Darkly Dreaming Dexter
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| Darkly Dreaming Dexter | |
 Cover of the 2004 edition |
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| Author | Jeff Lindsay |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Crime novel |
| Publication date | 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Followed by | Dearly Devoted Dexter |
Darkly Dreaming Dexter is a 2004 novel by Jeff Lindsay. It has formed the basis of the Showtime television series Dexter.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
The novel's protagonist, Dexter Morgan, is a young man who works for the Miami Police Department as a forensic blood spatter pattern analyst. In his spare time, Dexter is a serial killer with a catch: he only kills bad people, always murderers, he believes have escaped from judicial punishment.
Dexter also has an inner voice he refers to as the "Dark Passenger," who keeps prodding Dexter to kill something. Once he has done so "properly," the voice is satiated for a while and keeps silent until the urge to kill comes again.
Dexter manages his double life reasonably well for years, but is unprepared when a serial killer with an artistic and playful style that impresses Dexter starts terrorizing Miami's hookers. As the "Tamiami Slasher" rampages through the city, he begins sending messages to Dexter, who finds the series of terrifying crimes engrossing and fascinating. Meanwhile, his sister, Deborah, sees the series of murders as her ticket out of the Vice unit and into Homicide, and has asked Dexter to help her in her ambitions. Dexter is torn between helping his sister to catch the killer and a desire to sit back and admire the artistry and skill of a fellow killer's work.
[edit] Narrative style
Darkly Dreaming Dexter is notable for providing a first-person story narrated by a serial killer. Dexter at times claims to be sub-human, but at other times claims to be slightly super-human. He claims to be emotionless due to his status as a monster, however his soft sides throw doubt on these claims. He also makes claims at being both extraordinarily intelligent and athletic, which is more believable as evidenced by his ability to both track and capture other serial killers. As a narrator, Dexter tries to maintain a humorous approach to telling the story, even when the story turns grim. He also uses numerous alliterated phrases, utilizing three words that all start with D's.
[edit] Television series
The novel was the basis for an original TV series on Showtime. Whereas the first season largely followed the plot lines of Darkly Dreaming Dexter, the second season was an original story and was not directly based on any of the novels.
[edit] External Links
- Review of Darkly Dreaming Dexter on Unreality Shout
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