Customer Reviews

Darkly Dreaming Dexter

5 star:		(154)
4 star:		(122)
3 star:		(53)
2 star:		(36)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

We've had quadriplegic detectives, drunken PIs, little old lady investigators, ethically challenged policemen, and a myriad other crime solvers who have various physical and mental quirks. So how can we come up with a new and unique expert crime investigator? Well, why hasn't anyone ever thought of it before, a police department employee who solves serial killer crimes, and is himself a serial killer? As the eminent Thomas Henry Huxley said after reading Darwin's new book on evolution in 1859, "Why didn't I think of that.?"

Our hero (?) is Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter specialist with the Miami police department. Dexter murders people in his free time, and happily admits that he is a sociopath, and, in his own terms, is really not quite human. Though he has a girlfriend, for the sake of appearances, he has no sexual desires, and is incapable of love. He does care for his sister who is a cop, and decides to help her find a serial killer. It's really difficult for him to do this, as he greatly admires the technique of the man he sets out to apprehend.

How on earth can we God fearing readers identify with a sociopathic killer, and wish him well? Well, for one thing, he is often quite witty, and that goes a long way with me. And he isn't a boozer or a womanizer -in fact he rejects the advances of a female detective-, and those are kind of good traits I guess. He is also a pretty good sleuth as well he should be, having the same hobby as the man he is chasing.

I was a little disappointed in how things worked out, as the author injects a bit of farfetchedness into the final part, but this is the first of a series, and I am looking forward to the next book. I am also booking a special appointment with my psychiatrist in an effort to find out why I would actually like this sort of story.

What can one say about yet again another serial killer novel. Authors are desperately trying to put a new spin on a very old and tired formula. However, Jeff Lindsay may have succeeded in making his a bit more offbeat than the vast majority.
Dexter Morgan is a blood splatter analyst on the Miami PD. He is also a very disturbed man who just so happens to be a serial killer. However, his victims are serial killers themselves whether they are priests who kill children or mentally deranged janitors, Dexter finds them and kills them with great enjoyment. He now appears to be up against a killer who murders women leaving their cut up and bloodless bodies in neat little packages for the police to find. However, the killer is onto Dexter in that Dexter is finding clues in his kitchen and car indicating the killer knows who he is. To make matters worse, Dexter is not sure if, while he supposedly dreams, he is in fact killing. Needless to say, he tries to help his sister get ahead in the police department by giving her insight into the killing- things that only another killer would know.
There is a sense of originality with Dexter being a 'lovable serial killer'. He is an original creation and a unique voice in crime fiction. The good idea, however, eventually begins to wear as thin as the uneven plot. Stereotypes abound and in spite of the uniqueness of the main protagonist, the other characters are routine creations. The conclusion is highly unrealistic and comes virtually out of nowhere. However, the length of the story is manageable and the book well edited.

This is an awesome book. The first 10 minutes found me saying "I don't know what to think about this book." The next 10 minutes found me in love! Dexter works for the Miami Dade police as a blood splatter analyst. In his off-hours Dexter is a serial murderer. With a very strict set of rules.

His foster father Harry, himself a cop, realized what Dexter was when he was young. He taught him the "rules of Harry" which include: blending in with others (even if they make no sense to you), only kill "bad guys", prepare, prepare, prepare, keep your crime scene immaculate, etc.

Dexter has a girlfriend who makes no demands on him, and works to appear like everyone else. When his foster-sister needs his help to solve a series of murders of prostitutes and get moved from Vice to Homicide, Dexter goes to work.

As the "artist" keeps taunting the police, his elegant work begins to remind Dexter of someone. He's so enamored of the work this killer is doing that he makes a few mistakes of his own. Dexter begins to fear that maybe *he* is the one killing the prostitutes.

This is such an awesome story -- Dexter is wonderful! You couldn't help but like him. Great concept! This story is witty, dark and funny.

I watched the first 12 episodes of the Showtime series before reading this book. Although the book is a worthwhile read, the television writers were able to greatly improve on the manuscript. The characters and story line seems to have a lack of depth compared to the tv series. While it is a fantastic premise, the story falls short of being a meaty read.

I don't normally follow TV series because of 1) my busy schedule, and 2) disappointment due to cancellation or jumping the shark. But I recently got hooked on the new Showtime series, "Dexter." It has become a Sunday evening staple due to the interesting premise, good writing, and great characters. So when I found out that the show is based on this novel, I grabbed it. I was looking for a good fiction book anyway, and I found one in "Darkly Dreaming Dexter."

