Darkly Dreaming Dexter [Paperback]

Jeff Lindsay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2004

Serial killer novel. Dexter, a blood-spatter specialist for the Miami cops , is also a serial killer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1ST edition (2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965686868
• ISBN-13: 978-0965686860
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (399 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,532,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

JEFF LINDSAY is the author of Darkly Dreaming Dexter and Dearly Devoted Dexter. He lives in Florida with his wife and children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

170 of 185 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "Blood. Sometimes it sets my teeth on edge, other times it helps me control the chaos.", May 6, 2008

By 

Melissa Niksic (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Darkly Dreaming Dexter: A Novel (Hardcover)

I usually don't read crime novels, but I'm a big fan of the Showtime series "Dexter," and I wanted to read the novel the show is based on. "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" is the first installment of Jeff Lindsay's series about Dexter Morgan, a serial killer with a conscience. Dexter routinely kills and dismembers people in and around Miami, but unlike other serial killers, Dexter has a strict moral code that he struggles to adhere to: Basically, he only kills bad guys. Dexter struggles to keep his dark side under wraps by working as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department, hanging out with his foster sister, and even having a girlfriend. However, he always succumbs to his "Dark Passenger" and cannot suppress the urge to kill. When a new serial killer begins preying on Miami hookers, Dexter becomes intrigued by his new colleague and is intent on connecting with the murderer, even if it means exposing his own dark secrets.

This book was pretty good. Unlike most crime novels, which I usually think are very poorly written, "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" is composed of a blend of dark humor, intense drama, mystery and suspense, and good old-fashioned blood and gore. I was pleasantly surprised by how much content from the book was used in Season 1 of the television series "Dexter." There are some big differences between the book and the TV show, though. The "Tamiami Butcher" is referred to as the "Ice Truck Killer" in the TV show. The characters of Angel Batista, Vince Masuka, and James Doakes are relatively minor characters in the novel and are featured much more prominently in the television series. Migdia LaGuerta (who is called Maria LaGuerta in the show) is a supporting character in the novel, but is even nastier in the book that she is in the series, if you can believe that.

There are several other plot differences between the book and the novel, and overall, I think the television series is actually much better than the book. All of the characters are much more interesting in the show, and there are more intriguing subplots in the series as well. Also, I thought the ending of the book was extremely rushed, especially the part detailing the relationship Dexter has with the Tamiami Butcher. Hopefully that aspect of things is explored more in Lindsay's other novels, but I don't know if it is or not.

If you're a fan of the show "Dexter" or simply enjoy the crime novel genre, you'll probably find "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" to be an interesting read. However, don't feel like you absolutely need to read the novel if you're a fan of the Showtime series. This is one of those rare instances where the show is actually a lot better than the book.

181 of 199 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A murderously charming protagonist, July 20, 2004

By 

Luan Gaines "luansos" (Dana Point, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Darkly Dreaming Dexter: A Novel (Hardcover)

Here's the deal: a good book writes its own review, triggering sufficient spontaneity to fill the page without reaching for bits of interest; this is one of those books, pushing aside all those mundane summer novels, leaving the reader with a satisfying, "Ah."

The attractively ghoulish protagonist is a sociopath and a murderer, but one with a "conscience", unfortunately an asset as manufactured as his other feelings. But Dexter does his best, given the circumstances. Brilliant and introspective, Dexter charms from the first page, even while distracted, dismembering his latest victim. What makes Dexter's extra-curricular activity bearable is the reason he kills: Dexter only chooses victims who have perpetrated foul deeds, those who would continue harming innocents if not stopped. To be honest, who hasn't secretly applauded the occasional vigilante who takes justice in his own hands, balancing the scales a bit?

Essentially passionless in his pursuit of evil-doers, Dexter is an elegant ghoul, fascinated by blood, the essence of human life. With the self-control of a recently sated vampire, Dexter is intelligent and thorough in his murderous pursuits. Like Rice's Vampire Lestat, this more human predator has a dark, romantic appeal, his dispassionate regard for "necessary" murders seductive and curiously erotic.

Dexter spends his days as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Dade PD, the perfect job for keeping up with current crime scenes and maintaining a cover, not to mention the chance to troll for other deserving victims. Lurking behind his public self, Dexter is as secure as a serial killer can be. Until another killer shows up, perfectly modeling Dexter's MO. Both anxious and intrigued, Dexter scents a challenge, another creature of the night that lives with a Dark Passenger, as he refers to his murdering alter-ego. But Dexter is torn; he covets this newcomer for himself, but has promised to help his half-sister policewoman solve the case in her bid to become a detective.

Suddenly events spiral out of control, Dexter's careless insouciance is a thing of the past, as he is pursued by dark dreams and chaotic nightmares. Like Alice in Wonderland lost in a psychedelic trance, Dexter tumbles down the rabbit hole. What he finds is completely unexpected, a twisted, deviant detour into horror, startling the man who has thought himself incapable of shock. One has to wonder about Dexter's powers of self-preservation, whether he is tempting fate and secretly wants to be caught.

Lindsay has delivered an inspired mystery, one that demands to be read, in one sitting if possible, the elegant Dexter speaking to the need for justice where often there is none. Can't help but smile at the young man's antics, dancing in the moon-drenched night with his own demons and skirting the edge of mayhem. With infinite grace, the author reaches into the dark heart of each of us, igniting atavistic memory, no doubt with a smile on his face. Luan Gaines/2004.

91 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dexter: friendly, sick, and utterly thrilling, July 23, 2004

By 

bensmomma "bensmomma" (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Darkly Dreaming Dexter: A Novel (Hardcover)

Jeff Lindsay's first novel is gruesome but fascinating in a Silence-of-the-Lambs sort of way (the narrator, who is trying to catch the serial killer, is himself a serial killer). Dexter is a blood-spatter technician with the Miami PD, a perfect job for someone who cuts live people up as a hobby, I suppose!

Relative to Hannibal, Dexter is actually fairly likeable, and the reader finds him/herself strangely "on Dexter's side" as he simultaneously admires and tries to find the killer.

Lindsay has a real knack for plotting; the book moves very swiftly. The end result is the best thriller in ages, and I'm sure we'll see more of Dexter in sequels very soon.