Everybody knows Hannibal Lecter. The jumpsuit, the mask, the stare, the drawl, the hiss. From the moment he appeared behind the glass of a cell in The Silence of the Lambs, he was an icon.

But Dr Lecter's story doesn't begin or end there. From his earliest inspirations in a Mexican prison to the sequel novel that scandalised audiences to his most recent incarnation as the star of a beloved cult TV series, Hannibal's history is long and complex.

With a fan's obsessive passion, bestselling thriller author Gabriel Bergmoser charts Hannibal Lecter's entire journey through pop culture - exploring the highs, lows, and what the future might hold for horror's most refined monster.