Delivery Mutes ‘Hannibal’s’ Horror

Feeling a little peckish for a ghastly goulash of insanity, intelligence and imagination? You have come to the right place with “Hannibal,” as author Thomas Harris will usher you into the mind palace of one Dr. Hannibal Lecter, fugitive, Italian scholar and well-known cannibal. (Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio; unabridged fiction; eight cassettes; 13 hours; $39.95; read by Daniel Gerroll. Also available abridged, on four cassettes; six hours; $29.95; and on five CDs; six hours; $31.95; both read by the author.)

We last met Lecter about 11 years ago, when Harris published the second in his horrifying trilogy, “The Silence of the Lambs.” He introduced us to the doctor in 1981 with “Red Dragon.” (Both novels were made into feature films, with “Red Dragon” shot by director Michael Mann as “Manhunter,” and “Silence” starring Oscar-winners Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.)

The story opens with a troubled Clarice Starling, that nascent FBI agent advised by Hannibal in “Silence.” Clarice, whose career never exactly skyrocketed, is facing dismissal from the bureau after a botched drug bust. And who sends her a letter of condolence? Why, Hannibal, of course.

The doctor, now a fugitive living under an alias in Florence, Italy, works as the curator in the palazzo of a wealthy family. He spends his spare time at the opera, perusing ancient texts and playing the music of another serial killer (and little-known composer) Henry VIII. The characters in this often-surreal fiction have not been culled from Central Casting, but from a chamber of horrors. There is the Italian inspector Pazzi, a man whose family history is so mired in betrayal that Dante wrote about it in “The Inferno.”

More chilling, and extremely bizarre, is Mason Verger.

In his youth, Verger was caught doing nasty things to little children. Extremely wealthy, he was given psychological help instead of jail time. Extremely unlucky, he had Dr. Lecter for his therapist. Having survived an attack by Lecter and living only through the aid of machines, he has plans to teach Lecter a thing or two about the fine art of dining al fresco.

Listeners hoping for the same rush derived from Harris’ earlier two books may be disappointed. Characters have changed and evolved, for better or worse, with age and experience. Lecter has “motives” this time, and a psychological history that destroys the mystique but explains his strange appetites.

Make no mistake, this is weird stuff, especially the reunion dinner between Clarice and Lecter. The detail is eerily realistic and chillingly vivid from beginning to end. However, even as Harris paints his hideous scenarios, he allows the listener to color them with imagination. By not overdoing it, he draws us in, almost making us conspirators in his macabre fantasy.

A flaw, however, is that some sections rather self-consciously have “screenplay” written all over them. Others, of course, are so beyond the pale that one could never imagine them presented in all their visceral gore. It is a shame that such a long-awaited novel was not read by a more talented narrator. Daniel Gerroll is not without merit, but his performance is extremely uneven.

The Mason Verger character, from whom we hear quite often, has a flawed delivery. Gerroll adopts such a defective speech pattern we can barely understand him. It hardly enhances an audio book when the listener must constantly rewind, yet never quite comprehend what a character has said. Also, his Southern accent and reserved demeanor work only marginally well for Clarice.

Another problem is his somewhat aloof British accent, which seems odd, as much of the story takes place in America. It does, however, work better when the action switches to Italy.

For the most part, Gerroll’s accents are convincing. His various Italian voices are presented with much brio, and he does a marvelous job with Hannibal. Refined and reserved, he makes the doctor sound almost seductively elegant. The problem is consistency, and that is a big problem.

The abridged version is read by the author, a man with no knack for performing. He reads ably, but without the ability to present different voices or provide dramatic overtures. Of course, he does not annoy us with poorly presented accents or unintelligible speech impediments. Harris, however, only reads the abridged versions, which leave the listener with less than half of this devilish tale.

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Another bestselling author has released the 11th in a series of thrillers featuring detective Lucas Davenport of Minnesota, a locale that is more exciting than one might imagine.

“Certain Prey,” by John Sandford, pits the older, slightly wiser Davenport against two cunning femmes fatales. Carmel Loan is a sharp attorney with instincts like a shark. Clara Rinker is a college student, former stripper and part-time assassin. Carmel hires Clara to kill a supposed romantic rival, and the two find they work well together. Not only that, they enjoy one another’s company. (Putnam Berkley Audio; abridged fiction; four cassettes; six hours; $24.95; read by Eric Conger.) Sandford, the pseudonym used by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp, has created an imaginative crime scene strewn with bodies and colored by lively dialogue.

The story’s credibility is stretched thin in spots, but for the most part, it is an exciting ride. There are a few problems, however, with the production and abridgment. The abridgment is sometimes choppy, summing up long passages in an unsatisfying and obvious manner. And the production is just plain cheesy in spots. Sound effects are used sporadically throughout the recording, and they are both jarring and tacky. One does not need the rat-a-tat of gunshot or the thud of a dropping body in an audio that has not been recorded as a radio play.

Blaring music signaling the end of a section is also disruptive. Music is a sensible way of announcing the end of a tape or a section, but this music is too loud and intrusive. Narrator Eric Conger is better than average in creating various voices, though his female characters are less than credible. His performance, however, is entertaining and maintains one’s interest.

Rochelle O’Gorman reviews audio books every other week. Next week: Dick Lochte on mystery books.

For more reviews, read Book Review

* Sunday: Jonathan Levi celebrates the magical allure of Harry Potter, Ellen Handler Spitz turns the pages of a few classic illustrated books, and Janie and Richard Jarvis tell us how to read to babies.