“We make mercy, manufacture it in the parts that have overgrown our basic reptile brain. There is no murder. We make murder, and it matters only to us.” Near the end of Thomas Harris’s Red Dragon, the author gives this thought to FBI agent Will Graham. But this devastating encapsulation of humankind’s dual nature could be the epigram for all five of Harris’s masterful novels.
Making Murder takes readers deep into the work of Thomas Harris and his iconic creation, Hannibal Lecter—one of modern fiction’s most unforgettable characters. A former crime reporter, Harris’s exhaustive research techniques have included extensive time with the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit studying actual serial killers. Like no other available volume, the book explores the dark heart within Harris’s novels—the unflinching look at evil that makes them so much more than just “good reads.”
Making Murder looks at all five of Harris’s novels, starting with the suspenseful terrorist thriller, Black Sunday, then moving through the quartet of books in which Hannibal Lecter gradually moves from malevolent presiding spirit to unsettling, recognizably human protagonist. Author Philip Simpson looks at the critical response each book received and explores the works themselves in terms of story, characters, writing style, allusions and symbols, and themes. An introductory chapter provides insights into the author’s life, publishing history, and significant cultural impact.
