"The Girl Who Kicked the Candy Canes" by Stieg Larsson, summary

Published in 2007, Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s novel concludes the story of Lisbeth Salander’s confrontation with the Swedish state. This book is a thrilling combination of political detective story, legal drama, and investigation into state corruption. The description of the secret workings of the intelligence services and the struggle for human rights finds its logical conclusion.

The novel is part of the renowned Millennium trilogy and is the third book in the series, following The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. In 2009, the work was successfully adapted into a film in Sweden, starring Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist.

Events at Gothenburg Hospital

The story begins immediately after the dramatic conclusion of the previous part. A seriously wounded Lisbeth Salander is airlifted to Sahlgrenska Hospital in Gothenburg. She has gunshot wounds to her shoulder, hip, and head. The doctor on duty, Anders Jonasson, calls in his friend, American neurosurgeon Frank Ellis. Together, they perform a complex operation, removing the bullet from the girl’s skull and numerous bone fragments.

Her father, former GRU agent Alexander Zalachenko, known as Karl Axel Bodin, was brought to the same hospital. Lisbeth had seriously wounded him with an axe in Gosseberg, shattering his cheekbone and legs.

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is arrested by Police Commissioner Thomas Pålsson for illegally carrying a weapon and making harsh statements. Pålsson displays incompetence and ignores Blomkvist’s warnings about the danger of Ronald Niederman. As a result, the patrol suffers a disaster: Niederman kills police officer Gunnar Andersson, beats his partner Fredrik Torstensson, and escapes in a stolen car.

Inspector Markus Erlander from Gothenburg takes over the investigation, while Inspectors Sonja Mudig and Jerker Holmberg arrive from Stockholm. Blomkvist is released from custody and shares information about the conspiracy surrounding Zalachenko, who fled to Sweden in 1976.

Prosecutor Rikard Ekström intends to charge Lisbeth Salander with the attempted murder of Zalachenko and other crimes. However, Inspector Jan Bublanski’s team doubts her guilt and continues to search for the real killer of Dag Svensson and Mia Bergman.

The Conspiracy of the Secret Section

Erika Berger leaves Millennium magazine to become editor-in-chief of Svenska Morgonposten. Malin Eriksson is appointed acting editor-in-chief, and Henri Cortes will serve as managing editor.

Alexander Zalachenko, waking up in intensive care, files a complaint against his daughter and demands help from his former protectors. Jonas Sandberg, an officer in the top-secret "Special Analysis Section" unit operating within the State Security Service (SÄPO), comes to visit him. Zalachenko blackmails Sandberg, threatening to reveal compromising information about the intelligence services.

The Section’s founder, 78-year-old retiree Evert Gullberg, learns of the crisis. He travels to Gothenburg, infiltrates Sahlgrenska Hospital, and shoots Zalachenko, killing him instantly. Gullberg then attempts to commit suicide himself, but survives and is taken to intensive care.

The "Section," led by Fredrik Clinton and Birger Wadensjö, launches a cover-up operation. They organize surveillance on Blomkvist, bugging his phones and apartment. To eliminate a dangerous witness, special analysis agents assassinate former SÄPO officer Gunnar Björk, faking his suicide by hanging.

Members of the Section commit a burglary at Blomkvist’s apartment and attack lawyer Annika Giannini in Gothenburg, stealing copies of Björk’s secret 1991 report.

Blomkvist notices surveillance organized by SEPO officer Göran Mårtensson. The journalist moves his work to a secret hideout, makes duplicates of documents, and enlists the help of Dragan Armansky, head of Milton Security.

Preparing for trial

The secret service attempts to completely neutralize Blomkvist. Jonas Sandberg breaks into the journalist’s apartment and plants cocaine in a speaker and a large sum of cash in a closet. However, the security firm Milton Security records these actions on a hidden camera.

Then, "Section" hires Serbian hitmen, the Nikolich brothers. They attack Blomkvist at the Samir’s Kettle restaurant while he’s dining with Erika Berger. Blomkvist physically resists, holding a machine gun, and police officers Sonja Mudig, Kurt Svensson, and Monica Figuerola arrive to arrest the attackers.

Torsten Edklint, Commissioner of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, realizes that a criminal group is operating within the intelligence services. Together with Monica Figuerola, he reports the situation to the Minister of Justice and the Prime Minister of Sweden. The Prime Minister grants Edklint special powers to conduct a confidential investigation.

Meanwhile, Lisbeth Salander is recovering in the hospital. Dr. Anders Jonasson protects her from premature interrogations and visits from psychiatrist Peter Teleborjan.

Thanks to the help of Kurdish janitor Idris Hidi, who hid a mobile phone in a ventilation shaft, Lisbeth gains access to the internet through her PDA. Through the Hacker Republic community, she and her associates hack Teleborian’s computer and discover thousands of child pornographic images, as well as his secret correspondence with Sandberg.

Lisbeth writes a detailed 33-page autobiography, outlining facts of violence, falsifications and arbitrariness on the part of officials and psychiatrists.

Triumph in the courtroom

Lisbeth Salander’s trial begins in Stockholm under Judge Jørgen Iversen. Prosecutor Rikard Ekström brings 16 charges and relies on Peter Teleborjan’s findings that the defendant suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.

Defense attorney Annika Giannini puts forward an uncompromising defense. In the courtroom, she shows a secret video recording made by Lisbeth in 2003, which documents brutal sexual abuse by her guardian, Nils Bjurman. The recording shocks the judges and those present.

Giannini then proves that Teleborian lied about Lisbeth’s medical records and falsified reports. Police appear in the courtroom and arrest Peter Teleborian for possession of child pornography.

At the same time, prosecutor Ragnhild Gustavsson and Torsten Edklint’s group carry out mass arrests of the Section’s top officials: Wadensjö, Clinton, Sandberg, Nyström and Mårtensson.

Prosecutor Ekström is forced to admit the inadequacy of his charges. Judge Iversen acquits Lisbeth Salander of all charges and overturns the ruling declaring her incompetent. Lisbeth is granted complete freedom.

The denouement and reprisal against the past

Millennium magazine releases a special issue and a book, "The Section," revealing details of a decades-long conspiracy by the intelligence services. The publication sparks a major political scandal.

Erika Berger faces blackmail and harassment from her executive secretary, Peter Fredriksson, who sent her abusive and threatening messages. Milton Security employee Susan Linder neutralizes the blackmailer and recovers Erika’s stolen personal belongings. Erika subsequently resigns from Svenska Morgonposten and returns to her position as editor-in-chief at Millennium.

Lisbeth Salander leaves for Gibraltar, where she meets her financial manager, Jeremy Macmillan, and then visits Miriam Wu in Paris.

Returning to Sweden, Lisbeth deals with Zalachenko’s inheritance, studying the inventory of property provided by Annika Giannini. She decides to sell her father’s property. Lisbeth goes to an abandoned brick factory in Norrtälje to inspect the facility, where she discovers the bodies of the dead women and encounters Ronald Niederman.

During a brutal fight, Lisbeth nails Niederman’s feet to the floor with a nail gun. She then reports his location to the leaders of the Svavelsjö MK motorcycle club and calls the police. The bikers arrive and kill Niederman, after which they are arrested by the SWAT team.

At the end of the novel, Lisbeth Salander returns to her apartment on Fiskargatan. That evening, Mikael Blomkvist comes to her with coffee and pastries. Lisbeth opens the door and welcomes him back into her home and her life.