Red Dragon

Alan Sklar takes the listener on a journey to the early 1980s to revisit the first story featuring cannibalistic genius Hannibal Lecter. The story is as powerfully gripping as it is disturbing, and Sklar's deep, precise, and edgy delivery style is a perfect match. Will Graham is fighting his own inner demons as he tries to leave his past with the FBI behind. His battles with human monsters, including Lecter, have left him with physical and emotional scars. But with a new, bizarre serial killer on the loose, Graham is called on to use his profiling talents to track him down. Graham, in turn, enlists the aid of his old adversary, Hannibal Lecter, to find the killer, who poses family members on film after murdering them. S.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

The high-profile film based on the original book lacked much of what this finely rendered audiobook possesses--subtlety, an informative and meaningful backstory, and reasonably believable characters. The film's shorthand robbed this story of a multitude of vital points, but enjoying Chris Sarandon's well-planned and controlled performance allows the whole story to shine through. Spare and horrifying, this double cassette is rare in that it can stand up to a repeat listening. Your favorite Hannibal Lecter fan will devour this with pleasure! D.J.B. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine