Book Review: The Silence of The Lambs by Thomas Harris

It’s not for nothing that this book holds the title for the best thriller ever!

I recently picked up Red Dragon, the first book I’ve ever read by Thomas Harris – after years of being a Hannibal fan solely through film and TV – and I loved it. It’s dark, it’s gritty, it’s short! – a feature you know I love in books if you’ve ever read my reviews before – and it’s simple just captivating. I knew as soon as I was done with the first book that I wanted to go on and read A Silence Of The Lambs, the undoubtedly much more famous sequel.

This second book is very much like the first: it’s short and quick to the point, it doesn’t beat around the bush with a long-winded plot and drawn-out narrative, and I love that about how Thomas Harris writes. We’re thrown straight into the action as Agent Clarice Starling goes head to head with Dr. Hannibal Lecter, trying to get him to help the FBI identify and catch a serial-killer dubbed ‘Buffalo Bill’.

At the same time, it’s so much more. We get to learn to know Dr. Lecter better this time around and we’re led further into his strange psyche as he regularly meets with Agent Starling to discuss the case. In exchange for information that can lead the FBI to understand more about Buffalo Bill, Agent Starling has to give Dr. Lecter information of her own, about her childhood and upbringing – knowledge that seems to delight and entertain Dr. Lecter. While reading, I was constantly wondering why Dr. Lecter was asking the questions he was, and how the information he gained was going to be relevant later in the book. Honestly, it kept me at the edge of my seat, sometimes much more than the investigation of Buffalo Bill and I’ve got to say that Harris is an absolute master at building suspense.

I can’t really say much more about the plot without giving it away – but know that the ending is much better than in the first book and it really makes you want to pick up the next Hannibal Lecter book.

To sum up: a mesmerizing deep-dive into the dark and twisted mind of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and a worthy sequel to Red Dragon. If you like creepy thrills, mind games, short reads and terrifying characters, you’re going to love this. Like last time, I can’t wait to read more Thomas Harris.

Have you read The Silence Of The Lambs or other books in the Hannibal series? Anything else by Thomas Harris that you’d recommend, or other authors with series that have amazed you recently? Let me know in the comments!

And as always, please check out all my books and stories below. If you’re into psychological horror, crime thrillers, or science-fiction and fantasy, you’ve come to the right place! Bye for now!

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