Red Dragon
The first novel in the Hannibal Lecter series and the publication-order starting point.
Author guide
Thomas Harris Books in Order
Thomas Harris is an American novelist who began his writing career as a crime reporter and later worked as a reporter and editor for the Associated Press in New York. He is the author of six novels: Black Sunday, four novels in the Hannibal Lecter series, and Cari Mora. His fiction combines crime, suspense, psychological horror, and thriller conventions.
crime fictionpsychological thrillerhorrorsuspense
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Black Sunday
A standalone debut novel that introduces Harris's crime-thriller style without requiring series context.
Cari Mora
A later standalone thriller unrelated to the Hannibal Lecter series.
Read in order
Books by series
novel series · complete
Hannibal Lecter
A four-novel psychological crime-thriller series centered on the brilliant and murderous psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Frequently asked questions about Thomas Harris
Who is Thomas Harris, and what is he known for?
Thomas Harris is an American novelist best known for psychological crime and suspense fiction, especially the Hannibal Lecter character and novels. Before becoming a full-time novelist, he worked as a crime reporter and editor.
Sources: simonandschuster.com (opens in a new tab)mississippiencyclopedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Where was Thomas Harris born, and where did he study?
He was born in Jackson, Tennessee, in 1940, grew up in Rich, Mississippi, and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Baylor University in 1964.
How did Thomas Harris’s journalism career influence his fiction?
While studying at Baylor, Harris worked as a police reporter for the Waco Tribune-Herald; later, as an Associated Press crime reporter and editor in New York, he learned about police procedure and homicide investigations. These experiences informed the depth and realism of his fiction.
Sources: mississippiencyclopedia.org (opens in a new tab)simonandschuster.com (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Thomas Harris’s writing style and subject matter?
His early reading included Ernest Hemingway, one of his favorite authors, while his police-reporting experience exposed him to criminal psychology, forensic pathology, and homicide investigations. These influences helped shape his meticulously crafted dark suspense.
What awards has Thomas Harris won, and why is he important to horror and thriller fiction?
The Silence of the Lambs won the 1988 Bram Stoker Award for Novel, and Harris received the Horror Writers Association’s Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. The novel is credited with redefining the serial-killer story and influencing horror and thriller fiction.
Sources: thebramstokerawards.com (opens in a new tab)thebramstokerawards.com (opens in a new tab)mississippiencyclopedia.org (opens in a new tab)