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Darkly Dreaming Dexter

(Dexter #1)

Jeff Lindsay (Goodreads Author)

3.90 · Rating details · 170,356 ratings · 6,089 reviews

Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep's clothing. He's handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He's a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likeable: he only kills bad people. And his job as a blood splatter expert for the Miami police department puts him in the perfect position to identify his ...more

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Paperback, Media Tie-In; Vintage Crime / Black Lizard, 288 pages

Published September 19th 2006 by Vintage Books (first published July 10th 2004)

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May 02, 2008 Daniel rated it did not like it

Like so many others, I loved the Showtime series and wanted to check out the original source material. I was very disappointed indeed. Since a lot of other people seem to have liked it, it may just be a matter of taste, but...

The characters are two-dimensional cliches that can't tie their own shoelaces, except for the daringly deductive Dexter, who *can* tie his own shoelaces. Which makes him a genius. I recall seeing someone else comment that Darkly Dreaming Dexter needs to "show, don't tell." Like so many others, I loved the Showtime series and wanted to check out the original source material. I was very disappointed indeed. Since a lot of other people seem to have liked it, it may just be a matter of taste, but...

The characters are two-dimensional cliches that can't tie their own shoelaces, except for the daringly deductive Dexter, who *can* tie his own shoelaces. Which makes him a genius. I recall seeing someone else comment that Darkly Dreaming Dexter needs to "show, don't tell." Dexter's interior monologue *tells* the reader about his code, and how careful he is, yet with one exception he's clumsy and messy throughout the book. I found the authorial voice to not be "darkly humorous," but frequently silly and always snidely sarcastic. The interior monologue harps constantly on the same few themes, especially his lack of emotions and the crippling stupidity of every living being in Miami.

It quite fails to function as a mystery; at no time does anyone successfully piece together evidence or clues to get closer to catching the offscreen serial killer the book focuses on. The obvious exception is when Dexter the genius follows psychic visions and prophetic dreams ("intuition," presumably) to where the killer predicts they will meet. Any actual plot development happens at the very beginning and very end of the book, with the intervening chapters basically being nothing but red herrings and Dexter watching police be stupid. At one point Dexter's sister Deb, a police officer, comes to a correct conclusion before Dexter. He immediately tells her that she is right "for all the wrong reasons," which is blatantly untrue and (presumably) only there to make him sound smarter.

While I had a pretty good idea of how the end would turn out, having seen the first two seasons of the TV series, I was shocked at how little foreshadowing or fanfare there was of the big revelations. The deus ex machina leads Dexter to where he needs to go, things happen in a hurry, book ends with an epilogue -- half of which is written to be super-vague so as to build suspense about which characters lived or died.

For a moment, having finished, I was curious enough about the development of the only potentially interesting plot thread at the end of the book to consider reading the second. I think I'll just find a synopsis on the web to see if it's developed at all in future books.

On reflection, I am very impressed with the television show's producers' ability to pick out the nuggets of greatness buried in the book and make something so wonderful out of them. ...more

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Aug 01, 2013 Jayson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: author-american, 200-299-pp, genre-thriller, genre-mystery, genre-horror, genre-crime, read-in-2012, genre-antihero

(A-) 82% | Very Good
Notes: An economical, almost skeleton series introduction: claustrophobic and bustling, it limits facts to plot and never lags.

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Aug 31, 2017 PirateSteve rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Jarringly Jolly Jeff Lindsay has given his Rascally Rabid Readers a serial killer to cheer for.

Hellishly Haunted Harry knew early on that his young son had a personality disorder. e.g. sociopath/ psychopath/ up and coming serial killer.
With that in mind, Hollow Headed Harry figures if child rearing has given him a lemon.... make lemonade.
So Highly Helpful Harry steers his son on a course that he hopes will keep him from a lifetime of incarceration.
Fast forward to present day and Disturbingly ...more

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Sep 08, 2017 Anne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2017, thriller-suspense, mystery

Ok, well. I'm coming at this from an entirely different angle than most of my friends because I've never seen the tv show (GASP! Amirite?). So, I have nothing to compare the book to...other than the book.
BUT.
Having said that, I only read this because I'd heard about the show and how faboo it supposedly was.

