Author: Thomas Harris
eBook Edition
Amount of Pages: 434 pages
Release Date: December 24, 2008
Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition (January 6, 2009)
Meant for: Adults
Source: Amazon
Summary:
A second family has been massacred by the terrifying serial killer the press has christened. The Tooth Fairy. Special Agent Jack Crawford turns to the one man who can help restart a failed investigation. Will Graham. Graham is the greatest profiler the FBI ever had, but the physical and mental scars of capturing Hannibal Lecter have caused Graham to go into early retirement. Now, Graham must turn to Lecter for help.
My Review:
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I always knew that I would read the Hannibal Lector books, because I had always loved the movies. But it was never on my top priority list. So when NBC made the show Hannibal, I was hooked. I watched faithfully every week. Halfway into the season, I knew I had to read what had inspired the screenplay. While it was hard to get into at first because of the detached sounding monologue, near the middle to the end, I was racing through the pages. I had to know everything about the Tooth Fairy.
Characters:
While the series is named after Hannibal Lector, there are only a few scenes with the man himself. I found that to be quite disappointing, but the scenes where he was incorporated into were very well-written and I thought really moving toward the plot itself and our antagonist of the story.
Surprisingly, the antagonist was my favorite character of the entire book. Will Graham didn't even come close. While dubbed as the 'Tooth Fairy' by police, the killers real identity is Francis Dolarhyde, a man who works developing pictures. While born with a cleft lip, he is shamed on by his mother who gives him away to an orphanage, and somehow is found and adopted his grandmother.
I couldn't help but feel so sympathetic for Dolarhyde during the sequence when his childhood is brought to life. This along with another scene involving Freddie Lounds, a crime magazine reporter, are my absolute favorite. And let's not forget about the one woman that Dolarhyde finds himself attracted to, a blind coworker who can't see his deformity.
Relationships:
While Will Graham's relationship with his wife Mandy isn't really focused on throughout the book, the tidbits of conversation between them long distance was well appreciated as our Tooth Fairy is after all looking to murder Will Graham and his family to complete his sequence of becoming the 'dragon.'
I particularly enjoyed Dolarhyde's relationship with his coworker, whose name escapes me at the moment, as even through the monster within him, he deeply cared and enjoyed her company. He even goes as much as not to kill her, even when his 'dragon' demands that he do so.
End Thoughts:
While Harris' writing was at times awkward and choppy in some sections, his story-telling makes up for it. I read this book in two sittings, completely immersed with Dolarhyde and wishing his story line could go on further than the first book.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone whose seen the movie, show and are crime read fanatics. I give this book 4/5 stars.
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