From a purely physical standpoint she didn't have a chance, but her attitude was that death was better than capitulation.

-Who knows about this? -Just me, the police, the killer, and now you.

I abhor crime novels in which the main character can behave however he or she pleases, or do things that normal people do not do, without those actions having social consequences.

Those pointless equations, to which no solution exists, are called absurdities.

No matter how hard she tried to concentrate on something else, to pass the time and to distract her from the situation she was in, the fear came trickling out. It hovered like a cloud of gas around her, threatening to penetrate her pores and poison her.

He felt that he had to find Salander and hold her close. She would probably bite him if he tried.

I am not altogether confident of my ability to put my thoughts into words: My texts are usually better after an editor has hacked away at them, and I am used to both editing and being edited. Which is to say that I am not oversensitive in such matters.