Darkly Dreaming Dexter
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4.3 • 584 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The Basis for a New Showtime® Original Series Starring Michael C. Hall
Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He’s a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likeable: he only kills bad people. And his job as a blood splatter expert for the Miami police department puts him in the perfect position to identify his victims. But when a series of brutal murders bearing a striking similarity to his own style start turning up, Dexter is caught between being flattered and being frightened–of himself or some other fiend.
This edition includes an excerpt from Jeff Lindsay's Dexter's Final Cut.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A starred or boxed review indicates a book of outstanding quality. A review with a blue-tinted title indicates a book of unusual commercial interest that hasn't received a starred or boxed review.DARKLY DREAMING DEXTERJeff Lindsay. Doubleday, (304p) XIt's been years since there's been a thriller debut as original as this one by Lindsay, who takes a tired subgenre the serial-killer novel and makes it as fresh as dawn. Lindsay's premise alone is worthy: narrator Dexter Morgan, a blood-spatter specialist for the Miami cops, is also a serial killer. But all his life, Dexter has followed the rules set down by his cop foster father (who knew of Dexter's proclivities), to indulge his passion only by slaying other serial killers. What makes this novel zing, though, is the narration humorous, self-deprecating, smart and sometimes lyrical, it's a macabre fun ride ("I thought about the nice clothes that I always wore. Well of course I did. I took pride in being the best-dressed monster in Dade County"). The story opens with Dexter at play, kidnapping and killing a priest who has murdered a number of children, then moves on to the main plot, a series of gruesome killings of prostitutes by an unknown madman. Dexter's foster sister is a Miami Vice Squad cop working on the killings, so Dexter decides to help her solve the case. This puts him in conflict with a dumb but ambitious female homicide detective as well as, soon enough, the killer himself, whose approach to serial killing mirrors Dexter's own, uncomfortably so. Might Dexter himself be the culprit? The answer feels a bit contrived, but will surprise most readers, and it's a minor flaw in a gripping, deliciously offbeat novel that announces the arrival of a notable new talent.
Customer Reviews
Dexy
Loved the character, very funny and witty! Great read.
Showtime series Dexter much better than book.
Typically, I've almost always found the original book written by the author to be much better than the adapted movie or TV show. Subtleties such as the thoughts of the main character are naturally more developed in books and the language is richer. The Lecter Hannibal series books are much better than the movie, for example.
In this case, unfortunately, not so.
The book is short and has too much of the ramblings of Dexter's mind. Character development is limited. Too many coincidences or weird psychic dreams interwoven into real life makes it difficult for 'suspension of disbelief'.
Both the book and the series slowly but surely 'humanize' the character who is basically a vigilante psychopath. The TV series does a good job of deeply developing the characters and the acting is great.
I would not recommend this book...watch the show on Netflix or buy for a couple of dollars per episode on iTunes.
Pleasantly surprised!
I've been a fan of the show for 8 years and finally decided to give the book a chance. It was a great read and constantly entertaining! I am eager to read the next book.