Red Dragon

I liked this book, not just because I’m a fan of detective stories, whodunnits, and the like, but more so for the deep dive into the understanding of why the antagonist, Francis, became what he became.

It’s hard to make a character believable when that character does things that, to most of us, are unthinkable, but the author here succeeds and wraps it up into a decent read.

Hannibal Lecter. That alone is enough to recommend this brilliant Thomas Harris novel. Red Dragon serves as the literary debut of the iconic psychiatrist/gourmand serial killer. This tense, psychological thriller places FBI profiler Will Graham between the imprisoned but still dangerous Lecter and the titular character who slays entire families under the light of a full moon. The novel opens with Graham on leave and recovering from physical and psychological injuries sustained in Lecter’s capture when the urgency of catching this new killer presses him reluctantly back into service. Graham’s effort to aid the hunt of the Dragon from the… show more.

From the outset, this book grabs you by the throat with mystery, horror, and crime. Not necessarily in that order. The story provides plenty of scares with the twisted work of the serial killer, the Tooth Fairy. But you’re also touched by the humanity of the victims and the man trying to catch the killer and the effect the hunt has on him and his family. Additionally, we’re introduced to the unforgettable and infamous Dr. Hannibal Lecter. That alone makes it worth the read.

This one seems to be less successful than its follow-up, Silence of the Lambs, at least as far as film adaptations go and being known as well by the general public. Like Silence of the Lambs, this book features Hannibal Lector assisting the protagonist and serial killer who is on the loose. While the main character, an FBI agent, is trying to figure out the identity of the killer, the book reveals this character to us, the readers, and we are taken into their world for a good portion of the book. The book excels at bringing us… show more.

This book precedes Harris’s famous The Silence of the Lambs. Red Dragon scared the heck out of me. Why do I think it fits my chosen theme? Because Harris shows us the struggle people face to feel accepted by their peers, to fit in. In the case of the killer in this book, to envy happy families. We get into the killer’s brain, and I got more out of that than the tongue-in-cheek banter between psycho-psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter and the detective. You almost feel sorry for the guy, and why you do is something to think about.

Hannibal Lecter’s first appearance in fiction. And although he is a peripheral character in this serial killer thriller as Will Graham hunts the “Tooth Fairy”, he looms over the action, and the threat he brings is palpable—we get hints at the violence he has unleashed. He is a chilling presence. The horror of it all makes your guts churn, and it’s a real page-turner beautifully and brutally written by Harris. This is a masterclass in making monsters—and I love making monsters.

There are only a handful of stories, whether page, screen, or stage, that I can definitively say changed my life. Reading Red Dragon at way too young an age (or maybe exactly the right age) was beyond formative for me, one of those thrilling moments of realising what fiction is capable of. Red Dragon is not only the first appearance of Hannibal Lecter (and a cracking thriller in its own right) but a troubling exploration of the capacity for darkness within us all, that never loses sight of its deep sense of empathy and humanity. It’s easily the best Lecter… show more.