The Silence of the Lambs

Thomas Harris

Dec 2009 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

An ingenious, masterfully written novel, Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs is a classic of suspense and storytelling and the basis for the Oscar award-winning horror film starring Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling and Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

A serial murderer known only by a grotesquely apt nickname—Buffalo Bill—is stalking particular women. He has a purpose, but no one can fathom it, for the bodies are discovered in different states. Clarice Starling, a young trainee at the F.B.I. Academy, is surprised to be summoned by Jack Crawford, Chief of the Bureau's Behavioral Science section. Her assignment: to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and grisly killer now kept under close watch in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Lecter's insight into the minds of murderers could help track and capture Buffalo Bill.

Smart and attractive, Starling is shaken to find herself in a strange, intense relationship with the acutely perceptive Lecter. His cryptic clues—about Buffalo Bill and about her—launch Clarice on a search that every reader will find startling, harrowing, and totally compelling.

Ratings and reviews

An engaging and expertly paced read with a smart plot and depth to its characters. It tends to get overly technical every now and then and some dialogues ramble on (but others are perfection). Recommended.

An interesting chapter in the ever changing world of Clarice Starling a new recruit in training who must use a plethora of knowledge from "Hannibal the Cannibal" himself via quid pro quo and amazing book 10/10 would recommend

Clarice is a shallow character. The ticks in her character seem like they were only created on the fly because someone complained how bland Clarice was. Hannibal and Graham are the best of the series. I read this only to get further info on them.

About the author

THOMAS HARRIS is the author of Black Sunday, Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Hannibal Rising, all of which were national bestsellers. Many of his books have been adapted to Oscar award-winning films and popular television shows.