Cari Mora by Thomas Harris

Cari Mora marks Thomas Harris's first new novel in 13 years and his first standalone thriller since Black Sunday in 1973. In this novel, the titular character, Cari Mora, is a child soldier from South America who made her way to the United States and now gets by doing a series of odd jobs including taking care of the elderly, housekeeping and helping out at the local animal sanctuary. Her dream is to be a veterinarian. The villain in this novel, who for the first time in four novels is not Hannibal Lecter is Hans Peter Schneider. It is inevitable that the villain in a Thomas Harris book will be compared to Hannibal Lecter, one of the greatest literary creations in history. This villain, however, is closer in demeanor to Buffalo Bill than to Lecter. He is a monster, extremely sadistic, but with few if any redeeming or sympathetic qualities.

The plot revolves around the search for 25 million in lost gold hidden by Pablo Escobar. Long-rumored to be buried beneath a mansion in Miami Beach, the treasure has never been found. When found, it contains several booby traps that could destroy whoever attempts to unlock it. Three different groups are on the path to find the gold when Cari Mora catches the eye of Hans Peter Schneider. Now his goal is as much his sadistic plans for Cari as it is finding the gold.

This is an exciting and quick read but it suffers by comparison to Thomas's earlier work. The characters lack some of the depth and connection of his previous creations. Cari Mora is a very intriguing character and easy to root for. She makes a strong initial impression and as more of her history and what she has gone through comes to light she becomes even more sympathetic. That is not to say she is a shrinking violet -- far from it. Cari is more than capable of taking care of herself. She is smart, she is strong and she is determined. All hallmarks of Thomas Harris protagonists. Unfortunately, the plot is a little bit paint-by-numbers. Certain plot elements are haphazardly dropped into the story and never fully pursued or connected to the other events going on, including some inexplicable passages from the perspective of a crocodile near the Florida Keys. These missteps in the plot keep this from being a great novel but is nonetheless a fun, exciting summer read -- as long as you aren't expecting another Hannibal.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.

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