrete!"

Sadly Stieg wasn't able to depart this world at a time or place of his choosing, and little did he realise he was destined to be talked about by a global reading public. But what a sensational body of work he left behind! Larsson's trilogy will be read for years to come.