The Silence of the Lambs

By: Thomas Harris

Narrated by: Frank Muller

Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

A serial murderer known only by a grotesquely apt nickname—Buffalo Bill—is stalking 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 FBI Academy, is surprised to be summoned by Jack Crawford, chief of the Bureau's Behavioral Science section. Her assignment: to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter—Hannibal the Cannibal—who is kept under close watch in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

Dr. Lecter is a former psychiatrist with a grisly history, unusual tastes, and an intense curiosity about the darker corners of the mind. His intimate understanding of the killer and of Clarice herself form the core of Thomas Harris' The Silence of the Lambs—and ingenious, masterfully written book and an unforgettable classic of suspense fiction.

Please note: This is an historical recording. The audio quality represents the technology of the time when it was produced.

©1998 Thomas Harris (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Scary Tales are always best when told out loud, which is why a novel such as The Silence of the Lambs works so well on tape." (Playboy)

"Even if you’ve already loved the movie and the book, you’ll still love this production of this wildly successful thriller.... This telling should not be missed. Acclaimed and popular narrator Frank Muller does his usual great narration by changing timbre and the level of his voice and sometimes his accent. The characters sound exactly as they should in this wonderful production. It’s probably wise to stay away from listening to this while eating, but otherwise it’s a triumph." (AudioFile)

Bravura Performance of an outstanding work.

Sometimes, the total of something is greater than the sum of its parts, and the discovery of such turns out to be an experience of pure joy; particularly for the rarity of the occurrence. As an avid audio book listener, I have been delighted to find that this is often the case with practically every performance by the late, great, Frank Muller. This chilling and profoundly interesting story is enhanced by the excellent performance (yet again!), by Frank Muller. When Frank passed a couple of years back as the result of a tragic motorcycle accident, the world lost a true virtuoso artist. I cannot adequately praise this particular combination of reading performance and subject material in a mere review; one must experience it for themselves, but I promise anyone who embarks on this work a truly a wonderful listen. I often do repeat listens to Frank Muller's performances and this one does not lose its edge even after many listens over the years. This is one of Audible's offerings which I must recommend most highly.
Other stupendous works by Frank Muller in which the performance and material merge into pure art transcending the separate components:
"1984" by George Orwell. "The Green Mile", "The Talisman" and others by Stephen King.
"The Hunt for Red October" by Tom Clancy, "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, a couple of novels by John LeCarre, and the Vampire Chronicles ("Interview with a Vampire", "The Vampire Lestat", "The Queen of the Damned" and "The Tale of the Body Thief") by Anne Rice.
I heartily recommend any and all of Frank Muller's performances which are available on Audible. There are several here, and I am aware of none which would disappoint. Further, I wish that Audible could finally add all of the above and indeed all of Frank's performances (of which several are yet unavailable through Audible) to their library so that the legacy and art of one of the World's most outstanding audio book performers could be easily accessible to discerning audio book aficionados for generations to come.

Better than the movie and I loved the movie

Would you listen to The Silence of the Lambs again? Why?

I love this book and have listen to it several times. I will continue listening to Silence of the Lambs

Which scene was your favorite?

The scenes with Hanable and Clares

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes,

Any additional comments?

A classic

A really great listen

What did you love best about The Silence of the Lambs?

Like reading a great book, I couldn't stop listening to this one.

What did you like best about this story?

The detail the writer goes into detail about his characters - I had seen the movie years ago, but the book is much, much better.

What about Frank Muller???s performance did you like?

The voice he used to portray Lecter was frighteningly brilliant.

Who was the most memorable character of The Silence of the Lambs and why?

Hannibal Lecter because of his mannerisms and what a truly evil but brilliant character he is.

simply amazing

ignore the movie. this is the silence of the lambs you wanted. great narration, perfect.

Enthralling!

I loved listening to the narrator bring all these famed characters to life! Images from the movie fit right in as I listened along.

great audiobook!

This is a great audiobook. The novel is great and the storytelling lends itself well to an audiobook. I highly recommend. My one complaint is that the volume is low, which made listening to the book while driving somewhat annoying.

Loved it!

I have seen the movie and it's sequels, the book is so much better in that you can glimpse the mind of the characters. Well worth listening to!

Great Movie Awesome Book!

I was a little hesitant about picking up this book since I have seen the movie dozens of times. I am really glad I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Reading this book made the movie seem even better. The movie did a great job in keeping true to the book. The book added more character development and back stories that wasn't possible to fit into a 2 hour movie.

The author does a great job of getting you interested in the plot and charaters from the very beginning and then never letting up. The book keeps and perfect pace never too much or too little detail.

Frank Muller one of the best narrators ever and he didn't disappoint in this book, he nailed all the characters.

The only thing I didn't like about this book is I was so captivated by it I couldn't stop listening and finished it within the first few days instead of stretching it for a week or two by listening to it on Walks and Commuting

Big fan

I am a big fan of the movie and a bigger fan of the book, a great listen

Classic!

This book is everything a suspense should be, well written and a true nail bitter.