FORECAST FRIDAY: CARI MORA by Thomas Harris (William Heinemann, $A49.99). Due out 16 May 2019
Each Friday I forecast a book that I am looking forward to reading and reviewing.
This week it is Cari Mora, the long-awaited new novel by the legendary Thomas Harris, the author of The Silence of the Lambs and the creator of Hannibal Lecter. It has been 13 years since Harris’s last novel, the slightly disappointing Hannibal Rising, and his new novel is expected to fly up the bestseller lists!
I can still remember the joy of reading and reviewing The Silence of the Lambs way back in 1988 and even though his subsequent two books did match the standard of it, or the earlier Red Dragon, they were still engrossing reads. In all, the four books associated with Hannibal Lecter, and the subsequent movies and television shows, created arguably the most iconic villain of the late twentieth, early twenty-first century. It is a remarkable achievement and a tribute to Harris’ writing ability.
It seems with Cari Mora that Harris has moved away from Hannibal Lecter and written his first stand alone thriller since his debut novel Black Sunday (1975). Details about the book is limited and mainly consist of the following description provided by the publishers:
“Twenty-five million dollars in cartel gold lies hidden beneath a mansion on the Miami Beach waterfront. Ruthless men have tracked it for years. Leading the pack is Hans-Peter Schneider. Driven by unspeakable appetites, he makes a living fleshing out the violent fantasies of other, richer men.
Cari Mora, caretaker of the house, has escaped from the violence in her native country. She stays in Miami on a wobbly Temporary Protected Status, subject to the iron whim of ICE. She works at many jobs to survive. Beautiful, marked by war, Cari catches the eye of Hans-Peter as he closes in on the treasure. But Cari Mora has surprising skills, and her will to survive has been tested before.”
The theme of the books seems to be exploring the monsters which “lurk in the crevices between male desire and female survival.” Sounds like a fascinating book and I cannot wait to read it!
Look out for my review closer to the release date.
It appears that there will be a world-wide release of the book on 16 May 2019 (21 May in the US). In Australia the hardback comes out on 16 May and the trade sized paperback on 21 May.