The Silence of the Lambs

25th Anniversary Edition: Hannibal Lecter, Book 2

By: Thomas Harris

Narrated by: Frank Muller

Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's Summary

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Thomas Harris’ legendary best-seller, Audible presents The Silence of the Lambs, with a new introduction written and read by the author himself.

An FBI trainee. A psychopath locked up for unspeakable crimes. And a serial killer getting ever closer to his latest victim...

Seeking insight into the deadly madman she must find, FBI rookie Clarice Starling turns to Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a monster cannibal held in a hospital for the criminally insane. As Dr. Lecter invites Clarice into the darkest chambers of his mind, he forces her to confront her own childhood demons in return for knowledge; an unspeakable tuition he exacts to teach her how the monster thinks. But time is running out…

An instant classic of chilling psychological suspense, The Silence of the Lambs will take you from the tormenting words of a homicidal maniac 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.

A native of Mississippi, Thomas Harris began his writing career covering crime in the United States and Mexico, and was a reporter and editor for the Associated Press in New York City. His first novel, Black Sunday, was published in 1975, followed by Red Dragon in 1981, The Silence of the Lambs in 1988, Hannibal in 1999, and Hannibal Rising in 2006.

All the Hannibal Lecter books have been made into films, most notably starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster. Sky has also produced a television series based on the notorious mass murderer, starring Mads Mikkelsen, Laurence Fishburne and Hugh Dancy.

©1989 Thomas Harris (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Critic Reviews

"A brilliant, superbly crafted thriller" (James Herbert)
"The great fictional monster of our time" (Stephen King)
"A huge talent" (Ian Rankin)
"The best book I've read in a very long time. Subtle, horrific and splendid" (Roald Dahl)
"Thrillers don't come any better than this. Razor-sharp entertainment, beautifully constructed and brilliantly written. It takes us to places in the mind where few writers have the talent or sheer nerve to venture." (Clive Barker)
"A snapshot from hell" ( Rolling Stone)
"A virtual textbook on the craft of suspense" ( Washington Post)"

Flawless.

A classic. The narration was well aligned to the content. Well worth the price of the repurchase. Harris's introduction was a delightful aperitif.

Spellbinding listen

What made the experience of listening to The Silence of the Lambs the most enjoyable?

It is a very interesting listen

What other book might you compare The Silence of the Lambs to and why?

I have since gone a thriller kick, and really this is one of the best books of the genre

Any additional comments?

You won't regret listening to this book

Superb and chilling

When you listen to an audiobook which has such an iconic film version, I feel sorry for the narrator however in this case, Frank Muller absolutely pulls it off.
Yes Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster made these characters instantly recognisable and while Muller certainly does draw on these performances, he doesn't make it a pastiche, instead adding some of his own nuances whilst still retaining he characters that we know and loathe (love?)

The story itself is excellent and remains chilling even after 25 years, and is a throughly good listen

Great story - awful quality recording

The story in, every way, is great and I'm now enjoying revisiting all of the books in the series followed by the films.

The only downside, and it's a bigy, is the quality of the recording. It's too quiet and there is a constant white noise background. It sounds as if it's playing from a reel to reel tape! Made listening an effort at times which doesn't suit the multitasking listener at all.

really enjoyed this, a real thriller

I haven't watched this for many years and was interested to see if it was similar and if it would be as thrilling, it was, probably more so. I will be listening to this again, although listening to all 4 Hannibal books in a row is slightly paranoid making... but good fun.

Brilliant<br />

We've all seen the film, and probably read the book, so expectations are high. This gripping thriller, exquisitely read, never disappoints. Highly recommended.

Brilliant - what a treat!!

What did you like most about The Silence of the Lambs?

I enjoyed this so much - even though I have seen the film and read the book, I still found something new in the audio book. The story is one of the best and is added to by the quality of the narration Great stuff!!

What did you like best about this story?

The story is a modern classic. Starling is a true heroine.

Have you listened to any of Frank Muller’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Not that I recall but I will look for more.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

ERRRR Its been done!

Any additional comments?

No

loved it

loved it I love every book by Thomas Harris I wish another hannibal story would come soon

Further evidence that Harris was simply lucky

That this book is better than the first is basically an accident. Harris threw all the pieces in the air and they happened to land in a better configuration this time. Starling is more interesting than Graham; Lecter benefits from having a bigger role; but the whole thing is ruined by an unconvincing psychological profile of Buffalo Bill. Cocoons in the throat was inspired... but then he does nothing with it! The series peaks here, and not very high.

Amongst the finest

True entire Thomas Harris series is a listeners treasure trove to which I return at just the right intervals

Tence and chilling

Loved this book the voice actor portrays Hannibal just how I imagined he would.

Would recommend

Yes yes yes. Amazing listen

The book got me from the start I’m very impressed with the whole thing not a boring moment