Conspiracy

Conspiracy is one of the main themes in the book. When Salander is 12 she is put into a mental institution after trying to kill Zalachenko. That is the beginning of the conspiracy to remove Salander from the picture as it becomes obvious she is a major threat to Zalachenko and the Section. It had not been considered that Salander might be released from the institution one day. From that day, the Section, headed by Gullberg, would attempt to remove Salander as a problem, going so far as to frame her for a triple murder in Stockholm. The murders are actually committed by Salander's brother, Ronald Niedermann.

Gullberg, Zalachenko and the others make a grave error when they underestimate Salander. Salander has world-class hacker and research skills which far surpass those of the Section. The Section also comes up against a formidable foe in Blomkvist.

Additionally, the Section has...