A review by midniqhtr42
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The first half of the book is quite slow-paced, as it takes its sweet time building tension, but the payoff in the latter half had me completely hooked. I was already familiar with Silence of the Lambs and NBC Hannibal, but neither property sufficiently preserved the self-aware humor of TH’s writing. Considering that this book was written in the late 70s/early 80s, I think it’s aged surprisingly well (outdated terminology notwithstanding), especially in terms of its portrayal of women and disabled people. 

CW: heavier content about child abuse and assault w/ deadly weapons than cannibalism in this one. 
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