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Amazon.co.uk Review
Meet Dexter Morgan, the chief protagonist of Darkly Dreaming Dexter. He's a highly respected lab technician specialising in blood spatter for the Miami Dade Police Department. He's a handsome, though reluctant, ladies' man. He's polite, says all the right things, and rarely draws attention to himself. He's also a sociopathic serial killer whose "Dark Passenger" drives him to commit the occasional dismemberment. Mind you, Dexter's the good guy in this story.
Adopted at the age of four after an unnamed tragedy left him orphaned, Dexter's learned, with help from his pragmatic policeman father, to channel his "gift", killing only those who deal in death themselves. But when a new serial killer starts working in Miami, staging elaborately grisly scenes that are, to Dexter, an obvious attempt at communication from one monster to another, the eponymous protagonist finds himself at a loss. Should he help his policewoman sister Deborah earn a promotion to the Homicide desk by finding the fiend? Or should he locate this new killer himself, so he can express his admiration for the other's "art"? Or is it possible that psycho Dexter himself, admittedly not the most balanced of fellows, is finally going completely insane and committing these messy crimes himself?
Despite his penchant for vivisection, it's hard not to like Dexter as his coldly logical personality struggles to emulate emotions he doesn't feel and to keep up his appearance as a caring, unremarkable human being. Debut author Jeff Lindsay's plot is tense and absorbing, but it's the voice of Dexter and his reactions to the other characters that make this one of the most original and highly recommended serial killer stories in a very long time. --Benjamin Reese, Amazon.com --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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‘After finishing this debut, readers will have only one thing to say: wow! Oh boy, does Dexter make an impression.’
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
93 of 95 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I, like many others reviewing this book, have watched the show first and then was so impressed with it, felt compelled to read the book. I haven't felt this eager to read a book in a long time and I wasn't disappointed. What I am disappointed with is the largely negative reviews here.
Everyone's entitled to their opinions but I felt some of them must have been reading a different book to myself. Ok, I will admit that the book is not as big as I was expecting but then I don't feel it needed to be. The book is full of humour and the characters are interesting.
Some characters, such as Angel Batista, are not seen as much in the book as they are in tv show, but other characters such as Vince Masuoka are seen more. The producers of the show decided to show more of Batista than Masuoka and that is their perogative. I thought the characterisation of Masouka was good and showed that perhaps Dexter could have a friend, or at least someone to connect with.
Perhaps the criticism that has puzzled me the most is the theory that the character of Dexter is not likeable enough in the book. Correct me if I'm wrong, but considering the self-mocking tone displayed in the book as written from Dexter's perspective, it left me feeling like that was the point: Dexter knows what he is, and what he is isn't suppoosed to be likeable.
His constant references to not being human make him an anti-hero, not someone to be admired and revered for being righteous. If people choose to like Dexter (which they admittedly do and I am one of them), it's because we choose to, not because we're supposed to.
True, as it is written from Dexter's point of view, there is the sense that we are supposed to sympathise with Dexter but, after all, he is still a serial killer, and is in his own admission, a man with no guilt response.
The story is a lot shorter than the tv show but then a tv show's job is take something like Dexter and add their own spin on it: it's the same with Hollywood movies; I urge anyone to read Stephen King's The Shining and then see Stanley Kubrick's version and tell me just how different it is.
The obvious difference is the character of LaGuerta. In the show, she is a stronger, more competent character, however in the book she is shown as someone not particularly intelligent but displaying a hard edge at points. The main difference regarding LaGuerta is something I won't go into for fear of ruining the book for those who haven't read it.
The book has a lot of quirky humour and the story, although short, is still very interesting and inventive. Some characters have more depth than others and some are very different from the tv show. What I will say, to finish, is this: if you've seen the tv show first, please be aware it is quite different to the tv show but that shouldn't become a criticism of the book.
Television producers jobs are to take a book or script and tailor it to their own needs: they are two completely different mediums and one shouldn't be criticised because of the other.
Everyone's entitled to their opinions but I felt some of them must have been reading a different book to myself. Ok, I will admit that the book is not as big as I was expecting but then I don't feel it needed to be. The book is full of humour and the characters are interesting.
Some characters, such as Angel Batista, are not seen as much in the book as they are in tv show, but other characters such as Vince Masuoka are seen more. The producers of the show decided to show more of Batista than Masuoka and that is their perogative. I thought the characterisation of Masouka was good and showed that perhaps Dexter could have a friend, or at least someone to connect with.
Perhaps the criticism that has puzzled me the most is the theory that the character of Dexter is not likeable enough in the book. Correct me if I'm wrong, but considering the self-mocking tone displayed in the book as written from Dexter's perspective, it left me feeling like that was the point: Dexter knows what he is, and what he is isn't suppoosed to be likeable.
His constant references to not being human make him an anti-hero, not someone to be admired and revered for being righteous. If people choose to like Dexter (which they admittedly do and I am one of them), it's because we choose to, not because we're supposed to.
