"Blood. Sometimes it sets my teeth on edge, other times it helps me control the chaos."

books:


	• Darkly Dreaming Dexter Jeff Lindsay Vintage, 2006 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 218 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

"Blood. Sometimes it sets my teeth on edge, other times it helps me control the chaos."

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.

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For those who enjoy severed limbs

Having seen the first season of the TV series before reading the book, it took away some of the suspense, but it was still a quick read, maybe too quick.

In Lindsay's book, Dexter is somewhat less charming to me than Michael C. Hall's portrayal. Sure, the author continually reminds us through his protaganist that Dexter indeed conveys charm to all around him, while still living under the shadow of his "Dark Passenger". Yet there's a real "American Psycho" feel to Dexter that comes across more strongly in the novel and can get a bit disturbing. I know it's not supposed to be taken too seriously but the graphic detail gets to be a bit much.

Lindsay does his best to create the setting of a steamy Miami, with aggressive motorists, diverse neighborhoods and police department politics all intertwined. The secondary characters are developed just enough, but in the TV series they are much more fully formed.

Maybe it's just me, but the Dexter novels, including this first one, wallow a bit too much in sadistic detail and not enough in the characters. Despite that I found the book hard to put down and it moved along nicely. Not sure if the subject matter qualifies as "light reading" though.

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GO DEXTER!!!

I first started watching the series on Showtime and was hooked. I bought the first season DVD and all the books.
I am going to buy the second season DVD as well.
The show is VERY GOOD!! It keeps you on the edge of your seat. The character Dexter is likeable yet scarey. All the characters are very interesting.
I think Showtime did an awesome job in the cast.

Entertaining

I never saw the TV series but I got the book just for fun. It's macabre, morbid, and in a very weird way, funny at the same time. If you live in Miami, or lived in Miami, the book has so many local references that it will make you feel you are there. Almost plausible that it could happen.
A very entertaining book.

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Great and Funny Book

Very Sarcastic (thats why I love this book), and make thing about the murder thing, HAHAHAHA (Unique hoobie by the way)

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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.

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