description

Also, one thing I should mention is that I rare to never read mystery/thrillers, so I don't know how this stacks up to the other popular stuff in this genre. Admittedly, I shy away from stuff ...more

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Apr 05, 2015 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 21th-century, crime-mystery, fiction, horror

Darkly dreaming Dexter (Dexter, #1), c2004, Jeff Lindsay
Darkly Dreaming Dexter is a 2004 novel by Jeff Lindsay, the first in his series about serial killer Dexter Morgan. It formed the basis of the Showtime television series Dexter and won the 2005 Dilys Award and the 2007 Book to TV award.
عنوانها: تاریک رویاهای دکستر؛ دکستر قاتل خوابگرد؛ نویسنده: جف لیندزی (جفری پی. لینزی)؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز دوم ماه اکتبر سال 2016 میلادی
عنوان: تاریک رویاهای دکستر جلد 1؛ نویسنده: جف لیندزی (جفری پی. لینزی) Darkly dreaming Dexter (Dexter, #1), c2004, Jeff Lindsay
Darkly Dreaming Dexter is a 2004 novel by Jeff Lindsay, the first in his series about serial killer Dexter Morgan. It formed the basis of the Showtime television series Dexter and won the 2005 Dilys Award and the 2007 Book to TV award.
‏عنوانها: تاریک رویاهای دکستر؛ دکستر قاتل خوابگرد؛ نویسنده: جف لیندزی (جفری پی. لینزی)؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز دوم ماه اکتبر سال 2016 میلادی
عنوان: تاریک رویاهای دکستر جلد 1؛ نویسنده: جف لیندزی (جفری پی. لینزی)؛ مترجم: رضا جهان آبادی؛ رضا محمدیان؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، منتشران اندیشه، 1393، در 285 ص، فروست: مجموعه رمان های دکستر، شابک: 9786009430697؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 21 م
عنوان: دکستر قاتل خوابگرد جلد 1؛ نویسنده: جف لیندسی (جفری پی. لینزی)؛ مترجم: آراز بارسقیان؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، انتشارات میلکان، 1393، در 260 ص، شابک: 9786007443392؛
روایتی ست از زندگی «دکستر مورگان»، قاتلی زنجیره‌ ای، که در دایره ی جنایی گلیس میامی، با عنوان: «کارشناس تحلیل آثار خون»؛ کار می‌کند. «هری مورگان» پلیس سابق دایره‌ ی جنایی شهر میامی، و پدر خوانده‌ ی وی، با شناختی که از دوران نوجوانی دکستر به دست می‌آورد، و فوران نیاز او به کشتن را مهار ناشدنی می‌یابد؛ با آموزش به او، و جهت دادن به قتل‌های وی، سعی می‌کند دکستر را به قاتل قاتلان، و متجاوزان، بدل کند. دکستر نیز که خود را «موجودی سرد و بی‌روح» می‌داند، می‌خواهد: «از دل هرج و مرج، نظم را بیرون کشد». اما ماجرا هنگامی پیچیده می‌شود، که پلیس میامی در پی قاتل قتل‌های سریالی ست. قتلهایی که شباهت‌های بسیاری به قتل‌های دکستر دارد و ...؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

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Oct 10, 2017 Kelly (and the Book Boar) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: black-as-mitchell-s-heart, crunken-love, favorites, i-read-it-right, liburrrrrry-book, like-this-or-we-cant-be-friends, mc-i-love-but-am-supposed-to-hate, nutters, or-just-watch-the-movie, own-it-spent-my-food-money-on-it

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

I am now so far behind in reviewing that all of my read-but-not-yet-reviewed selections can't fit on my home page. Bonus this go 'round is somehow I didn’t even manage to mark this one down as something I was reading at all (#failure).

But wait, you ain’t seen NUTTIN’ yet. Not only have I never read Dexter, but I have never seen an episode of the highly acclaimed television series either . . . .

Yeah yeah yeah . . . .

Since I am so ...more

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Apr 08, 2010 Stephen rated it liked it

Shelves: ebooks, audiobook, psychos, horror, crime, hardboiled-and-noir, mystery

I'm a BIG fan of the Dexter TV show on Showtime. This led to me being a bit hesitant to read the novels because I was worried about a serious case of disappointment. Michael C. Hall's portrayal of the title character is such an integral part of my enjoyment of the series that approached this book with trepidation, worried I wouldn't relate* as well to the novel's main character.

