Next Lisbeth Salander novel gets 'eye'-catching title and cover

Lisbeth Salander — also known as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo — is coming back to bookstores this fall, and EW can exclusively reveal the forthcoming book’s title and U.S. cover, below.

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye is David Lagercrantz’s second novel in the Stieg Larsson-created series, following 2015’s instant best-seller, The Girl in the Spider’s Web. In this next installment, Lisbeth searches for answers to her own traumatic past with the help of Mikael Blomkvist, while also, true to her character, making enemies of an anti-Muslim gang, the Russian mafia, and a group of people involved in a “pseudoscientific experiment” called The Registry.

Below, check out the novel’s eye-catching cover, as well as EW’s interview with Lagercrantz, who teases the identity-defining secret we might finally learn in this fifth book. (Hint: It’s got something to do with a certain tattoo.)

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye hits shelves September 12, 2017.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Where did you get the idea for The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye?
DAVID LAGERCRANTZ: You could say that it started with a question: Everybody knows that Lisbeth has a massive dragon tattooed on her back, but no one knows why. No explanation is to be found in the previous books to why she got that particular tattoo. I started to feel the need to answer that riddle because it broadens and deepens the mythology that surrounds Lisbeth. She’s not the type of person that would do something like that without having a good reason for it. During my search for a reply to the riddle, the story slowly came to mind. It was as if a new dimension opened up to me.

What was the response to The Girl in the Spider’s Web like for you?
It was almost shocking to realize how Stieg Larsson’s characters and novels engage their readers. At first, the reception was so overwhelming and extensive that I could barely stand upright. But it evolved into something remarkable — we were overwhelmed by the love we received from readers who’ve been longing to get Lisbeth Salander back.

RELATED: New Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Movie Gets 2018 Release Date

What did you learn from writing The Girl in the Spider’s Web that you used when writing The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye?
When I wrote the first one, I really struggled with performance anxiety. I had to fight to break the code of the characters and of Stieg Larsson’s universe. I was terrified of failing, but the same fear also pushed me forward and made me a better writer. This time, with the second novel, I had a whole new confidence, and I was far less apprehensive. I was more daring, and that made me enjoy it even more.