Fans Flock to Dragon Tattoo Town

Fans of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Stieg Larsson's other bestselling novels are getting lost in the Swedish countryside looking for Hedestad, the town where much of the book's central action takes place. The problem is, the town doesn't exist. The confusion is occurring as readers flock to Sweden to pay homage to Larsson's books, which have sold 30 million copies worldwide and inspired several movies. But while Hedestad eludes, followers are lining up for the Stockholm City Museum's Larsson tour. Others are visiting scenes of fictional detective Mikael Bloomqvist and cohort Lisbeth Salander's exploits with maps provided by the tourist office. The first stop on the museum's two-hour tour is "Bloomqvist's apartment" at 1 Bellmansgatan, where a guide gives a long description and rehashes much of the book's plot. While no one from Hedestad has shown up, the tour has attracted visitors from Japan, Australia, and Canada.