Let me start by saying that when I started reading this series, I had not watched the TV show that they are based on. When TV shows or movies are based on a book or series of books, I always prefer to read the book before seeing the show or movie. I can honestly say that for this series, I enjoyed both.


In Darkly Dreaming Dexter, we are introduced to our protagonist when he is at his happy slashing best. We are given some background into who Dexter is and more importantly, why he is the way he is. His adoptive father Harry is a cop who realizes when Dexter is a teenager that there is something different about him. Dexter is a serial killer! Realizing that he will never be able to change Dexter, Harry instead crafts a serial killer code that Dexter must live by. Instead of running amok around the city of Miami, Dexter takes care of those who have escaped justice at the hands of the law.


How does Dexter get away with being a serial killer? Well on top of being trained by a cop, Dexter himself is a blood splatter analyst with the police department. Who better than to get away with murder than someone who spends his days investigating them? Joined by his adopted sister Deborah, who is also a cop, Dexter begins investigating a pecuilar series of murders. Sooner rather than later Dexter begins to feel a certain affinity with his fellow artist.


Dexter really is the best anti-hero I have ever read about. I find myself, despite knowing that I probably shouldn't, always rooting for him. That is what is really special about this character. You know he is a killer. You know killing is wrong, no matter the reason. Somehow though, Jeff Lindsay has managed to create a character in Dexter that despite all of his perversion and murder, is just downright likeable. Dexter's sometimes bumbling attempts to fit in and appear normal are a large part of his appeal. He admits things in his inner monologue's that no one else would ever consider, and trust me, it's not just confined to the killing.


On it's own, the book is great. It is not laugh out loud funny, but gave me more than a few laughs with Dexter's dry sarcastic wit and macabre sense of humor. The plot moved along well, and Jeff Lindsay really found the perfect balance between past/present; giving some very good insight into Dexter's character. I must say that I was surprised by the ending, and that is not something that happens often.

This was by far one of the strangest books I have ever read. So simplistic and yet so complex at the same time. A quick and easy read, but at the same time a deep and bizarre character who will stick to your brain and haunt you long after you put the book down. I've never watched the tv show and I'm glad I haven't because I can't imagine the same narrative genius being transfered to that medium. The word usage alone is enough to recommend the books. I had to go back and read some parts several times because the words flowed in such a way that they actually felt good to say.
Now, you might wonder why I am only giving this book 4 out of 5. Because I think it could have been a little longer. A felt like the plot jumped ahead of itself once or twice and I lost the flow. At little more at key point could have solved this.
Overall though, a fantastic book.

I would have enjoyed this book more if the tv series had not followed the book so closely. At least there were a few changes here and there that kept me interested.

I did enjoy the morbid humor in this book, and also really enjoy the tv series based off these books. I would recommend reading the book prior to watching the tv series.

It has been a very long time since i have been interested in a book long enough to finish reading it. This book had me until the very end, character development was perfect and it is an easy book to follow. I enjoy the television show as well and i am really impressed with how the show and the novels differ trimendously. I am impressed with the creativity of Lyndsay and a look inside the mind of a killer gave me shivers. Best book i have read in a long time. Love this book and television series!

Ok read...slow at times, and hard to get into...not something I would recommend.

Dexter, Dexter, Dexter,
How I love thee, let me count the ways,
One dead body, two dead bodies, three....

Dexter is an average Joe that no one will take a second glance to because he makes it his life's mission to be as unnoticable as possible. He dresses as mundane as possible. Befriends, but not too friendly, everyone. He says the right thing at the right time. Smiles when he needs to smile and laughs when he needs to laugh. He is programmed to be Mr. Normal.
Why?
Because Dexter is as far away from normal as one gets. By days he is a blood spatter analyst, probably because he needed to learn how to get away with murder because by night, he is a serial killer, on the hunt to kill those who deserve to be killed: the monsters who steal the lives of the innocent.
And boy does he love his job.
This is the beginning of the end of lifeless Dexter. Up until now he lived to feed his dark passenger, living an uncomplicated life until his life became complicated.
Firstly, his non-sexual relationship with Rita becomes more than he anticipated.
His relationship with his sister becomes deeper when he is left to choose...
He learns more about himself and of where he came from and so life will never be the same for our favorite serial killer.
What's important to know is that the tv series deviates from the book. Where the main plot is still there, important aspects do differ in such a way that leaves you asking, what the hell is going to happen in book two.
overall, a great and fantastic read.

This was anothe rbook chosen for the book club i am in. I could of done without reading this book. I didnt find it funny, like the reviews on the back of the cover... i found it dull, and though it was an easy read, i easily put the book down!
Not my kind of book.

If you haven't watched the Dexter series, shown on HBO and now Showcase, you will love this book. If you have seen the series, you will be bored. The series is taken almost directly from the book, almost word for word in some instances. The only difference is that some of the characters are slightly different in the book compared to the series. I saw the TV show first and then read the book. I wish I had done it the opposite way. If you like quirky, different stories, you'll like this.

Fans of the Showtime series may find this book a tad disappointing at times. While the story arc is very similar to season 1, the ending is quite different and characters other than Dexter himself remain underdeveloped and seem mostly to be incidental vehicles to help drive the plot. Many of the nuances of the TV shows that psychology (or at least serial killer) buffs recognize that make the show realistic are absent from the novel. Does Dexter have a conscience, or merely a set of ethics?

Previously perplexed Pamela's past postulation of the preposterous popularity of HBO's Dexter has diminished and she is now pleasantly surprised by reading Darkly Dreaming Dexter. ; ) After learning about the character through first person narration, I have now connected with this bizarre sociopath (can we even call him that, being he has a conscience) and will have the patience to make it past two episodes and possibly even become a fan in accordance with the masses.

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Written in eyes of Dexter himself, this book is descriptive and delicious. Dexter is truly a unique creation, the man we love to hate. The book "sets my teeth on edge." Excellent.

This is a very surprising work of fiction. I thought it was just going to be another serial killer book...a serial killer who is an avenger at that. But the insight into the mind of Dexter is amazing. The fact that it is a first person book that really takes you inside the mind of a serial killer who, although he feels has no capability for human emotions, is actually quite filled with a sense of humaity. Although the ending was a bit of a letdown, the foray into how he became what he became is fascinating. I find myself darkly dreaming of the next time I will read of Dexter.

I'm not sure if anyone has been watching the television series of Dexter - but the book it 200 times better!! There is so much more detail and the ending is NOTHING like the show!! It really sets the stage for the next book!

Darkly Dreaming Dexter is about a lovable serial killer - how many fictional characters fit that description? When he says "if only I had feelings" you think, "awwwwww" - it's a unique character that only a post-Soprano world could conceive. Jeff Lindsay has a nice writing style that keeps the narrative going while at the same time digging deeper into Dexter's deviation. PS: if you squirm at the thought of blood, don't pick this one up!

Perhaps I may be biased because of the fact that I watched the tv show before I read this book. I really liked what the show had done with the storyline. I thought it tied in better with the plot and really had everyone on the edge of their seats. The book of course gave more insight to the characters and had comic reliefs that went beyond what could be shown on tv. However, I thought the screenwriters really tied up all loose ends and provided a scintillating climax. The ending was so much better.

This book is dark, twisted and funny. For fans who root for the underdog. Dexter is V for forensic science.