QUICK REVIEW: The Man Who Left Too Soon: The Biography of Stieg Larsson by Barry Forshaw.

Barry Forshaw has studied thoroughly the Nordic Noir genre and his books on the phenomenon such as Death in a Cold Climate: A Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction and Nordic Noir: The Pocket Essential Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction, Film TV, are truly informative and enlightening. This book is not a Stieg Larsson's biography, in the strict sense, though it contains a lot of information regarding the writing, publication, and reception of the notorious Millenium trilogy. There is also a chapter where Forshaw explains the bitter dispute between Larsson's family members and his lifelong partner, Eva Gabriellson, concerning the rights of the three novels. There is also a mention of the possible existence of a fourth Millenium novel that Larsson had allegedly already written. Gabrielsson herself wrote a biography about Stieg (There Are Things I Want You to Know about Stieg Larsson and Me) which is radically different than other books on him, as she has a deeply personal and emotional insight on Stieg's work and character. Furthermore, in the ending, there is a reference to Larsson's rivals in Scandinavian crime fiction like Håkan Nesser, Arnaldur Indridason, Åsa Larsson, Camilla Lackberg, though there is nothing there that a seasoned Nordic noir aficionado hasn't already read. Overall, I would say that this is a useful book on the Millenium phenomenon but those who expect a rich and intricate biography of the late Stieg Larsson will definitely feel disappointed.