When a character that you created becomes so embraced by the public at large that it manages to warrant a biography all its own, you know you created something that will stand the test of time – such is the case for author Thomas Harris and his monstrously evil cannibal, Hannibal Lecter.

Most know the good doctor from his film recreation, most notable in the highly acclaimed THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and while it was the film that certainly solidified Hannibal as a full-blown cultural icon, there is so much more to tell before Anthony Hopkins donned that famous face guard.

Author Brian Raftery has done all the legwork and takes us on a deep dive not only into the literary and film credits of the character, but also a fascinating look at author Thomas Harris, a rather reclusive and perhaps eccentric creative whose fascination with serial killers and fine dining spawned one of the smartest, most deranged characters ever to grace a page or film cell.

Starting with his first novel, BLACK SUNDAY, it was obvious that Harris was a talent like no other before him, but it was RED DRAGON, the first appearance of Hannibal, that cemented him as a bona fide best-selling author. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS sent the publishing world spinning. He followed that up with two more ventures into the land of the cannibal with HANNIBAL and HANNIBAL RISING.

Raftery takes us behind the scenes of Harris’s unique writing style, the long stretches of research and traveling that Harris would spend between novels. […]