Is 'Red Dragon' one of the top mystery novels of all time?

I read “Red Dragon” by Thomas Harris for the first time the other day, and it was awesome. First published in 1981, this is a book that I’ve had on my “want to read” list for a long time.

Arguably most famous for including the first ever appearance of fictional serial killer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, “Red Dragon” is about an extremely disturbed serial killer who picks his victims off of home movies that he views as part of his job as a film development technician. Nicknamed the “Tooth Fairy,” this serial killer, whose real name is Francis Dollarhyde, takes out a family in Birmingham and Atlanta and commits several more gruesome murders before the FBI closes in. The main men at the FBI responsible for collaring the “Tooth Fairy” include agent Jack Crawford and profiler Will Graham.

I thought this book was especially well done for a number of reasons. It plumbed the dark depths of what turned Dollarhyde into a deranged murderer. It also showed the toll that these type crimes take on the law enforcement officers involved. The book was also a riveting page-turner. I know I finished it a lot faster than I normally would have for a book of this length.

I’ve wanted to read this book ever since I read that in 1995 the Mystery Writers of America ranked “Red Dragon” No. 27 on its list of “Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time.” Harris’ 1988 novel “The Silence of the Lambs,” which is the sequel to “Red Dragon,” was ranked No. 16 on that list. Other famous novels on the list include “The Complete Sherlock Holmes” (No. 1), “The Godfather” (No. 15) and “Crime and Punishment” (No. 24).”

Those of you who haven’t read “Red Dragon” may be familiar with the novel because of the two film adaptations of the book – 1986’s “Manhunter” and 2002’s “Red Dragon.” Directed by Brett Ratner, the 2002 film starred Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Harvey Keitel and Philip Seymour Hoffman. I watched this movie when it first came out and thought it was great. If memory serves me correctly, it was also pretty faithful to the novel.

I’ve never seen “Manhunter,” but I’ve got it in my NetFlix queue. Directed by Michael Mann, this movie stars William Peterson, Tom Noonan, Dennis Farina and Brian Cox. This movie didn’t do well at the box office, but it got pretty good reviews. I plan to watch it soon.

Now that I’ve read “Red Dragon,” I’m left with the strong desire to read Harris’ other novels. They include “Black Sunday” (1975), “The Silence of the Lambs” (1988), “Hannibal” (1999) and “Hannibal Rising” (2006). “Black Sunday” is the only novel that doesn’t have anything to do with Hannibal Lecter and that cast of characters.

In the end, how many of you have read “Red Dragon”? How many of you have seen “Manhunter”? How many of you watched the 2002 “Red Dragon” film? Have you read any of Harris’ other novels? What did you think about them? Let us know in the comments section below.