Hannibal Lecter creator's new novel to centre on 'evil, greed and dark obsession'

William Heinemann has revealed the new novel from The Silence of the Lambs author Thomas Harris will be Cari Mora: "a new story of evil, greed and the consequences of dark obsession".

As well as unveiling the title of Harris' sixth novel, marking his return after a 13 year hiatus, the Cornerstone imprint also revealed the book's jacket and fresh details surrounding its plot.

Due out on 16th May 2019, Cari Mora is described a story in which "monsters lurk in the crevices between male desire and female survival". Protagonist Cari Mora is the refugee caretaker of a mansion located on the Miami Beach waterfront, beneath which lies $25m in cartel gold.

The blurb released for the book reads: "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."

Jason Arthur, publisher of William Heinemann, Hutchinson and Windmill, said he was "thrilled" to be publishing Cari Mora.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Thomas Harris remains one of the most notable writers of the last four decades, and the publication of his first novel in 13 years – his first non-Hannibal novel in over 40 – will be a significant publishing event," he said.

"Hannibal Rising was the very first book I published when I joined William Heinemann back in 2006, and it was such a huge excitement for me as Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs ranked (and still rank) as two of my favourite thrillers of all time."

Cari Mora is scheduled for publication with William Heinemann in hardback, e-book and audio on 16th May 2019 and in Arrow paperback in 2020.

E-book editions of Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Hannibal Rising are meanwhile available for the first time and the backlist is being reissued on 21st March 2019.