Review: Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I came to the Dexter books having seen all six seasons on the series first. So there was, unfortunately the need for me to re-read the first few pages several times, to familiarize myself with this character and to remove the images from the show out of my head.

With this done, I love the book. I thought it was sharply written, and the narrative style it was written in, really made me think I was inside the head of Dexter Morgan. The reader is not just being told that Dexter thinks or feels something, but rather we live it, we experience it with him. The small mental notes and comments that Dexter makes during the course of normal conversation with others really helps enhance the style of the book.

Having seen the first season of the Dexter (all six actually) I knew what the big reveal was going to be at the end. I won’t give it away for anybody who has not seen it or read this book yet, but maybe that did detract a little from the build up on tension. Not that there were not moments that made me thing, wow, I didn’t really see that coming.

However, at the same time as having seen the show ruing the big reveal, it did open my eyes to a lot of subtle hints that the author worked in with regards said moment. (See absolutely no spoilers)

The one thing that disappointed with the book was the lack of interaction with others. There was very ltitle time spent in the police station or with Dexter looking at blood, as is his career. I hope that in the following books, this side of Dexter is developed a little more.

Once I started reading the book I couldn’t put it down, and I cannot wait to read the second installment of the Dexter series. Certain things happed that make me fairly confident that the following books don’t follow the series which makes my very own dark passenger – a devourer of books – very curious indeed.

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