The MILLENNIUM TRILOGY, by Stieg Larsson
Lisbeth Salander is one of the great female characters in fiction, dangerous as hell in spite of her waiflike appearance; she karate-kicks as well as she computer-hacks. The best thing about the late Larsson's Millennium Trilogy is that the three books form one long, interconnected tale. And like Jo Rowling's Harry Potter series, it's a relentless, unputdownable narrative.