Book Review: Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Like many, I discovered Dexter from the amazing Showtime television series. If you are a fan of the show, but haven't yet read the novels, then I suggest you check them out. They are different from the show for sure, but no so different that the show was unfaithful to the material. In fact, I think that, at least with the first season, the show stays very faithful to the novel.

The biggest difference between the two for me provides a strength for both. The television series focuses more closely on the B-characters, the supporting story lines. When pondering the story arcs with characters like Bautista, Deb and Rita, one cannot imagine the show without these. I love several of the characters on Dexter who reflect excellent casting and writing.

At the same time, the novel has to be more focused on Dexter as a character because it's a first-person narrative, told from Dexter's point of view. In the novel, our hero doesn't consider himself to be human, or anything like the humans around him. This provides excellent and humorous misanthropic dialogue. This is a highlight of the novel.

While the plot of the novel follows a shorter, more basic take on the season one story line, I was impressed by the breezy style. It is a well written narrative, which made me forget about my dislike for the first person. It's also a page turner; you'll fly right through it.