Cari Mora

A Novel

By: Thomas Harris

Narrated by: Thomas Harris

A resilient young woman must outwit a sadistic psychopath in this pulse-pounding thriller from the author of The Silence of the Lambs, a "master still at the top of his strange and chilling form" (Wall Street Journal).

Twenty-five million dollars in cartel gold lies hidden beneath a mansion on the Miami Beach waterfront. Ruthless men have tracked it for years. Leading the pack is Hans-Peter Schneider. Driven by unspeakable appetites, he makes a living fleshing out the violent fantasies of other, richer men.

Cari Mora, caretaker of the house, has escaped from the violence in her native country. She stays in Miami on a wobbly Temporary Protected Status, subject to the iron whim of ICE. She works at many jobs to survive. Beautiful, marked by war, Cari catches the eye of Hans-Peter as he closes in on the treasure. But Cari Mora has surprising skills, and her will to survive has been tested before.

Monsters lurk in the crevices between male desire and female survival. No other writer in the last century has conjured those monsters with more terrifying brilliance than Thomas Harris. Cari Mora, his sixth novel, is the long-awaited return of an American master.

Critic reviews

"The best of Harris's work, and this includes his latest, long-awaited novel, Cari Mora, has just that feeling of absolute, unquestionable reality. Through a combination of elements -- a perfectly realized authorial voice, the steady accumulation of terrible details, an empathetic vision of lost and damaged souls -- Harris has created a sense of dreadful intimacy that we cannot escape, that forces us to gaze at unthinkable things, and never look away. No one has illuminated this kind of darkness more thoroughly or effectively than Harris. It seems unlikely that anyone ever will."—Washington Post

"This page-turner begins intensely, builds in suspense then executes a high-action finale . . . Harris writes in cinematic takes and doesn't waste words . . . a good, fiendish read."—USA Today

"A less accomplished or ambitious writer might have crafted a worthy thriller with only one or two of the story strands that Mr. Harris weaves; but the several plot elements in Cari Mora are always in fine balance, as befits the work of a unique master still at the top of his strange and chilling form."—Wall Street Journal

"[Cari Mora] is delectable . . . as well as smart and tough and emotionally and physically scarred, all of which makes her a worthy adversary for the various monsters."—New York Times

"Cari Mora is Harris' response to the Me Too movement. He already has proven his mastery of complex female characters in the form of Clarice Starling, but the protagonist and title character here takes things to another level . . . The result is a novel that is extremely well-written from start to finish and gives us a heroine to both root for and respect."—Bookreporter.com

"[Thomas Harris's] latest is another penetrating exploration of signature themes -- the nature of evil, the persistence of trauma, and the strange, fateful gravity that so often seems to exist between individuals on either side of law and morality . . . It's an electric setup, and Harris handles the suspense as finely as you would expect from one of the genre's foremost practitioners. Cari Mora will keep readers up all night in the best possible way."—CrimeReads

"Harris builds the plot skillfully, with violence and betrayal punctuated by moments of calm and reminiscence. The contest for the gold turns into a fight for survival that rockets to the final pages. Cari Mora is a pulse-pounding thriller, and Cari is an engagingly badass character."—Tampa Bay Times

"Cari Morais at its best as a sustained meditation on the ineffable extent of humankind's capacity for brutality in the name of personal gain . . . carries an irony befitting Harris's ongoing consideration of how light and dark are often interchangeable."—Slant Magazine

I Expected Better from Harris

Having read all of Thomas Harris's previous books, I was excited to read his latest novel, but was disappointed with this one that he narrated. Cari Mora is a likable character but she couldn't carry the full story. At times I became confused about which characters were working for who. Harris's Spanish was good but his English was hesitant many times.

Compelling Narration by the Author

I listened to this after listening to Hannibal Rising. Harris's narration adds depth to this compelling tale. I loved the character development and compassion by which the author portrays them.

A good story but nothing special

I really wanted this to be a 5-star read. I thought of Silence of the Lambs and hoped Thomas Harris would really make an unforgettable story. Instead, I found Cari Mora to be lacking. I would have liked to have seen more character development in the minor characters to make them more memorable. Sadly, I often found myself wondering, “Who is this guy again? What’s his role in the story?” I did find the villain to be creepy enough to bring some life to the book, but not enough to bring my review beyond three stars.

What The F K Carmen!!!

I loved this book. It had a great action packed story line. A extremely intelligent and strong badass female lead character. There was kind of two stories in one and I just went with it. I see the author narrating his book upset a lot of people. In the beginning it was not so great BUT as the story progressed, he got much better and was fine. I have heard much worse. This book is worth listening to. Just relax and let it wash over you. You won’t be tested after it’s done!! There are very subtle, very funny lines in this story. You have to be quick to catch them. One is about a Robot and stairs. And the title above.

Not his best work.

The story took way too long to pick up steam and by the time it did there were only a few chapters left. Disappointed overall.