The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lecter)

An ingenious, masterfully written novel, Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs is a classic of suspense and storytelling and the basis for the Oscar award-winning horror film starring Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling and Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

A serial murderer known only by a grotesquely apt nickname—Buffalo Bill—is stalking particular women. He has a purpose, but no one can fathom it, for the bodies are discovered in different states. Clarice Starling, a young trainee at the F.B.I. Academy, is surprised to be summoned by Jack Crawford, Chief of the Bureau's Behavioral Science section. Her assignment: to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and grisly killer now kept under close watch in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Lecter's insight into the minds of murderers could help track and capture Buffalo Bill.

Smart and attractive, Starling is shaken to find herself in a strange, intense relationship with the acutely perceptive Lecter. His cryptic clues—about Buffalo Bill and about her—launch Clarice on a search that every reader will find startling, harrowing, and totally compelling.

BUY THE BOOK

Published Feb 15, 1991

384 pages

Average rating: 8.56

80 RATINGS

|

Community Reviews

Anonymous
May 18, 2025
8/10 stars
I enjoyed this book in the Hannibal series thoroughly. The writing was good and the pacing was fantastic. My only criticism is the climax is written in very short and choppy sentences. I've read the other books in the series and I don't believe this is done in the others. Overall it leads to an uncomfortable and clunky read rather than a suspenseful one. Clarice's thoughts contain a similar momentum with a lot of punctuation, rather than a flow of consciousness. Overall a pleasant and entertaining read with excellent character development.
xxOdiousOpus666
Dec 08, 2023
7/10 stars
More from Hannibals perspective!
melbeesue
Oct 16, 2023
10/10 stars
A dark story that introduces an amazing heroine. Loved it despite the graphic nature of the book.
MeganWintrip
Dec 21, 2022
10/10 stars
This picks up nicely from Red Dragon. Again Thomas Harris is an exceptional author. I love this storyline again and I like how he brings in Clarice Starling as she is mentioned in the end of Red Dragon. Fantastic.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.