Character list

Lisbeth Salander: known for her "crooked smile," is one of the most intriguing characters to hit bookstores ever. She was born on Walpurgis Night, April 30th. This holiday marks the return of spring.

Mikael Blomkvist: is the detective of the piece. He's about 42 years old andhe hasn't come to terms with his inner investigator. Blomkvist is managing editor of Millennium magazine and, first and foremost, a financial journalist.

Henrik Vanger: turns 82 years old on the first page of the book. He's a widower and was married to a Jewish woman he helped escape Germany during World War II.

Harriet Vanger: is the mostly unseen star of the chief mystery of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. For most of the novel, the other characters think she's long-dead.

Martin Vanger: is CEO of the Vanger Corporation, and one of the novel's chief villains. For most of the story, he seems like a pretty nice guy. Even Blomkvist is taken in.

Hans Erik Wennerström: might be a little boring to read about because he never actually appears. None of the other characters meet him.

Erika Berger: owns most of Millennium. She's Blomkvist's boss, and his long-time lover. She's also married to Greger Beckman, an artist. Erika is smart, sexy, and unconventional.

Dragan Armansky: runs Milton Security and is Salander's boss. He's protective of her, yet can't protect her. They like each other, but he doesn't quite understand Salander. He's attracted to her, but thinks it's because she so different from the other women in his world.