It’s That “Girl” Again!

Lisbeth Salander fans, take note: More than a decade after the death of Swedish journalist-novelist Stieg Larsson, a fourth entry in his famous Millennium Trilogy (yes, the series introduced by The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is being prepared for near-future release. Alison Flood writes about The Girl in the Spider’s Web for The Guardian:

Penned by Swedish writer David Lagercrantz with the blessing of Larsson’s estate--though not his long-term partner [Eva Gabrielsson]--the novel, based on Larsson’s universe and characters, will be published worldwide on 27 August. Amid Harry Potter-style levels of security--Lagercrantz wrote the work on a computer with no Internet connection, and delivered the Swedish manuscript to his publishers by hand--UK publisher MacLehose Press has unveiled only the cover [embedded above], which shows Salander herself, complete with dragon tattoo and a suitably punk pair of trousers.

Called Det som inte dödar oss in the original Swedish, or What Doesn’t Kill You, it is now in the process of being translated into 38 different languages, with George Goulding working on the English version.

“The Swedish original publishers Norstedts have put everyone on notice that no particle of this book can be shared with anybody,” said UK publisher Christopher MacLehose. “There’ll be no review copies in any language before it’s launched on 27 August … Nobody will be in a position to beat the ring of steel around this book.”

The blog Crime Fiction Lover adds that “Alongside the new book, MacLehose is republishing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest with new coordinated covers.”

The Girl in the Spider’s Web will be released in the States by publisher Alfred A. Knopf. You can take a peek at the American cover of Lagercrantz’s continuation novel here.

FOLLOW-UP: Omnimystery News’ Lance Wright adds a bit more information to what we know of David Lagercrantz’s coming novel, explaining that “[Stieg] Larsson was at work on a fourth novel in the series at the time of his death in 2004, but none of that narrative--which is at the center of a dispute between Larsson’s long-time partner and his family--is included in this book. Larsson’s family, which inherited his estate, hired Lagercrantz to continue the saga of Lisbeth Salander with a new storyline.”