Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
Even if you’ve seen the movie more than 25 times, you’ll still love this book, look forward to getting back to it. There enough new (slightly) to keep it interesting, but especially, the writing a great and you will feel like you get to know the good and the bad (Starling and the killer) better.
Why is this book so great?
1. Strong plot – PASS. We know the plot (unless you’ve been on Mars or were born well after the movie was made). No need to recap it here.
2. A great deal of action – YEP. Interviewing a pure psychopath, tracking down a serial killer who skins his victims, imbued with FBI, Senate and Department of Justice politics.
3. A hero. PASS. Starling is simply one of the best characters from the late 1980’s. A strong female FBI trainee, carrying around her own demons that she’s trying to quiet (ahem), directed to interview the most infamous serial killer, and by her own tenacity, solves a tough mystery, and nearly gets herself killed.
4. Colorful, imaginative, and convincing characterizations. PASS. See above. And the book is better than the movie. Imagine that!
5. Clear, believable, character motivations. PASS. Starling wants to save the Senator’s daughter and silence her demons. The Doctor is just having fun, ’cause, well, he’s crazy. The serial killer on the loose is crazy, too, and convincing enough to give you nightmares.
6. Well-drawn backgrounds. PASS. The background is convincingly drawn enough to believe the interplay of FBI inter politics played against Justice Department and Senate characters.
7. A writer familiar with English language. PASS. Harris writes in way similar to Ira Levin; lean, direct and to the point, moves the story along, quickly, and builds tension. I wish there were more writers out there like him.
So … even if you’ve read Silence of the Lambs, you still can’t go wrong!
Austin
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