Reading order · 4 books · 1981 to 2006 · Set in various places
Hannibal Lecter Books in Order
Dr Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and a cannibal, helps and haunts the FBI investigators who come to him for insight into other killers. Classic psychological thrillers.
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Series facts
- Books
- 4
- Published
- 1981 to 2006
- First book
- Red Dragon
- Latest
- Hannibal Rising (2006)
- Setting
- Set in various places
- Order
- Story order differs from publication order
The reading order
Every Hannibal Lecter book in publication order, with the story order a switch away. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
4 books · Set in various places
- 1Red Dragon1981With Will GrahamFormer FBI profiler Will Graham, who caught Hannibal Lecter, is drawn back to hunt a killer who has murdered two families, and he must consult Lecter himself.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Silence of the Lambs1988With Clarice StarlingFBI trainee Clarice Starling is sent to interview the imprisoned Dr Hannibal Lecter, in the hope that he can help catch a killer known as Buffalo Bill.Buy on Amazon
- 3Hannibal1999With Hannibal Lecter and Clarice StarlingSeven years later, Lecter is living in Florence, and one of his surviving victims is planning a terrible revenge.Buy on Amazon
- 4Hannibal Rising2006With Hannibal LecterThe story of Hannibal Lecter’s childhood in Lithuania during the Second World War, and his youth in France.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal in order. Hannibal Rising is a prequel about Lecter’s youth.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Hannibal Lecter | Clarice Starling | Will Graham | Jack Crawford | Frederick Chilton | Barney |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Red Dragon | MMajor | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 2 The Silence of the Lambs | MMajor | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 3 Hannibal | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 4 Hannibal Rising | LLead |
Characters in the Hannibal Lecter books
10 characters from Thomas Harris’s chart, with the number of Hannibal Lecter books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Hannibal LecterPsychiatrist and cannibal serial killer | 4 | Red Dragon 1981 |
| Clarice StarlingFBI trainee, later agent | 2 | The Silence of the Lambs 1988 |
| Will GrahamFBI profiler who caught Lecter | 1 | Red Dragon 1981 |
| Jack CrawfordHead of the FBI Behavioral Science Unit | 3 | Red Dragon 1981 |
| Frederick ChiltonDirector of the Baltimore asylum | 2 | Red Dragon 1981 |
| BarneyOrderly at the asylum | 2 | The Silence of the Lambs 1988 |
| Francis DolarhydeSerial killer known as the Tooth Fairy | 1 | Red Dragon 1981 |
| Jame GumbSerial killer known as Buffalo Bill | 1 | The Silence of the Lambs 1988 |
| Mason VergerWealthy victim of Lecter who wants revenge | 1 | Hannibal 1999 |
| Lady MurasakiHannibal’s Japanese aunt | 1 | Hannibal Rising 2006 |