* a dangerous thought, I know, given Dexter's proclivities.

Well, turns out that my fears were groundless. The characte ...more

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May 24, 2012 Delee rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: psycho-killer-quest-ce-que-cest, own, reviewed, thriller, mystery, horror-medium-rare-not-too-bloody, first-in-a-series, not-for-the-squeamish-reader, ivonne-is-a-big-chicken

This review is brought to you by the letter D.

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Dexter is a delightfully demented and dynamic dude...

[image error] photo dff8a401-42f7-4765-a9e3-8911a808de73_zps514cb45e.jpg

Well now that is enough of that...

Dexter Morgan is a blood spatter pattern analyst for the Miami-Dade Police Department, but in his spare time he enjoys boating, eating donuts, spending time with his foster sister Deborah, playing with his girlfriend Rita's children...oh and killing people. Dexter lives by a code, "The Code of Harry". Before Harry Morgan -Dexter's foster f ...more

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May 30, 2010 Lou rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery-thriller, serial-killers

Getting in mind of Dexter is never boring his insight is funny and his technique of killing is masterful.Dexter talks of his beginnings, of his first kill, the day his dark passenger became the rider. Recollections of the past with his father Harry and his deadly advice, its a good fast read in the rambling mind of a sociopath Dexter.

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Oct 12, 2015 Mario rated it really liked it

I'm a very neat monster.

I'm really ashamed to say that it took me two weeks to read this book. Two weeks for a 280 pages book! I mean, yeah, the university has been kicking my ass, but still, that is no excuse.

This book is about Dexter, our friendly neighbourhood serial killer. Since I've seen the TV series, I knew even before I started this book that I was going to like it. And I did. It didn't blow my mind or anything, but it was still a pretty great book. It started off great, middle did drag ...more

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Dec 21, 2007 Liza H rated it really liked it

Shelves: done

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I read this series of books because I was so taken by the Showtime series. And you know what? I liked the TV show better! The books are good, and it's fun to get "inside the mind" of Dexter, but because the plot of the book follows pretty closely to the first season of the TV show, it was hard not to make comparisons.

Spoilers below, so don't continue reading if you don't want to know what happens!

A few things that I thought the TV show did a lot better was the whole "flirting with another kille ...more

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Jun 15, 2007 Chloe rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Those who love to root for the bad guy

Shelves: fiction, mystery-crime-thriller

Mysteries and Thrillers are often hit-or-miss for me. I have had the good fortune of being recommended a lot of writings from the creme de la creme of this genre by my father, so grew up ingesting PD James, John le Carre, and Dennis Lehane with the pulp sci-fi that was my fare of choice. I have also, at times, been forced to read a James Patterson or John Grisham for lack of any other reading materials. This has given me a broad exposure to what could arguably be called the most popular genre in ...more

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Aug 14, 2018 Chia rated it liked it · review of another edition

راستش با اینکه خیلی از سریال دکستر لذت برده بودم و تشنه ی خوندن این کتاب بودم که سریال براساسش نوشته شده اما لذت چندانی بهم نداد.
تقریبا چند تا از داستان های فرعی سریال از این کتاب برداشته شده و تم اصلیش فصل اول سریال هست.
و یه نکته ی عجیب اینکه دکستر توی کتاب به نظر شوخ تر بود و مسافر تاریکیش (اسمی که به وجه قاتل خودش داده) انگار یه موجودیت کاملا جدا از خودش بود که دکستر اسیر اونه بر خلاف سریال، که این اصلا جالب نبود برام.
در کل از خوندنش پشیمونم چون تا حدودی دیدم به دکستر دوست داشتنی سریال رو خرا ...more

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Jul 04, 2008 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, crime, 2008, psychological-thriller

Dexter is a serial killer, a killer who just can't help himself. He doesn't even see himself as human. But he does have something of a conscience and lives by the Code of Harry, his cop foster father, who understood his nature and sought to help Dexter control it somewhat when he was a teenager. Now a blood spatter analyst for Miami police, he's brought in on gruesome murder cases and a new serial killer in the city has Dexter feeling inspired, flattered and awestruck - and frightened that it's Dexter is a serial killer, a killer who just can't help himself. He doesn't even see himself as human. But he does have something of a conscience and lives by the Code of Harry, his cop foster father, who understood his nature and sought to help Dexter control it somewhat when he was a teenager. Now a blood spatter analyst for Miami police, he's brought in on gruesome murder cases and a new serial killer in the city has Dexter feeling inspired, flattered and awestruck - and frightened that it's really him, doing the killings in his sleep.

