Okay, okay, so I tend to be one of those people who doesn't read the hot, bestselling "must-read" books until everyone else on the planet has, but sometimes there's a good reason for that--and this book is a prime example of that. After finishing this book, I can only shake my head in amazement at its popularity.There's no reason to get into a "loved it/hated it" war with fans of the book. Instead, I'd like to give an honest blow-by-blow description for those who haven't read the book yet but are considering it. The book begins with about 100 pages devoted to intrigue in the world of Swedish financial publications...zzz...huh? What? Oh, I'm sorry. I fell asleep just typing that sentence, so imagine how bored I was while slogging through those dreary chapters. The book does begin to get interesting afterward, when an old man hires our intrepid main character to investigate the disappearance of his beloved relative, who vanished from an island years before in a sort of a "locked room" type mystery.During the investigation, our intrepid main character comes across a series of old murders that could be linked to the disappearance of the old man's relative. Was she the victim of a serial killer? Did she vanish because she knew too much? These plot twists make the book much more exciting--for a while. Unfortunately, though, the mystery behind the disappearance of the girl is laughably un-mysterious, and the story of the serial killer is trite, worn-out, and needed far more explanation in order to be really interesting. For instance--and I don't feel a spoiler alert is necessary here--the killer performs some strange rituals during the killings, but the reasons behind these are never explained. Once the killer is revealed, the only explanation seems to be that the killer was a nut job who did crazy things.So, in conclusion--tired plot, poorly-executed mystery, too many boring chapters about Swedish financial publications, and about 300 pages too many in general (I'm starting to think there's a dire shortage of editors in Sweden). My advice? Read at your own risk--but keep plenty of strong coffee at hand. You'll need it. 

Question: What were they based on to write this book?
Answer: There 's no reason to get into a