Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Engrossing and Thrilling
I’d watched the Dexter TV series over the years and loved it, so I knew it was time to gather the novels it was based on and give them my undivided attention as well. First book, complete. And fast, too. I couldn’t put it down. Every page was engrossing, as was every moment of being within the mind of Dexter Morgan. The writing is on point. It reads like you’re listening to your own internal monologue and that makes the rhythm smooth and comfortable.
Dexter is coping with his Dark Passenger, a personified urge to kill, that he has come to understand, manage, and direct towards evildoers with the help of his foster Dad, Harry Morgan. He works as a blood spatter analyst while his foster sister, Deborah, works as a cop. Deborah doesn’t know about Dexter’s internal struggle, but she can sense he is different. A serial killer is on the loose, murdering prostitutes on the Miami streets and leaving their frozen body parts for the cops to find. As Dexter becomes more involved in the case, clues start appearing just for him in his house, and he finds himself dreaming of the killer’s victims and murder room. It only gets better.
I truly loved this book. Dexter is a relatable introvert, although he’s really a sociopath. He can’t feel. Yet the things he says and thinks are absolutely on par with the average introvert at the best of times. This character allows the average person to live vicariously through someone taking justice into their own hands against child molesters and killers, and it feels good to watch from a safe distance. As soon as I consumed the last page, I was immediately purchasing the next ones in the series with confidence.
