Sunday, July 15, 2007

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

This past week, my brother gave me a DVD of the first few episodes of the Dexter show on Showtime knowing that I am a fan of crime and suspense in books and television shows. I had been interested in seeing the show, but first I wanted to read one of the books the show was based on. Off to the library I went and got the first book, Darkly Dreaming Dexter. It was a fast read and interesting so I will give it a B.

Dexter Morgan isn't exactly the kind of man you'd bring home to Mom. Though he's playful and has a wonderfully ironic sense of humor, Dexter's one character flaw (his proclivity for murder) can be off-putting. But at heart Dexter is the perfect gentleman, supportive of his sister, Deb, a Miami cop, and interested only in doing away with people who really deserve his special visit. Dex is quite good looking but totally indifferent to (and, frankly, a bit puzzled by) the attentions paid to him by women. Despite the fact that he can't stand the sight of blood, he works as a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, a job that allows him to keep tabs on the latest crimes and keep an eye open for his next quarry.

Dexter's well-organized life is suddenly disrupted when a second, much more visible serial killer appears in Miami. Dex is intrigued, even delighted, by the fact that the other killer appears to have a style reminiscent of his own. Yet he can't help but feel that the mysterious new arrival is not merely invading his turf but reaching out to him as well. This new killer seems to be doing more than copying Dexter- he seems to be saying "Come out and play". Dexter's secret life makes for a lonely existance... even a lovable monster can be intrigued by the prospect of finding a friend.

This was an interesting read. It was definitely nothing like or similar to anything I have read before. It was so strange to read this story through the eyes of a serial killer who was trying to catch a serial killer and actually cheering Dexter on! While I appreciate he only kills child molesters and the like, he is still a murderer. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger to me, so I will probably be continuning the series, though right now I have so many other books to pick up and read. I did see on Amazon that this series is on AudioCD's and the review was quite great for the reader, so I think I may put the next one on hold on CD. However, I will be watching the show, probably tonight. I have heard mixed reviews on it, though my brother really enjoys it and our tastes usually agree. Not sure what is up next, probably something that I have from the library. Happy reading and enjoy the last of your weekend!

2 comments:

Literary Feline said...

I enjoy the book series and am anxious to see where the author takes us with the next book. I haven't seen but part of the first episode (it was very poorly recorded and I don't subscribe to Showtime). Eventually I'll get to the tv show, I'm sure.

Kristie said...

My husband and I watched the first two episodes and it was good. It followed the book well and Dexter is casted perfect!

Thanks for commenting!