His sister Deborah is a cop trying to move her way up but reduced to posing as a hooker to catch curb crawlers, and what with Dexter's "hunches" about murderers, gets him to help her on the case. Yet he's ambivalent - he so admires this killer's work, does he really want to see it end? He'd rather play, and since the killer has been sending him messages through the way the dead bodies are displayed, he's drawn into a fascinating game with deadly consequences.

I have to say, Dexter is one of the most engaging and interesting - and understandable, perverse as it may be - anti-heroes I've ever read. He's not right in the head and he knows it, he spends a great deal of effort pretending to be human, and ordinary, yet because he only goes after sick bastards like child-molesting priests and the like, you can't help but appreciate his vigilante efforts - though what he does to his victims is far from a quick and easy death.

It's a combination of his macabre humour - this book is really quite funny - the characters and his observations of them, and his narrative voice: so effortless, so calm, seeing a perspective and an angle to people that non-sociopaths (is that the right word?) would not see so well. He thinks like a killer, yet still comes across as somewhat naive and innocent. He's not at all interested in sex or women, so his disguise as "boyfriend" shows this "innocence" well:

And if her uncertain, limping tone of voice, unlike any I had ever heard her use before, was a surprise, imagine how astonished I was by her costume. I believe the thing was called a peignoir; or possibly it was a negligee, since it certainly was negligible as far as the amount of fabric used in its construction was concerned. Whatever the correct name, she was certainly wearing it. And as bizarre as the idea was, I believe the costume was aimed at me. (p.154)

His childlike wonder and appreciation for the way the other killer is slicing up bodies and arranging them also gives him some kind of ... childlike quality. It's hard to find the right adjective for Dexter: he's a complicated character, because he's all grey, despite being very clearly a serial killer. There's no attempt to gloss over that, or excuse him. Yet was there ever a more fascinating and affable murderer? He's not even creepy - now that's an achievement! And because it's not in the least sexual, he's not creepy in that way either. On the contrary, even though you know he can't really function normally, you want him to be happy. He's a bit Batman-ish, in a nerdy way, the dark avenger or something silly like that. Regardless, he's likeable and even sympathetic; but more necessary to the reading experience: he's a wonderful narrator with a thing for alliteration - namely with the letter D; truly, he's very inventive.

I don't like mass market crime books, I loathe Patricia Cornwall, John Grisham is exceedingly dull, and I couldn't even finish P.D. James' The Lighthouse because I was so bored - the problem with your typical crime book is the lack of characterisation. There's plenty of that here, in fact, it's all about the characters. There's still plot, though, and a mystery, which you can figure out somewhat before Dexter does, but it all hinges on the characters. I thought the Epilogue was too rushed, and the relationship resolution between Dexter and Deborah too pat, but they're minor quibbles. I'm keen to read the next book, Dearly Devoted Dexter, and there's a third coming out in September. ...more

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Sep 03, 2017 Oliviu Craznic rated it really liked it

