Recommended by Marija in Zagreb, Croatia.
I would like to recommend the entire Millennium series* by Stieg Larsson, but let’s start with the first part of the trilogy — The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The shortest way to describe it is “thriller,” but it’s more than that. It’s a deftly woven mix of a family history, a murder mystery, and a story of modern journalism. It’s also a personal history of the girl with the tattoo. To the eyes of the world seems like a damaged creature, but in fact she’s one of the most interesting female investigators ever thought up. Several friends recommended it to me, so I wanted to check what all the fuss was about. I ended up not being able to put it down. The characters are compelling and rounded, and although extraordinary in their different ways, they are, in the end, believable. I would like to give this book to Dan Brown so he can see how a great thriller is done.

*Ed. Note: This is the first book in the mentioned Millennium series, and the only one published in the U.S. so far. The second book will be published here in July.