The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

This book is a thrilling conclusion to the Millenium trilogy. Larsson, as in the previous books, does a great job mixing the adventure of a brilliant plot with characters that are unforgettable. But when Mikael Blomkvist sums up the book's climactic trial, he puts his finger on why I find the series so remarkable: "When it comes down to it, this story is not primarily about spies and secret government agencies; it's about violence against women, and the men who enable it" (514). The book makes a very strong case in favor of human rights, and the excellent story and characters and the strong moral stand it takes are what makes it unforgettable.