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The Silence of the Lambs

FBI trainee Clarice Starling interviews confined former psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter while hunting Buffalo Bill. Lecter has an intimate understanding of both the killer and Clarice.

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As part of the search for a serial murderer nicknames "Buffalo Bill," FBI trainee Clarice Starling is given an assignment. She must visit a man confined to a high-security facility for the criminally insane and interview him.

That man, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, is a former psychiatrist with unusual tastes and an intense curiosity about the darker corners of the mind. His intimate understanding of the killer and of Clarice herself form the core of The Silence of the Lambs --an unforgettable classic of suspense fiction.

First published: 1988
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 352
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Book tags

Content warnings

Abuse
Animal Death
Animal Harm
Body Horror / Body Trauma

Horror profile

Scary: 4 out of 5
Creepy: 3 out of 5
Gore: Not rated
Disturbing: 4 out of 5
Weird: 1 out of 5

How we calculate this

These are editorial estimates of intensity, informed by reading and review evidence, then checked before publication. They aren't star ratings, reader-vote averages or a measure of quality.

Each dimension runs from 1 (low) to 5 (exceptionally intense). A 5 is reserved for strongly consistent evidence. People experience horror differently.

Scary: Fear, tension and immediate threat.
Creepy: Unease, dread and an uncanny atmosphere.
Gore: Graphic injury, blood and bodily detail.
Disturbing: Upsetting ideas and lingering psychological impact.
Weird: Surreal, strange and reality-bending elements.

We draw a filled profile only when all five scores have been reviewed. Unrated does not mean mild. Missing scores are not estimated from genre tags or your saved taste. This profile isn't a complete content-warning guide.