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Quick answer: If you loved The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, read Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, then The Snowman, Gone Girl, Sharp Objects and In the Woods. All are dark, gripping crime novels with damaged heroes and terrible secrets.
Stieg Larsson's 2005 novel (published in English in 2008) follows journalist Mikael Blomkvist, hired to investigate a decades-old disappearance, and the hacker Lisbeth Salander, who helps him. It is bleak, complex and addictive. The books below offer similar Nordic and psychological crime fiction.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Girl Who Played with Fire | Stieg Larsson | Adult | the second book |
| The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest | Stieg Larsson | Adult | the third book |
| The Snowman | Jo Nesbo | Adult | Nordic noir |
| The Redbreast | Jo Nesbo | Adult | war and crime |
| The Keeper of Lost Causes | Jussi Adler-Olsen | Adult | cold-case team |
| The Hypnotist | Lars Kepler | Adult | Swedish thriller |
| The Ice Princess | Camilla Lackberg | Adult | small-town mystery |
| Gone Girl | Gillian Flynn | Adult | marriage and lies |
| Sharp Objects | Gillian Flynn | Adult | dark small-town crime |
| The Silence of the Lambs | Thomas Harris | Adult | classic FBI thriller |
| In the Woods | Tana French | Adult | psychological mystery |
| The Cuckoo's Calling | Robert Galbraith | Adult | detective fiction |
| The Girl on the Train | Paula Hawkins | Adult | psychological thriller |
| The Talented Mr. Ripley | Patricia Highsmith | Adult | charming sociopath |
| Mindhunter | John Douglas and Mark Olshaker | Adult | profiling |
1. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Lisbeth is accused of murder and Mikael tries to clear her. Fast and intense.
Best for: the second book.
2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson
The trilogy ends with a conspiracy and a trial. Satisfying.
Best for: the third book.
3. The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
Detective Harry Hole hunts a killer in Oslo. Chilling and tense.
Best for: Nordic noir.
4. The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo
Harry Hole investigates a crime with roots in the Second World War. Complex.
Best for: war and crime.
5. The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen
A grumpy detective leads a unit for unsolved cases. Dark and funny.
Best for: cold-case team.
6. The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
A hypnotist is asked to help in a murder case. Tense and twisty.
Best for: Swedish thriller.
7. The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg
A writer returns to her Swedish hometown and finds a death. Atmospheric.
Best for: small-town mystery.
8. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
A wife disappears on her anniversary and her husband becomes the prime suspect. A defining thriller.
Best for: marriage and lies.
9. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
A reporter returns to her hometown to cover murders. Disturbing and brilliant.
Best for: dark small-town crime.
10. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
Clarice Starling consults Hannibal Lecter to catch Buffalo Bill. Essential.
Best for: classic FBI thriller.
11. In the Woods by Tana French
A detective investigates a child's murder near where he was once found. Haunting.
Best for: psychological mystery.
12. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
Cormoran Strike investigates a model's death. Classic and clever.
Best for: detective fiction.
13. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
A commuter watches a couple and becomes involved in a disappearance. Moody.
Best for: psychological thriller.
14. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Tom Ripley takes over another man's life. Cool and elegant.
Best for: charming sociopath.
15. Mindhunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker
The memoir of an FBI profiler who helped build behavioural analysis. Fascinating.
Best for: profiling.
How to Choose
To continue the trilogy read The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. For Nordic crime choose The Snowman, The Keeper of Lost Causes or The Hypnotist. For psychological thrillers pick Gone Girl, Sharp Objects or In the Woods. For classic crime read The Silence of the Lambs. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is dark, so these picks suit readers who like mystery with grit. Larsson died before the books were published, and the trilogy made him one of the world's best-selling crime authors. A fourth novel, The Girl in the Spider's Web, was later written by another author, David Lagercrantz.
Related: 15 Books Like The Girl on the Train You’ll Love: Twisty Domestic Thrillers · 15 Books Like It Ends with Us You’ll Love: Emotional Romance and Hard Choices
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo about?
A journalist and a hacker investigate a decades-old disappearance.
Who wrote it?
Stieg Larsson.
When was it published?
2005 in Swedish, 2008 in English.
Is it violent?
Yes, with sexual violence, so it is for mature readers.
What is the original title?
Men Who Hate Women, in Swedish.
Are there films?
Yes, Swedish and American film adaptations.
Do I need to read in order?
Yes.
What should I read next?
Try The Girl Who Played with Fire.
Which book here is best for war and crime?
Try The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo, which suits readers looking for war and crime.
Which book here is best for small-town mystery?
Try The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg, which suits readers looking for small-town mystery.
Which book here is best for classic FBI thriller?
Try The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, which suits readers looking for classic FBI thriller.
Which book here is best for psychological thriller?
Try The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, which suits readers looking for psychological thriller.