It’s easy to see why Mr Harris finds me more satisfying than Will Graham.

Ah, the days when I had six fingers on my left hand, and collected church collapses for my own amusement, Clarice! Of course I am biased, but I will say the interactions between our two characters are the highlight of the book. Dr Hannibal Lecter, and FBI agent-in-training Clarice Starling! We’ll begin with me. We get many insights into his psyche that would otherwise be confusing.ĬS: There’s two characters we haven’t discussed yet. HL: Whilst I prefer keeping people in the dark, revealing this aspect of Bill earlier in the book is necessary. Dr Lecter, do you think it’s more effective that way? I especially liked his dilemma over where to put the zip on the suit he’s making from his victims’ skins.ĬS: You mention the skin-suit – that’s revealed in the book much sooner than in the film. Whilst of course he’s a repulsive being, I could not help but find him fascinating. He’s one conflicted man, Clarice, damaged by childhood events. HL: It would be remiss of me not to discuss our antagonist Jame Gumb, AKA Buffalo Bill. How long before that starts to affect his work, do you think? Alas, only the book ponders such a painful, yet insightful, question.ĬS: Did anyone else make a strong impression on you? Heading up the investigation means Jack Crawford’s a busy man but there’s no respite for him at home – not with his dying wife Bella to look after.

HL: I particularly enjoyed seeing your boss suffer. The hunt for serial killer Buffalo Bill is getting nowhere, so the FBI sends poor little trainee Clarice Starling – you – to the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to interview the brilliant psychiatrist Dr Hannibal Lecter – me – and gain his help catching that naughty boy.ĬS: Will you share your thoughts about the characters, please? How would you sum up the story, Dr Lecter? Does that make you feel hungry, Clarice?ĬS: I just ate. And, whilst other detail-heavy prose often feels just as heavy-going, the writing here simply flows, much like the rich juices from a roasting carcass. HL: Years of research, and it shows on all 352 pages. Which is, of course, the correct choice.ĬS: The book became a global bestseller. Instead, our Mr Harris elects to keep me around.

When penning sequels to earlier successes authors usually retain the protagonist, but here poor Will Graham does not return from Red Dragon. HL: What I find most interesting about Thomas Harris’s book is the risk he takes before writing a single word. HL: Send the first case file on through, now. But are you willing to point your high-powered perception at the story of how we met? What do you have for me this time?ĬS: A comparison study, concerning the book and film of The Silence of the Lambs. And do not under any circumstances read this if you don’t already know the story …ĬS: Hello, Dr Lecter.

Silence of the lambs books