Hannibal is a 1999 novel by American author Thomas Harris. The novel is the third entry in Harris's Hannibal Lecter series, following Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs. In this novel, Lecter has escaped custody and fled to Florence, where he is tracked by Clarice Starling and other, more nefarious figures. The novel was adapted into a 2001 film, and elements of the plot were used for the television series of the same name.

This guide uses the 2019 Arrow Books edition.

Content Warning: This guide discusses instances of murder, mutilation, and cannibalism. It also refers to instances of pedophilia, sexual assault, and animal neglect.

Plot Summary

Hannibal begins in Washington, DC. Seven years have passed since FBI Agent Clarice Starling solved the Buffalo Bill case; however, Starling’s career has begun to unravel following a botched drug raid in which she fatally shot a meth dealer who was holding an infant. Disgraced, Starling receives a letter of condolence from Dr. Hannibal Lecter. After escaping custody, Lecter has been living in Florence, Italy, under a fake name. In addition to offering his condolences, Lecter asks Starling to provide him with more information about her personal life.

Out of desperation, the FBI orders Starling to track down and apprehend Lecter in Italy. Starling becomes acquainted with Barney Matthews, a former employee at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane who now sells Lecter-related merchandise on the internet.

Mason Verger, Lecter’s wealthy former patient and sixth victim, hatches a revenge plot. Mason, a cruel and sadistic pedophile, was left badly disfigured by Lecter many years before. For revenge, he plans to feed Lecter to the wild boars bred as part of his family's vast agriculture empire. Mason plans to use Starling as an unwitting pawn to lure Lecter into his trap. Mason is aided by Paul Krendler, a corrupt Justice Department official, and a team of Sicilian boar breeders who have trained a herd of boars to eat human flesh whenever they hear a specific musical cue.

Mason puts out a bounty for Hannibal’s capture, drawing the interest of Italian detective Rinaldo Pazzi. Working in Florence, Pazzi's family are famous for their historic involvement in a bloody conspiracy during the Renaissance era. When Pazzi tries to collect evidence of Lecter's presence in Florence, Lecter disembowels him in a tribute to Pazzi's ancestors. Lecter also murders one of Pazzi’s underlings before fleeing to America to pursue Starling. A brief history of Lecter’s orphaned childhood is included, giving insight into his scarred psyche. Lecter recalls the death of his sister, Mischa, at the hands of World War II deserters who killed Mischa and ate her corpse.

Later, Matthews agrees to work for Mason. Matthews visits Margot Verger, Mason’s lesbian bodybuilder sister, and learns that she was raped and molested by Mason as a child. Matthews also learns that her father disowned Margot once he discovered her sexual orientation and cut her out of the family will for being unable to bear children. Margot admits to working with Mason because she needs his sperm in order to have a child with her partner, Judy, and become eligible to inherit her father’s fortune.

Soon, Mason’s henchmen apprehend Lecter. Starling tracks them down. She finds Lecter and sets him free before she is incapacitated with a tranquilizer dart shot by one of Mason’s men. Lecter releases Mason’s boars, which proceed to feed on the various henchmen left dead or injured in the wake of Starling’s pursuit. The boars do not harm Lecter, however, as they smell no fear on his person. During the frenzy, Lecter escapes carrying the unconscious Starling to safety.

Meanwhile, Margot unleashes one of Mason’s minions before murdering another. She procures Mason’s sperm by sodomizing him with a cattle prod and then murders him by stuffing his pet Moray eel into his mouth. Lecter, having briefly treated Margot following her brother’s attack, feels bad for her and urges her to blame Mason’s death on him. She agrees, leaving a piece of Lecter’s scalp at the crime scene.

Lecter administers a series of psychotropic drugs and behavioral therapy methods to brainwash Starling. Lecter hopes Starling will awake thinking she is Mischa, returned from the grave. However, Starling resists the hypnosis and tells Lecter that Mischa will have to live on inside of him. Lecter apprehends Krendler and gives him a lobotomy, resulting in Lecter and Starling eating portions of Krendler’s prefrontal cortex. Afterward, Lecter murders Krendler.

Lecter and Starling become lovers and vanish together. Three years later, Matthews and his girlfriend go on vacation in Argentina to visit a Johannes Vermeer painting in Buenos Aires. While at the opera, Matthews spots Lecter and Starling. Fearful for his life, Matthews and his girlfriend flee as fast as they can.