Devastatingly Dexter

I spent some of my birthday money to pick up a couple of Dexter books. I've enjoyed the series on Showtime and ordered this book without reading very much about it.

Now I'm glad that I didn't read much about it. I probably wouldn't have ordered it and that would be tragic.

I started off the book to realize that I was reading the story contained in the first season. There are obviously lines of dialog on the show that are lifted directly from the text. I was thinking "darn, this is going to be a rehash of what I've watched recently." What I got was quickly a departure from what I'd seen on the show. This made me very happy.

Dexter Morgan is a blood-spatter expert in the Miami police lab. He's incredibly talented at what he does and seems to be gifted with insight about the motivations of killers. He should know, he himself is a serial killer with a bizarre sense of justice.

Taken from a crime scene as a small child by officer Harry Morgan, Dexter doesn't recall the horrific event that has left him with dark feelings. Raised by a loving foster father, Dexter becomes part of and is finally adopted by the Morgans. Harry seems to understand Dexter's dark side and tries to instill in him a moral code to only kill those that NEED killing. Dexter follows the "Code of Harry," and makes sure that he only kills serial killers.

The characters are vividly illustrated by Mr. Lindsay. Several of the characters are presented with an intensity and give a clear mental image to the viewer. Detective LaGuerta is described, " She has all the necessary parts in the right places to be physically attractive in a sullen, aristocratic way. A true artist with her makeup and very well dressed, Bloomingdale's chic." Many of the detective's expressions and mannerisms decorate the text and provide a well-thought out and defined character.

Someone seems to know Dexter very well. Someone who seems to understand his little "diversions." Someone who dispatches his victims with such style and panache that Dexter cannot help but be impressed. He appreciates the artistry of a master killer.

This is positively creepy. I was astonished that I felt sympathetic to a cold-hearted killer. I was fascinated by a story that drew me in, perhaps akin to looking at a train-wreck. You don't want to see it but you HAVE to look.

What I liked so much is that there are definitely points that depart from the show. I enjoyed the familiarity to something I liked, but this book was icing on the cake. The twists and departures from the Showtime series kept me from putting the book down as I HAD to see what happened next.

This is not my usual subject matter, but I wouldn't have missed Darkly Dreaming Dexter for anything.