One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
After watching Hannibal, based on the Hannibal Lector Series, and after reading The Red Dragon, the first book in this series, I had to pick up a used copy of the second in the series, Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris.
Jack Crawford needs help finding the lastest serial killer he’s been hunting. He can’t turn to Will Graham after his run in with first Hannibal Lector, and then the Red Dragon. He needs Lector himself, but Dr Lector won’t talk to Jack. Enter Starling, a bright and ambitious student at Quanico. Will Lector see the spark in her that Crawford has already identified?
Hannibal Lector is a well known charactor to say the least. Most identified with actor Anthony Hopkins, many people will know at least a little about “Hannibal the Cannibal”. Much like the first book, FBI director Crawford uses a young and talented agent (student, in Starlings case) to help solve a case he is at a stand still with. Her help is needed not in the investigation, but in attracting the attention of and gaining information from Hannibal Lector. She, like Will Graham in Red Dragon, has a quality that Crawford knows Dr Lector cannot resist. The relationship between the three men in the first book and their relationship to the titular character, The Red Dragon, is what makes the first book so appealing. The same is true in Silence of the Lambs. How Crawford manipulates the situation, knows his own shortcomings can be rounded out by the talents of both Starting and Lector, is not only a driving factor of the book, but also a fascinating character trait. And as always, Jack Crawford cares little for who gets caught in the cross fire. While still a genre true thriller, SotL, falls into second book syndrome a bit, by being more about advancing the characters and focusing less on the plot and action of the story. I enjoyed this book, and am interested to see how the trilogy (Yes, I know there are 4 books, but i’m not counting the prequel that Harris was harassed to write), wraps up in Hannibal. I would recommend this book to those who want to continue in the series or people who are reading the source materials for the movies and show, readers who like serial killer mysteries/thrillers, those who are interested in forensic science fiction or FBI fiction.
What’s your favorite second book in a series?