Reading, for me, is entertainment and an escape from the real world. But it can also inform and stretch the boundaries of the life I live.
This was just about a perfectly executed thriller. The characters were believable and engaging, except for Dr. Lecter and Buffalo Bill, who were believable and horrifying, and Dr. Chilton, who was believably slimy, the pace was snappy, and the clues were doled out just right - enough to keep me reading, but no info-dumps. Even knowing how the story ends didn't spoil the fun for me.
This is the first time I've experienced the full book. The abridged audio, read by Kathy Bates, was one of the first audio books I ever bought on Audible, way back in the days when digital subscription audio was a new and unique service and I had to download them on my computer and manually transfer them to my iPod nano, because I didn't see a reason for that newfangled smart phone thing. Kathy Bates did an outstanding job, but abridgments ought to be against the law.
This time, I used a credit on the full unabridged audio, read by Frank Muller. He was always one of my favorite audio narrators, but I know he's not for everyone.
I read this book for the Booklikes Halloween Bingo 2019, for the square American Horror Story: Horror set in the United States. This book takes place in Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. It would also fit the squares for:
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