Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Book Review: Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Summary: 4 Stars
I would have given this 3 and a half stars if I could because I think 4 stars is maybe being a bit too generous.
A good crime novel with a twist. I loved the concept of a vigilante killer. I was a bit disappointed with the characterisation of Dexter however as I found him too flat and too unlikeable. I think the author could have given him a bit more depth. The scope is there. Hopefully this will build ove rthe series - which I will definitely be reading. I can really imagine it as a TV series as well - I look forward to catching that.
I thought the plot and pace of the book was brilliant - the concept was good, the drive of the storyline was good, I felt that it kept me intrigued and interested the whole way through and I did like the twist at the end that gives that extra bit of insight into Dexter. There was a certain cliche about the ending but I've read worse.
There were a few things that I didn't like about the book: i felt the characters were all too stereotypical and it felt almost like a schoolchild had written about them. Debbie - Dexter's sister - was especially annoying. Also, there was a lot of repetition and over-simplifying of information that doesnt give the reader any credit to understand the plot themselves. This I found a little patronising. Again, I am hoping that as the series continues, the author's style will become a bit more sphisticated. And if it does, the books will make for fantastic reading.
Book Review: NOT AS GOOD AS THE TV SERIES...
Summary: 1 Stars
This book is not as good as I was hoping.
I watched the whole of the first series of 'Dexter' on TV and this sparked my interest in the books.
Jeff Lindsay is not even close to being as good a writer as those on the series, the book is full of silly alliterations. They come off like he is trying too hard to be 'A Great Writer.' While reading the book, you can almost hear the author thinking "Damn I'm good...SO talented...SO witty!" The book is full of melodramatic techniques that you would expect to read in a teenager's 'Creative Writing' attempt shortly after reading a 'How To' manual on the subject.
It is also worth noting that this book is listed as his debut novel- and it is not. He has released other works under variations of his name, such as Jeffery P. Lindsay.
In this book Dexter is a bland and uninteresting character who fails to connects with the reader. There is no depth to his interactions with the other characters, and he fails to make the reader care whether he is caught or not.
Very disappointed with the book- apparently the second season of 'Dexter' will not be following the second book...
Which is a relief..
Mr Lindsay has created an interesting premise but has failed to follow it through.
The only thing I found interesting in the book is that there is a period wherein Dexter is unsure whether he is the serial killer of the prostitutes... I thought this was an interesting angle and even thought this could have been amusing in the TV series.
That's it.
The characters who provide interest in the TV series are either killed off at the end (LaGuerta) or hardly make an appearance (Rita).
Very disappointing...
Anyone thinking about reading the book.... watch the TV show...
it's much more satisfying and amusing... chilling and challenging...
Upon closing this book.. I was just disappointed I'd wasted the last few hours on it.
Book Review: Brilliant!
Summary: 5 Stars
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).
Book Review: Great concept but not as good as the TV show
Summary: 3 Stars
I was disappointed too after thoroughly enjoying the TV series to which I would give 5 stars. Some long boring and annoying passages and when thinking about the whole book after I had finished reading it all I could say is a Great concept but very little storyline. TV scriptwriters did a much better job!Book Review: Having fun with a sociopath
Summary: 5 Stars
Dexter Morgan is a blood spatter technician for the Miami Police Department. Besides being an expert at his job Dexter is also a vigilante of sort. In his spare time, he hunts down serial killers and kills them. One could almost support Dexter in his hunt for justice except that there is a big problem. Dexter enjoys killing... and he enjoys it way too much. Dexter is, in fact, a serial killer who only kills evil people. He is a conscienceless sociopath who feels nothing for human beings but feels compelled to make them suffer. And he is the hero of the story. Dexter does everything he can to appear normal. He has a girlfriend that he treats well but he cares nothing for her. He has learned to look and act like any other person in Miami.
But sometimes trying to convince everyone he is normal forces Dexter to do things he might not otherwise do. Dexter's sister, Deborah, is also in the Miami Police Department and she desperately wants to get out of Vice and into Homicide. When a series of brutal killings occur, she sees an opportunity to get recognized. She doesn't know her brother is a serial killer but she does know that her brother sometimes seems to have an insight into the criminal mind and wants Dexter's help. But this killer is something truly special... someone that Dexter is not prepared to go up against.
It's hard to believe that a book that makes a hero of a serial killer could be so enthralling, humorous, and enjoyable but Jeff Lindsay has suceeded in creating a sympathetic sociopath. Writing the book in the first person is ingenious as it lets us see into the mind of Dexter and allows Dexter to talk to us and show us his self-deprecating, sarcastic humor. I could like Dexter (even if he could never actually care about another person) if it wasn't for that little character quirk of occasionally letting The Dark Passenger, as he refers to his compulsion to kill, take control and drive him to unspeakable acts of cruelty.
My daughter told me about this book and she was right that it is amazingly good. After struggling through the Dante Club for weeks I finished this in three days and thoroughly enjoyed it. Lindsay keeps the story moving so fast that we forget that we are rooting for a serial killer. No, it is not going to win an award for literary genius but as a guilty pleasure it is a great read.