The Silence of the Lambs

By: Thomas Harris

Narrated by: Kathy Bates

Hannibal Lecter. The ultimate villain of modern fiction who scared the world silent. An evil genius locked away for unspeakable crimes. A young FBI trainee plunges into the darkest chambers of a psychopath's mind in the deadly search for a serial killer.

The Silence of the Lambs is an instant classic of chilling psychological suspense. From the tormenting words of homicidal maniac Hannibal Lecter and the flesh-rending depravity of an elusive killer to the sheer courage of a young FBI novice who risks her life to track him down and stop the bloodshed, this critically acclaimed audio production, narrated by Kathy Bates, has an unforgettable intensity.

©1988 Thomas Harris, All Rights Reserved (P)1988 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved

Critic reviews

"A virtual textbook on the craft of suspense. A masterwork of sheer momentum that rockets seamlessly toward its climax...Harris is quite simply the best suspense novelist working today." (The Washington Post)
"Superb." (The New York Times)
"Beautifully written." (The San Francisco Examiner)

"Kathy Bates makes it sound so real you'll be looking over your shoulder for days." ( Washington Post Book World)

Not that bad.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Silence of the Lambs to be better than the print version?

I really did enjoy this one, it is a lot like the movie. I've never read the whole thing so I can''t say one version is better than the other. I love the way Kathy Bates read it, she really gets into the characters.

What about Kathy Bates’s performance did you like?

She gives each of the charaters a different voice so it's easy to listen to.

Beautiful book and Kathy made it even better!

Kathy Bates is such a wonderful narrator, her voice is just screams Clarice!
I wish she narrated all the books!

wow

Amazing! really did this story justice. More details than the movie. Makes it easier to digest.

Fav audiobook of all time

To be honest, I don't enjoy audiobooks in general. I've tried a slew of them. This was the first and only audiobook I could listen to start to finish and listen to again over and over. I am so in love with the way Kathy Bates narrates and haven't yet been able to find another book that has come close. So I got this on Audible just to have a copy on here. Initially, I came across the audio shared on a blog when I was Googling criminal psychology for a college paper years back. If all books were narrated so well, I'd probably swap over to audiobooks completely. It's just such an ease to listen to this audiobook. Audiobooks are best done by strong voice actors, in my opinion. And Kathy Bates is just incredibly talented. It's tragic that she doesn't have more books recorded. Sadly, it seems this is the only one I can enjoy ever in a sea of audiobooks where I just can't seem to focus. Engaging writing and brilliant narration seem to be a rare combo even in this day and age.

As Good As The Movie

If you liked the movie, then you'll enjoy this narration. Kathy Bates did a WONDERFUL job and brought life to the characters. The book is equally as "creepy" and thrilling as the movie.