On the surface, Dexter blends into average Miami society pretty well. He has a decent job as a blood spatter analyst with the police, a damaged girlfriend with two kids, and he even serves on the force with his foster sister, who is a prime example of frustrated ambition. To the outside world, Dexter has all the trappings of a regular guy. But as his internal monologue reveals, it's all a sham. His life is a carefully crafted deception, a useful tool that provides the means to the single end that gives him meaning: murdering human beings in creative ways. You see, Dexter is a serial killer. However, he's no ordinary one, because his only victims are other serial killers. Who or what prompted Dexter to focus solely on his doppelgangers? Well, an understanding father can exert a lot of influence - especially if he's a good cop.

Of course, Dexter has to walk a fine line to avoid capture. He must maintain his charade of normalcy while indulging the ravenous beast within. Even so, there are those who suspect something is deeply wrong with Dexter, like the intimidating Sergeant Doakes. And he must remain on his toes around the vivacious Detective LaGuerta, a politically savvy but professionally inept officer who wants to, ahem, go deeper with our hero. I liked these and other supporting characters, although one fades away during the proceedings and is all but forgotten. Perhaps this was done to streamline the story, but it seemed a bit awkward.

Anyway, to reveal much more would be criminal. Indeed, if you are watching the series and want to maintain the element of surprise, you should put off reading this book. There are some differences between the two, and they also augment each other. But the book rats out the show's driving mystery (unless the series' writers do a 180 turn): the identity of another serial killer who knows Dexter's hobby and is playing a dangerous game with him. So tread lightly if you value suspense.

Jeff Lindsay has made who would normally be the vilest of men into a sympathetic character. That's quite an achievement, especially since he did it so well. I give "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" a bloody good recommendation.

By day, Dexter Morgan works as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department. By night, he obeys the needs of his "Dark Passenger" and performs unspeakable acts of murder. What separates Dexter from the ordinary sociopath is that he only dispatches bad guys who have committed horrendous crimes of their own. When he was young, a traumatic event that he cannot recall turned him from a human into an emotionless monster whose only passion is for murder. At the advice of his foster father, a policeman who realized that Dexter had a very dark side, Dexter learned to channel his murderous urges by converting bad deeds to good and eliminating sociopaths. He appears outwardly normal, but performs his grisly acts in a cautious, well-planned, and neat fashion so that he will not be unmasked.

When his foster sister, a Miami policewoman, becomes involved in investigating a series of serial murders that are as bizarre and ritualistic as his own acts, Dexter helps her seek out the perpetrator. Because Dexter and his target seem to think in a similar way, Dexter can predict how he will strike next. He has disturbingly realistic dreams that further lead him on the trail of the killer. But soon, it appears that the killer has found out about Dexter and is sending him gruesome messages. How could anyone know Dexter's secrets? Or are these acts ones that Dexter's Dark Passenger is suddenly performing on its own?

This is not a book for everyone. Written in a first-person narrative, Dexter's thoughts and actions might disturb some readers. On the one hand he is depicted as having a charming and attractive facade that can be intentionally endearing rather than frightening. On the other, he is a cold-blooded killer with no human sentiment. Dexter deftly sums himself up as "Quirky, funny, happy-go-lucky, dead-inside Dexter." I was fascinated by this peek into Dexter's inner life, and I found his personality as refreshingly unique and contradictory as that of Hannibal Lecter.

It is the ending of the story that has knocked its rating down from five to four stars. It was far-fetched and a bit corny. But I will forgive debut author Jeff Lindsay this shortcoming since he did an admirable job of portraying a freshly original protagonist with an interesting character flaw. I could imagine future novels starring Dexter, and if there are, I will certainly read the next one.

Eileen Rieback

I won't bother repeating the basic plot of this story - the other reviewers have done a fine job of that, but I have to add my two cents. I agree that this plot idea was unusual, interesting and a great idea. I got a recommendation from Amazon on this one and was excited by the story idea. I put a hold on the audio version at my local library so I could get to it as soon as possible and got started listening to it with great expectations. The first chapter was pretty good.

But, then the disappointment set in. If this story could have been pitched to a great writer, who then ran with it, it may have been masterful, but Mr. Lindsay's writing is very remedial and even tiresome after a while. I really had hoped that Dexter's use of alliteration would end at some point, but it didn't. Although, the memories of his "father" were interesting and well-written, Dexter's sister Deb's character was a huge disappointment because even though Dexter talked about how smart she was & how she was going to be a great cop, she was written as incredibly dimwitted and whiny. Most of the characters were flat, unimaginative, and banal. By the 5th of 7 disks, I was feeling impatience and wishing it would be over. But, I didn't stop listening, so that says something.

The story idea was great, even ingenious, the narration was very good, but the writing really fell flat. If this is a series of books that he continues with, it's possible that his writing will improve and the subsequent books will be better, but this one was truly a disappointment.