It’s been 13 years since Thomas Harris’s last book and the rust shows in Cari Mora. Cari is a Columbian refugee living in stealth mode from ICE with Temporary Protected Status. She works several jobs to survive in Miami. The novel opens in Biscayne Bay at a mansion once owned by the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. After being rented by playboys, filmmakers, and investors, Escobar’s house now becomes the focal point of two groups: one led by Hans-Peter Schneider–who dabbles in selling human organs–and the other a South American group led by ancient Don Ernesto. And who is the caretaker of Pablo Escobar’s mansion? Cari Mora, of course.
Why all the interest in Escobar’s empty house? Because $25 million in gold is hidden there. The search for the gold is tedious. However, there’s a crocodile to liven things up. Hans-Peter becomes obsessed with taking Cari Mora’s organs and selling them to an eccentric billionaire. You can imagine the final confrontation between Cari and Hans-Peter. I predict Cari Mora will be a wonderful thriller movie in a couple of years. Many copies of Cori Mora will show up on beaches all over the world. It’s a quick read. But don’t expect another Silence of the Lambs. GRADE: B-
You are being very kind. This is a terrible book from a writer who can do much better. And skimpy. The type looks almost like a large print book. I would be hard pressed to give it a D rating.
Steve, I vacillated between a “C” grade and a “B” grade for CARI MORA. I went with the “B-” because there were enough sparks of the old Thomas Harris to keep me reading. I love that passage at the end with the birds.
Pass.
Jeff, I’m anticipating CARI MORA will be on the Best Seller’s List for a while.
Me too. It shows yet again how out of touch I am with most bestsellers. Maybe reread SILENCE OF THE LAMBS instead?
Jeff, I loved RED DRAGON and THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. After that, Harris’s production–and quality–tailed off.
This would be an awful novel by any standard, and coming from someone with the stature of Thomas Harris it’s just shocking. I’d venture to say that the story of how it came to be written and published at all would be much more interesting than the novel itself. The easy answer is that it’s about money, and maybe that’s it, but surely Harris hasn’t blown through all that Hannibal money.
Michael, you’re right that it’s probably about the money. Thomas Harris still has name-recognition and an audience who will buy his books.
Ghostwritten? It’s more common than one might think. Perhaps Harris just scribbled a suggested outline and handed it off to someone else. On the other hand, as George pointed out regarding another writer (Peter Lovesley?) when I noted how obvious the culprit was in one of his later books, “Well, many writers do lose a step or two as they get older.”
Deb, Thomas Harris at least wrote a few passages in CARI MORA. His signature descriptions can’t be faked. But, maybe Harris had “help” writing the rest of this book. There are stretches of tedious prose especially during the search for the $25 million in gold.
Pass.
Rick, CARI MORA will appeal to people who like best selling thrillers. You would find it “light-weight.”