True, as it is written from Dexter's point of view, there is the sense that we are supposed to sympathise with Dexter but, after all, he is still a serial killer, and is in his own admission, a man with no guilt response.
The story is a lot shorter than the tv show but then a tv show's job is take something like Dexter and add their own spin on it: it's the same with Hollywood movies; I urge anyone to read Stephen King's The Shining and then see Stanley Kubrick's version and tell me just how different it is.
The obvious difference is the character of LaGuerta. In the show, she is a stronger, more competent character, however in the book she is shown as someone not particularly intelligent but displaying a hard edge at points. The main difference regarding LaGuerta is something I won't go into for fear of ruining the book for those who haven't read it.
The book has a lot of quirky humour and the story, although short, is still very interesting and inventive. Some characters have more depth than others and some are very different from the tv show. What I will say, to finish, is this: if you've seen the tv show first, please be aware it is quite different to the tv show but that shouldn't become a criticism of the book.
Television producers jobs are to take a book or script and tailor it to their own needs: they are two completely different mediums and one shouldn't be criticised because of the other.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a nice easy read, and flows well. Having read a number of the other reviews, I get the feeling that the readers were expecting something quite different to what they got. Well I think it's a shame they didn't take it for what it was.
The alliteration made me smile, and the fact that Dexter is so confident until he starts thinking that he could be responsible for all the carnage, and then worries that he's losing the plot is very funny. And I liked the fact that Dexter had to explain it all to Deborah, as how could she possibly be expected to understand - she's just a normal human, and doesn't have a Dark Passenger to explain it all to her. I love how she trusts Dexter to tell her the truth, but is a little wary of him because he knows so much!
I didn't see the TV series, as I'm currently on a work assignment in Malaysia for a year. It sounds like I should be glad I read the book first, though, as I didn't have preconceived ideas of the character and so came to it fresh. I will try to watch the TV series when I get a chance, though, as the adverts did look good (it started about the time I left the UK).
The alliteration made me smile, and the fact that Dexter is so confident until he starts thinking that he could be responsible for all the carnage, and then worries that he's losing the plot is very funny. And I liked the fact that Dexter had to explain it all to Deborah, as how could she possibly be expected to understand - she's just a normal human, and doesn't have a Dark Passenger to explain it all to her. I love how she trusts Dexter to tell her the truth, but is a little wary of him because he knows so much!
I didn't see the TV series, as I'm currently on a work assignment in Malaysia for a year. It sounds like I should be glad I read the book first, though, as I didn't have preconceived ideas of the character and so came to it fresh. I will try to watch the TV series when I get a chance, though, as the adverts did look good (it started about the time I left the UK).
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read this book long before the TV show and it blew me away - the darkness, the depth and the originality of the serial killer who directed his irrepressible urges for the force of good was a blisteringly inventive hook. For me, the book was far superior to the show (although I enjoyed that too). And for what it's worth, Jeff Lindsay's sequels to this rock too.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A really enjoyable read
This is my first book in the Dexter series, its very enjoyable, I love the warped humour of Dexter, and the dark side that peeks through. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Mr. S. J. Finch
My Dark Passenger
First, a couple of confessions. I don't read for pleasure (at least, I didn't) and I watched the TV series before reading the book!
Ah, I feel better now. Read more
Ah, I feel better now. Read more
Published 14 days ago by iamwillwhite
Intriguing but silly
This is readable apart from the ultimately tedious ramblings about "the dark inner voice" that impels Dexter to knock off the baddies. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Gargoyle
A scary, dark voice....
As you probably know, this is the book that Dexter the TV show was based on. The TV programme might not be a barrel of laughs but the book felt darker, more hopeless. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Maddy Reading
Dexter
I'm sure I've said before that crime novels are not usually to my taste. I find them not exactly predictable but somewhat formulaic and it kind of puts me off. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lucybird
I don't do series books
I bought no. 5 in the book series by accident going on holiday, never saw anything of Dexter on telly so had no idea, thought I aught to read no. 1 before I read no. Read more
Published 3 months ago by A. T. Sprules
dexter review
this is a very good book but not as good as the tv series, it helps if you see the programe first then read this book but overall very good
Published 4 months ago by g
delicious
Darkly Dreaming Dexter is the first of Jeff Lindsay's Dexter series. Dexter Morgan, damaged by a Traumatic Event in his extreme youth, is now a blood-spatter expert with Miami-Dade... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Cloggie Downunder
Dexter
I loved this book. Watching popular TV series (and enjoying it) is what made me want to pick up and read this. Read more
Published 6 months ago by A. McWhinney
Fans of the TV show beware
So first up, I watched the first 3 seasons of the TV show before I read this. This made me feel like I had a pretty good handle on the world of Mr Dexter Morgan, so much so that I... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Budding photographer
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