Novels Like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

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    The Other Millennium Series Books by Stieg Larsson & David Lagercrantz

    The Other Millennium Series Books deepen the exploration of themes like corporate corruption, violence against women, and unchecked power. Lisbeth remains central, relentless in her hacking and personal quest for justice. Each story is suspenseful, showcasing dark threats woven into Swedish society.

    David Lagercrantz successfully picked up the series after Larsson's death, staying true to the style and intense storytelling that readers admire.

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    Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

    Gone Girl is a psychological thriller famous for inventive storytelling and characters who keep you guessing. It revolves around the troubling disappearance of Amy Dunne and the suspicion falling on her husband, Nick.

    Similar to Larsson's thrillers, Flynn examines complex relationships, hidden resentments, and a narrative full of twists.

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    The Harry Hole Series by Jo Nesbø

    The Harry Hole Series is classic dark Scandinavian noir, featuring detective Harry Hole, an exceptionally smart but deeply flawed investigator battling his personal demons.

    Books like The Snowman or The Bat involve grim murders, complex puzzles, and sinister forces hidden within society.

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    The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

    The Silence of the Lambs offers horror-infused detective fiction, narrating FBI trainee Clarice Starling's hunt for a brutal serial killer.

    Clarice's direct confrontations with the sophisticated psychopath Hannibal Lecter highlight her courage and intelligence, aligning closely with the compelling, strong female lead found in Lisbeth Salander.

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    Mystic River by Dennis Lehane

    Mystic River involves friends from a Boston neighborhood whose childhood traumas resurface when tragedy strikes again. Lehane explores how past secrets shape lives and relationships, creating suspenseful storytelling around the darker aspects of human nature.

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    Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg

    Smilla's Sense of Snow introduces Smilla, a uniquely determined Greenlandic woman living in Copenhagen who investigates the suspicious death of her young neighbor.

    She notices evidence others have overlooked, pursuing an investigation that reveals hidden conspiracies and deeper corruption.

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    The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup

    The Chestnut Man, written by the creator of the popular TV series The Killing, is intensely suspenseful and eerie. Detectives Naia Thulin and Mark Hess chase a brutal and intricate trail involving long-buried crimes.

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    The Reversal by Michael Connelly

    The Reversal features defense attorney Mickey Haller and detective Harry Bosch reexamining a decades-old murder conviction that quickly proves more complicated than anticipated.

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    Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow

    Presumed Innocent is a classic legal thriller exploring accusations and betrayal in an intricate murder trial. When prosecutor Rusty Sabich finds himself accused of killing a colleague, he desperately tries to uncover the truth and clear his name.

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    The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

    Journalist Lo Blacklock takes an assignment aboard a luxury cruise ship and believes she witnesses a murder—but no passengers appear missing. Ruth Ware uses an unreliable narrator approach to create tension and confusion.

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    I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

    I Am Pilgrim is an epic thriller filled with global stakes, terrorism, and meticulous investigation. It follows a legendary former intelligence officer, codenamed Pilgrim, tracking down an extremely dangerous adversary.

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    The Department Q Series by Jussi Adler-Olsen

    Denmark serves as the bleak yet engrossing backdrop in Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q series. The novels feature a specialized team tackling cold cases under Detective Carl Mørck's cynical but determined leadership.

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    Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

    Before I Go to Sleep gives readers a twist-filled psychological thriller where Christine wakes up every morning without memories. Through diaries and fragmented clues, she pieces together disturbing truths about her forgotten past.

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    The Dry by Jane Harper

    The Dry transplants twisted mysteries to rural Australia. Federal agent Aaron Falk returns to his drought-plagued hometown after a tragic murder-suicide shocks the community.

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    Codex by Lev Grossman

    Codex offers a thriller involving historical intrigue, old manuscripts, and contemporary computer hacking. Edward Wozny begins cataloging a mysterious collection of rare books, soon discovering connections between ancient texts and conspiracies.