Hannibal
Book Three Hannibal Lecter Series
Thomas Harris

Seven years have passed since Dr. Hannibal Lecter escaped from custody, seven years since FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling interviewed him in a maximum security hospital for the criminally insane. The doctor is still at large, pursuing his own ineffable interests, savoring the scents, the essences of an unguarded world. But Starling has never forgotten her encounters with Dr. Lecter, and the metallic rasp of his seldom used voice still sounds in her dreams.
Mason Verger remembers Dr. Lecter too, and is obsessed with revenge. He was Dr. Lecter's sixth victim, and has survived to rule his own butcher's empire. From his respirator, Verger monitors every twitch in his worldwide web. Soon he sees that to draw the doctor, he must have the most exquisite and innocent appearing bait: he must have what Dr. Lecter likes best.

As with the other two books that I have reviewed in this series (Red Dragon & Silence of the Lambs), this is a novel geared to a more mature audience. And even some adults will not be into this kind of literature. There are vary mature themes in this book and a very shocking scene towards the end which involved a person eating part of themselves without ever even knowing that they're doing it.

Thomas Harris might not put out novels all too often, but when he does they are fantastic. Granted, he's had time to fully flesh out these characters, but in the reading they truly fell like flesh and blood humans and not two dimensional characters. Even the settings are descriptive and realistic. I might never have been to Italy, but with the descriptive nature of this novel, it feels as if you're there right alongside of the characters.

I also like the fact that Harris is not afraid to kill off what seems to be a main character. The main detective at the beginning of the novel? Kills him off. One of the FBI Agents that has been around since the first novel in this series? Also dies. I can respect an author who does this and doesn't feel as if he must keep all of his main characters alive, especially in gritty books such as these.

This novel gives a deeper look into Hannibal Lecter than the other books have, and even delves into some of his childhood. Granted, he is still a monster - but perhaps he is a monster with a soul who has a reason for what he does and who he has become.

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who can stomach this sort of genre.

My rating: Five out of five snails.