Jeff Lindsay
Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004)
Author: Jeff Lindsay
Genre: Mystery (Police Detective)
Plot Summary:
Dexter Morgan appears to lead a normal life: he's bright, perky, and overly friendly, despite his job as a blood spatter specialist for the Miami Police Department's homicide division. But Dexter also has a reputation for getting "feelings" about certain crimes, and the cops often turn to him for insight into the mind of a killer. And there's a reason Dexter is so good at criminal profiling. He's a serial killer, but one with a strict sense of morality: he limits his victims to people who "deserve it"--murderers, rapists, and other serial killers like himself, who might otherwise never be caught. Trained by his police officer foster father, Dexter has arranged his whole life to be a mask that conceals his true nature, and always, always keeps up the facade. But when a string of unusual killings occurs, Dexter finds himself drawn to this killer in a startling way, which may threaten his cover. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that the killer appears to know about Dexter, and be toying with him--even going so far as to leave messages in Dexter's apartment, and later hidden at the crime scenes. Now Dexter has to choose between helping his sister Deborah, a police officer, solve the killings, and his own dark desire to accept the killer's invitation to come out and play. SPOILER: As deaths continue, Dexter begins to have strangely accurate dreams of the crimes, sometimes even before they occur. Gradually, he begins to doubt his own sanity (such as it is), and wonder if he has finally lost all control over his dark urges.
Geographical Setting: Miami, Florida
Time Period: Present Day (2004)
Series: Dexter, v. 1
Appeal Characteristics:
Despite the dark subject matter and story line, Lindsay keeps Dexter's voice fresh and light: the narrator vacillates between corny, if macabre, jokes and dry, sarcastic humor that keeps the tone entertaining. The contrast of the bright, sunny Florida atmosphere and the grisly nature of the crimes discussed also adds to the ironic humor. The pacing is likewise quick and light; though there are moments of suspense, the reader rarely feels that the central character is in danger. The characterization in the book is strong, though Lindsay overdoes it at certain points (how many times does Deborah need to reiterate her desire to move up to homicide?). For all that Dexter freely admits that he his a monster, the reader can't help but like him for his strange moral code, his slightly bewildered notes on normal human interaction and witty one-liners spoken only in his head. Secondary characters could stand to be more fully developed, but one gets the impression that Lindsay is leaving room to grow in later books. This book shares some elements of a police procedural mystery, though Dexter's notes about forensics often tend more towards understanding the killer than the blood work that is his specialty. Also, while the book is grounded in reality, some of the elements of Dexter's subconscious take on an almost surreal feeling, give the book a more fantastic edge. Readers who enjoy dark humor will definitely want to check this out, as will those who want a slightly different take on the traditional serial killer/profiler novels or police procedural mysteries.
Read-alikes: Readers who enjoyed Darkly Dreaming Dexter and want more may first want to look to Lindsay's two other books in this series: Dearly Devoted Dexter (2005) and Dexter in the Dark (2007). Both continue the adventures of Dexter Morgan as he tries to lead his dual life and records his dry observations of daily human life. For those who enjoyed Lindsay's novels and want something with the same theme and tone, try The Serial Killer's Club by Jeff Povey. This dark comedy is narrated by "Dougie," a serial killer who joins a club of like-minded sociopaths, then gets pressured by the FBI to begin slowing killing off his colleagues. Those who enjoyed the peek inside a serial killer's mind may also enjoy the works of Thomas Harris, particularly his Silence of the Lambs. In this, the second and most popular of Harris' series featuring Hannibal Lector, a criminal profiler turns to a famous serial killer for insight into a string of copycat killings. For a main character with a dark sense of humor, readers who don't mind the graphic violence of Dexter may also want to check out Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston. In this first novel, an bartender stumbles across a small fortune and must find a way to evade the murderous mobsters and crooked cops who want it for themselves. For readers who liked the "good killer" premise, Matt Ruff's Bad Monkeys tells the story of a secret organization dedicated to eliminating the "irredeemable members of society." Like Lindsay's novel, this book features some fantastic elements and unforeseen twists, adding to the fast-pace. The Hundredth Man by Jack Kerley features a Southern setting and a string of murders which detectives Carson Ryder and Harry Nautilus must solve with the help of an incarcerated serial killer.
Red Flags: Graphic violence and description of murder scenes; off-stage sex; some language
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