Described by those close to him as a Southern gentleman with a knack for whipping up gourmet meals and entertaining friends with good conversation packed with trivia tidbits, Thomas Harris might be regarded as too nice to dream up a character as frightening as Dr. Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter. Harris's imagination brought readers a villain capable of committing the most gruesome deeds portrayed in fiction. Stephen King dubbed Harris's Hannibal as "the great fictional monster of our time" in a New York Times book review of Hannibal, Harris's long-anticipated third novel starring the cannibal with good diction, learning, and etiquette.

Harris's years as a crime reporter in Waco, Texas, and New York City perhaps formed an integral part of his ability to imagine horror as he experienced and communicated stories of evil permeating in real life. Perhaps professional circumstances forced him to analyze and evaluate the roots and...