Red Dragon (1981)

Þetta er fyrsta sagan í seríunni um hinn alræmda Hannibal Lecter sem Anthony Hopkins lék svo eftirminnilega í samnefndum myndum. Þessi mynd nældi sér í nokkur verðlaun og tilnefningar.
Lecter er hér hins vegar í sérkennilegu hliðarhlutverki og í raun óskiljanlegu, svo illa tengist hann sögunni. Sagan gefur aftur á móti geðveikislega innsýn í brjálæði snargeðveiks fjöldamorðingja og spennan eykst eftir því er á líður og spurningin vaknar hvort morðinginn nái að drepa fleiri. ( )

This was a reread for me, I first read it sometime in the 80s or 90s and remembered it pretty well, which I guess is a good sign. It’s almost incredible, the plot is taut, the police work is convincing and the main villain is really creepy and memorable. He’s also much more fully formed than many fictional killers which definitely adds to the book. Hannibal Lecter is here too of course, although not in the book nearly as much as I expected.
What lets it down a little, and makes it a 4 rather than a 5 star read, is Harris’s prose. It’s often great, sparse and effective, but occasionally becomes outrageously flowery and intrusive. That takes away from the impact of the book, but not so much that I wouldn’t still heartily recommend it if you haven’t read it. There’s a reason why it’s considered a seminal work in the serial killer genre. ( )

La prima apparizione, ancora in un ruolo secondari, di Hannibal Lecter.
Qui il protagonista è l'agente FBI Will Graham, a caccia di un altro criminale psicopatico.
Da questo libro è stato tratto il film Manhunter e il successivo remake Red Dragon.
Alta tensione in tutte le pagine, da leggere assolutamente. ( )

fiction, thriller, ( )

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (2000)