Dexter este un individ obișnuit și cu totul neremarcabil... în aparență. În realitate, este un psihopat incapabil să simtă altceva decât plăcerea de a ucide, împins de către „Pasagerul Întunecat” care îl posedă (demon? schizofrenie?); dar este un psihopat ale cărui porniri au fost canalizate de către tatăl său vitreg, un fost polițist, pentru a face bine: urmând „Codul lui Harry”, Dexter ucide doar criminali scăpați de mâna Justiției.
Însă o nouă serie de crime intră în vizorul Poliției, de data Dexter este un individ obișnuit și cu totul neremarcabil... în aparență. În realitate, este un psihopat incapabil să simtă altceva decât plăcerea de a ucide, împins de către „Pasagerul Întunecat” care îl posedă (demon? schizofrenie?); dar este un psihopat ale cărui porniri au fost canalizate de către tatăl său vitreg, un fost polițist, pentru a face bine: urmând „Codul lui Harry”, Dexter ucide doar criminali scăpați de mâna Justiției.
Însă o nouă serie de crime intră în vizorul Poliției, de data aceasta fiind asasinați nevinovați; iar Dexter descoperă cu stupoare nu doar că asasinul rival este la fel de „artist” ca el, ci și că el însuși știe despre crime mai multe decât ar fi normal, iar pe una dintre camerele video este surprins la locul crimei... chiar Dexter.
Volumul a fost ecranizat în prima serie a serialului „Dexter”. Diferențe semnificative există între carte și serial:
1. În serial, Dexter are o natură melancolică, monologurile sale interioare fiind filosofice și chiar triste; cu excepția primului episod, își ucide victimele rapid, fără durere; s-a împăcat cu modul său de viață, care îi aduce liniște.
În carte, monstruozitatea și nebunia lui Dexter sunt mult mai evidente, personajul torturându-și și dezmembrându-și de vii victimele, pe fondul unui monolog interior dominat de veselie dementă; se luptă (deși e conștient de inutilitatea efortului) contra dorinței de a ucide, uneori petrecând o oră întreagă încercând să se autoconvingă să renunțe la o crimă - alteori, nu prea își dă seama ce face, din pricina gândurilor contradictorii care îl bântuie, împleticindu-se confuz și chiar căzând în timpul unei operațiuni.
2. În serial, Pasagerul Întunecat este doar menționat, și pare a avea o natură simbolică. În carte, suntem lăsați să înțelegem că este o entitate reală (sau, dacă nu, o altă personalitate a lui Dexter, dar o personalitate cu puteri paranormale), conferind o latură fantastică poveștii: îi furnizează lui Dexter informații pe care acesta nu avea de unde să le cunoască, îl avertizează de pericol, îl influențează permanent și îl controlează total atunci când reușește să ajungă la „cârmă”, având puteri sporite când este lună plină.
3. Personaje principale în serial apar în carte doar pasager; intriga cărții conține în plus două răsturnări de situație importante (noul criminal e tot Dexter, somnambul ucigând nevinovații pe care „Codul” nu îl lasă să îi omoare în stare de trezie? a permis Dexter uciderea surorii sale?), iar finalul diferă radical (finalul acestui volum va fi reluat, oarecum, în ultimul episod al seriei a șaptea).
4. Deloc surprinzător, având în vedere trendul anticreștin din industria filmului, serialul elimină meticulos orice elemente de gen (oricât de mărunte...), înlocuindu-le conștiincios cu opusul acestora: de pildă, la un moment dat, Dexter îi mulțumește lui Dumnezeu pentru „Cod” și, când un criminal începe să se roage, îl oprește, considerând acțiunea inadecvată; în aceeași scenă, în serial, lipsește mulțumirea adresată lui Dumnezeu, iar rugăciunea ucigașului este împiedicată ironic: „Rugăciunile nu au ajutat niciodată pe nimeni”.
NB Am parcurs varianta în engleză a cărții. Dintre cele două variante în limba română, mi-a atras atenția în mod foarte plăcut titlul „Duios demonicul Dexter”, excelent tradus, deoarece nu păstrează doar lirismul pseudoromantic al originalului, ci și aliterația (D-d-D) care este atât marca ciclului („Darkly Dreaming Dexter”, „Dearly Devoted Dexter” etc.), cât și a gândirii personajului („dear departed Dexter”, „darkly driving Dexter” etc.). ...more

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Mar 09, 2015 Edward Lorn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Thriller and serial killer fans

Recommended to Edward by: John

This is going to be a short review.

I've heard people say that the books are better than the series, but I don't agree. I think they are equally enjoyable, and given how much they branch away from each other come season two/book two, it's easy to call them completely different monsters. The show goes off the rails around season four, and the books become illogical after book two, but both the series are fun, to a point. The final season of the Showtime series was such a disappointment that it is ...more

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Aug 08, 2011 Kim rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Kim by: Michael

Shelves: crime, black-humour, detective, horror, mystery, male-author, 2000s, 2004

Firstly I have never seen the show. Not once, not a single episode. Over the years I've been told to watch it countless times and then told I have to read the books. Well finally I decided to read one.

