Red Dragon [part L]

The novel Red Dragon by author Thomas Harris has 454 pages and I have divided them into 4 sections. The first section of this book will be 113 pages long and consist of exactly 10 chapters. The summary of the first ten chapters is the following.

The story starts off as we meet the man called Hannibal Lecter for the very first time. Hannibal’s occupation is his passion and also what he’s best at, psychiatry. He has been helping out the Federal Bureau of Investigation by giving his advice of forensic sciences on a serious murder case. Working with the FBI’s special agent Will Graham, in charge of the case, they would meet once a week to discuss further evidence found at crime scenes. Will and Lecter have been tracking a serial killer for over 7 months. Will working the field and Hannibal helping out behind the scenes trying to get into the killers state of mind. However, their routine came to an abrupt end late one evening at Dr. Lecter’s office.

After one of Lecter’s dinner parties with guests from the Baltimore Philharmonic Orchestra, Agent Will Graham came over just to visit and chat a little while. As Will continued with conversation about their killer he realized that this man was in fact not keeping souvenirs from his victims but, that he was eating them. Lecter understanding he was on a productive role this time and offered to take Graham’s jacket so that he would stay longer and reach further success. Waiting for Hannibal to return, Will walked around the doctor’s office until coming upon a book titled “Larousse Gastronomique”, sitting on Lecter’s bookcase. It was medical book of flesh wounds and their graphic images. Will opened to the page marked and right under the photo of a human eyeball was written in pen, “sweetbreads”. Will dropped the book and turned with his gun but it was too late, Hannibal behind him stabbed him with a knife. Will falling to the floor, quickly grabbed a hold of the antique swords posted on the wall and drove them through the side of Hannibal Lecter. Hannibal stood up and walked to the special agent but it was too late for him. Graham unloaded a round of bullets shooting the upper left shoulder of the doctor and the wall behind him.

The trial of the century began and Hannibal was given life sentences for more then nine accounts of murder. His lawyer worked hard to get him off on the insanity plead, which left Hannibal’s future to be behind the bars at the Baltimore Mental Institution instead of serving his time in their state prison. During that time, Will Graham retired from the Bureau and moved to Marathon, Florida to live happily with his wife Molly and their young son.

Eight years have past, when the FBI needed the guidance of ex special agent Will Graham again. Jack Crawford, the head of the bureau’s forensic science division, called Will. Crawford told him exactly what he knew and all the other information that has been left out of the papers. Two families were dead, one in Birmingham and one in Atlanta. The Leed’s and the Jacobi’s killed a month apart in their homes. Will wasn’t happy nor excited at the fact Jack was doing this to him. However, having the chance to save people’s lives was just something a man like Will Graham couldn’t say no to. Convincing his wife to let him go back was actually the hardest thing.

Will went to the first house in Atlanta. He didn’t want other agents their interfering with his method of work so he went alone. Searching the entire house he didn’t come over anything unusual or any other material the local police didn’t already pick up on. Will spent his time their trying to relive what had taking place, inside his mind, just by looking at the way the room was left and where the blood rested on the walls and furniture.

Back to the office in Washington a couple days later, Will went over the pieces of evidence in the unit’s laboratory. Reading over the statements given by local police Graham found out there were traces of talcom found on the bodies of the victims. He automatically assumed the killer was wearing gloves and took them off to touch the people, finally wiping them back down to avoid any fingerprints. Will called up the funeral home to get the bodies back out and looked over one last time. Sure enough the killer had no control over the eyeballs and fingernail paint from Ms. Leeds. A partial thumb print was found on the eye, and the palm of a hand markings on her fingernails.

Leaving the office Will and Crawford ran into Freddie Lounds. He was the reporter for “The National Tattler” tabloid magazine, writing the article on the Lecter case. Freddie continued asking Graham questions on this new case up until Will exploded and Crawford had to step in front of the two.

Crawford took Will out for supper at a local diner to cool things off. Thinking