THE LEGENDARY THRILLER THAT CREATED DR HANNIBAL LECTER

Will Graham was a brilliant profiler of criminals for the FBI - until he suffered terrible injuries in the process of capturing Dr Hannibal 'the Cannibal' Lecter.

Years later, a serial killer nicknamed 'the Tooth Fairy' is massacring entire families each full moon. With the FBI desperate for progress, Will reluctantly agrees to consult. But he soon realises that he alone can't crack the case; he needs the help of the only mind even better than his own at understanding the mentalities of psychopaths.

The mind of Hannibal Lecter.

But Hannibal is playing his own twisted game from the asylum for the criminally insane. Will isn't alone in getting advice from the cannibal. So is the Tooth Fairy - the man haunted by visions of the murderous Red Dragon…

 

 

Well I wanted my scary/spooky read this month and I got it.

Not sure there is much to say about this book other than I understand now why it was such a hype and still is.  It is one hell of a a dark and twisted book and while at times I wanted to hide or throw up I loved every bit of it.

The writing I had to get used to, all the different POV were a bit confusing at once but caught on pretty fast.   Though for a book that advertised “THRILLER THAT CREATED DR HANNIBAL LECTER” we don’t get that much of him. I assume that will change in future books.

I liked Will Graham for the most part and his thinking and his head-space, what I could not really connect to was his relationship with Molly . It just felt off and odd.

Dolarhyde, oh he was a whole other category off messed up, even as we go into his really messed up childhood I didn’t know if that should be an excuse or not. But its clear early on that he has some severe issues and as the story goes on it just gets worse and we follow him coming undone more and more.

I have to say though as we get to the end or close to, I was like well that was sort of anti-climatic but then we get the nice surprise …. Oh wow

That also goes for the very end which pretty much sets us up for more Lecter, or at least I’m hoping to.

It goes without saying that this book is not for people with a weak stomach or lighthearted, and should come with all the trigger warnings there are. That being said the books is hauntingly sick minded and twisted but I loved it. Few minor things but nothing really that jumps out, the things I had a problem with the most was the POVs but that’s about it.

I rate it 4.5★

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I kept forgetting this is from '81, so I spent the whole book going, "WHAT ABOUT DNA?!"But it was great, I'd only read Hannibal (which was amazing, too) but Harris really knows how to draw the reader in without fancy trappings, just plain good ol' writing.Man, anyone watching the new Hannibal tv series is in for some rough shit, if they follow what happened in the book...

3.5 StarsThis book was everything it promised to be - creepy, thrilling, fast paced - I just couldn't put it down. It was mindblowing. It was scary. I think I will have nightmares for weeks because of this book. But, it didn't meet my expectations.I would have gladly given this book five stars - but there was something more that I wanted from it and it failed to deliver. I loved the idea of this book - the whole thing was very, very disturbing. But the writing felt off most of the time. Like the author didn't know how to express this idea in words to do it enough justice. And that was exactly what happened. I will definitely stick with this series - the whole concept of Dr. Lecter is enough to blow my mind away.Not recommended to the faint of heart.

Touted as the introduction of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon is really one detective’s search for a new serial killer. Will Graham retired from the FBI to focus on his new wife and stepson, but when a mysterious serial killer strikes again, the FBI has no choice but to call back their best agent. Graham then uses his skills as an investigator and the power of the US government and their expertise at forensic evidence to track down this unknown foe. With very little in the way of clues, Graham knows it is just a matter of time before the Dragon strikes again. Can he do it?It has all the stereotypical elements that one would expect in such a novel. Graham is the disgruntled, depressed retired FBI agent who is called back into action as the only man who can help the Feds solve the mystery and catch the killer. Graham has a mystical ability to intuit answers to his questions, making him a legend among the Feds. The Dragon is an unassuming, quiet man – the kind the neighbors would never suspect – with all sorts of psychological Mommy issues, each presented to show the reader just how an innocent child can turn into a serial killer. There is even a plot twist that is meant to surprise readers into thinking it is all over. In reality, there are just one too many overdone plot elements to create a story that is as predictable as it is flat.The problem with such novels is that a reader can see the potential and struggles to reconcile the “if only” with the actuality of the story. Mr. Harris provides enough hints at Graham’s backstory to intrigue readers and to create the potential for depth of character, but he fails to go farther than those hints. A reader is frustrated with the idea that there is more to Will Graham than the book will ever express, and his entire character suffers from that lack of exploration. Similarly, Francis Dolarhyde’s past is tragic and, if explored in enough detail, could really make this sinister character much more sympathetic and therefore interesting. Instead, the details give just enough background for a reader to understand the psychological trauma to which Dolarhyde is exposed as a child but goes no further. In fact, his current mental state is never completely explored either, something that is particularly lacking given his anguish over Rita’s fate. All of these “what if” scenarios that a reader can so easily see do nothing but weaken an already frail storyline because they allow the reader to focus on the unfulfilled potential rather than on the story at hand.Fans of Dr. Hannibal Lecter will be disappointed at his lack of participation in the story. While it may be his introduction, Lecter is nothing more than a minor side character. He is supposed to provide similar support to Graham as he does to Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs, but in Red Dragon his contribution is even less involved. His crimes are never fully discussed, and his participation in the manhunt is limited to letters. Lecter remains nothing but a sinister but fairly ineffective figure in the background. It is a disappointment that Harris felt the need to use the Lecter name to entice readers to select the book and then make such a famous villain so conspicuously absent from the overarching story.Alan Sklar has a tremendous voice but one that is not necessarily conducive to a pleasant audiobook experience. His voice is too deep and gravelly to even begin to mimic female voices, so his come across as strained and slightly condescending. His distinction between male characters leaves a lot to be desired too since his very slight tonal modulations and pronunciations are too subtle to allow a reader to easily distinguish among them. His booming basso truly fits the vocalization of the Dragon though, which was a great counterpoint to the overall meekness and sycophancy of Francis. Unfortunately, a listener’s lack of enjoyment of the audiobook is as much the fault of the narrator as it is the fault of this mediocre story. Mr. Sklar works decently within the confines he was given. Some of that which is lacking is due to his performance, but a large majority of it is the ineffectiveness of the author’s own words.Red Dragon is a fairly poor example of a horror story. There is gore but it is rather subdued and exists as nothing but vague post-mortem descriptions. The story itself is predictable and anti-climactic. Character development is negligible as well. A reader does not get the chance to explore the psychopathy of the Dragon, and Will Graham’s seemingly psychic ability to hunt down killers is never fully explored. The entire story is very superficial and without a strong level of tension to maintain a reader’s interest. Those expecting to learn more about Hannibal Lecter will be disappointed at how little he appears throughout the novel. The entire story is disappointing for its lack of mystery and suspense. There are more suspenseful and better written horror mysteries out there to warrant keeping Red Dragon on a TBR pile.

Red Dragon is even more creepy and suspenseful than Silence of the Lambs was (if that's even possible).I don't think it matters that I read them in the wrong order because, although Hannibal Lecter is a recurring character, they're completely different stories. Such a great, intense, gripping book! A really great, scary series.