While it was a good story it always felt like something was missing. I prefer my crime books to have more truth about them. The whole plot point of the dreaming was honestly annoying. It felt like it was there just because the author couldn't think of a clever way of getting Dexter to the crime sce ...more

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Sep 02, 2017 Vivian rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Vivian by: PirateSteve

Shelves: library, thriller, suspense, 2017-odyssey

Anybody can be charming if they don't mind faking it, saying all the stupid, obvious, nauseating things that a conscience keeps most people from saying. Happily, I don't have a conscience. I say them.

And this is both charming and terrifying to read. Delightfully so. Just the right amount of shivers tingling up your spine. Mimicry is such a useful tool and Dexter is quite adept at it. Frankly, I find him refreshing and certainly less boring than most. The puzzles and tidiness, I do like them ve ...more

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Nov 01, 2007 Lauryl rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: people who like thrillers who don't watch the show

Shelves: mystery-crime, fiction, pulp

Yeah, yeah, yeah...
so I picked this up because I saw the Showtime series. I admit, I have become a big fan of the show, which is pretty smart and complex, despite its kind of silly premise. AND it's gruesome, which is always good. The book, however, lacks the depth and character development of the show. I suppose that's one thing that television, as a medium, is actually really good at. The book feels a little flip, and a little silly, andeven though it's the first in a series, it doesn't feel l ...more

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Sep 24, 2007 Lori rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: fricken-awesome

Oh Moon, glorious Moon --- Why did'nt I pick this up when it was first released is beyond me!

I love Dexter and his Dark Passenger. His sarcastic wit, his lizard brain, his fake girlfriend and actual love of little kids. His hobby-related career as a blood-splatter analyst by day, and his moonlighting as a killer of killers by night.

Whats not to love?? If you havent read this book (series) yet, you dont know what your missing! I highly recommend this to everyone.

I am ranking this my #2 favorite ...more

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Apr 14, 2018 Becky rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, ebook_kindle, humorous, mystery-and-thrillers, reviewed, the_south

OK, so I will just get this out of the way: I have NOT seen the show. I don't know a thing about it, except, of course, that Dexter is a murderer. So I had nothing to go on when I started this, which is the way that I like it.

Now that I've read it, I guess I can see why it was made into a show, but I admit that I was a bit let down by it. Not that it was a bad book... I basically read it straight through in two chunks (I had to pause in the middle for my bookclub book) and it was compelling eno ...more

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Jun 16, 2018 Sushi (寿司) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Assolutamente fantastico. L'ho amato un casino. Premetto come ho detto a tutti che non ho visto tutto il drama ma solo qualche episodio sporadico qua e là quando li trovavo.
Intanto mi piace che sia Dexter a narrare la storia e poi non ho mai letto un libro dove è un sociopatico a raccontare il tutto. Il testo è scorrevole e la lettura risulta veloce e non pesante. I capitoli sono corti ma ben gestiti.
Se eravate indecisi se leggerlo o no io personalmente ve lo consiglio.
Spero di trovare il secon ...more

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Jun 16, 2015 Simona Stoica rated it liked it

http://palarisme.ro/chef/carti/72-car...

Cum să nu te captiveze povestea unui criminal în serie care încearcă să prindă un alt criminal în serie, în timp ce omoară, în nopţile libere, alţi criminali în serie? 3.5

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Mar 08, 2017 Serena rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

E' stato riedito con questo titolo ma si tratta del primo capitolo della serie su Dexter, La mano sinistra di Dio. Nonostante lo abbia letto dopo aver visto la serie tv la lettura mi ha totalmente presa. Sarà stato perchè sono una fan accanita del personaggio, ma devo ammettere che è ben scritto. I personggi sono un po' diversi e anche la fine della storia, ma nonostante ciò non mi ha delusa neanche per una riga!

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Dec 30, 2015 Mike rated it really liked it

I sill enjoyed reading Darkly Dreaming Dexter even though I knew what was gong to happen. Because I have watched most of the first season of Dexter on dvd. The good thing is I haven't watch any of the other seasons of Dexter on dvd. So the rest of the books in the series will be new to me. Will read one a month until I finish the series. Only seven more to go, looking forward to it. I gave Darkly Dreaming Dexter 4 stars.

