Thomas Harris is an American author known for his thrilling and psychologically intense crime novels. Born in Jackson, Tennessee, in 1940, Harris began his career as a journalist, working for newspapers such as The Associated Press. His interest in crime and criminal psychology became evident in his early writings, setting the stage for his later success as a novelist. Harris gained widespread acclaim and recognition with the publication of his first novel, Black Sunday (1975). However, it was his second novel, Red Dragon, published in 1981, that introduced the world to his most iconic character: Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

Red Dragon follows the story of FBI profiler Will Graham as he hunts down a serial killer known as the Tooth Fairy or The Great Red Dragon. Graham enlists the help of Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer whom Graham himself caught, to gain insights into the mind of the Tooth Fairy. The novel was adapted into a film, retitled Manhunter, with Brian Cox playing the role of (the slightly renamed) Hannibal Lecktor, but the film was not a commercial success. Harris further delved into the world of Dr. Hannibal Lecter with his next novel, The Silence of the Lambs, published in 1988.