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Jun 11, 2009 Shelby *trains flying monkeys* rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2006, serial-killer-dude

Book with a whole new idea. I actually rooted for the not so bad guy!

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Jul 12, 2015 Sarah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: z2015, movie-is-better, fiction

I really wanted to love this book because the TV show is one of my favourite series but it turns out the show is much better. Usually I go on and on about books being unnecessarily long but this book was too short. It just needed more.

Jeff Lindsay definitely deserves credit for coming up with the character, Dexter but the book could have been so much better. Michael C. Hall's portrayal of Dexter on the tv show was brilliant and so I was worried that I wouldn't like book Dexter but I was wrong. I really wanted to love this book because the TV show is one of my favourite series but it turns out the show is much better. Usually I go on and on about books being unnecessarily long but this book was too short. It just needed more.

Jeff Lindsay definitely deserves credit for coming up with the character, Dexter but the book could have been so much better. Michael C. Hall's portrayal of Dexter on the tv show was brilliant and so I was worried that I wouldn't like book Dexter but I was wrong. Book Dexter was very entertaining. He was creepy, sarcastic, cynical and dark and I loved him. I thought some of his Dark Passenger passages and dream passages were a bit weird. They just seemed a little ridiculous and I can't ever remember thinking that about those passages in the show. Maybe reading the passages rather than listening to them made them sound silly. The book definitely focused on Dexter a bit too much. I would have loved some more from the other characters. I really hope the other books explore the other characters more. In the TV show the other characters were complex characters but in this book they just felt like different versions of incompetent cop stereotypes.

The connection Dexter had to the serial killer was ridiculous. I would have preferred if Dexter used his brilliant mind to track the killer down but instead he just had dreams. While it was kind of cool that his subconscious mind was bringing him back to the past, I just wasn't totally feeling it. I'm not sure I would have liked that at all if I hadn't watched the TV show.

The pacing of this book was all wrong. The start was fast and interesting but then it got slow and sort of boring right up until the very end. The book ended way too fast and then the author wrapped it up with a short epilogue but the author didn't really explain how anything played out... How very convenient for you, Mr. Author.

So I did like the book but it could have been so much better. The idea was very cool but the execution was definitely lacking. Dexter was a great character but I wanted more from him and the other characters. More than anything, this book made me want to watch the series again but I will be reading the other books in the future. I would recommend this book but not to everyone. The TV show is definitely much better. ...more

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Aug 30, 2017 Daniel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Kako kažu važno je imati hobi, nešto čime ispunjavate vreme plus ako time činite svet malo boljim mestom još bolje. Uzmimo našeg dragog gospodina Dextera koji vredno radi relativno težak posao, nema previše slobodnog vremena ai socijalni aspekt nije previše aktivan. Klasičan primer de dobar hobi pomaže da ostane normalan mada u njemu je malčice drugačiji nego kod drugih ljudi... on ubija ubice. Ali samo one koji su stvarno krivi a uspeli su da izbegnu ruku pravde. Kao što rekoh hobi koji pomaže ...more

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Sep 29, 2017 Amirography rated it really liked it

Shelves: by-the-bed-books, novels

A page-turner. I'm a bit hazy on the ending of this book. But I will read the sequels.
I rather enjoyed the book, the narration and the descriptions. Though many aspects of this book are non-scientific, it is enjoyable nonetheless.

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Jan 06, 2012 Megan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: not-mine-library, mystery

Oh, Dexter... where to begin? I should probably disclose that I am a huge fan of the show, and have been for quite a few years. (What show? If anyone really doesn't know, it's a series on Showtime with this wonderfully creepy intro.) So I picked up Darkly Dreaming Dexter with more than a little trepidation. After all, as an avid reader, I am usually that pissed off person fuming that Hollywood makes too many unnecessary changes when transforming a book to either the big or little screen. Once in Oh, Dexter... where to begin? I should probably disclose that I am a huge fan of the show, and have been for quite a few years. (What show? If anyone really doesn't know, it's a series on Showtime with this wonderfully creepy intro.) So I picked up Darkly Dreaming Dexter with more than a little trepidation. After all, as an avid reader, I am usually that pissed off person fuming that Hollywood makes too many unnecessary changes when transforming a book to either the big or little screen. Once in a blue moon the movie adds depth to a novel, but more often than not, the changes seem to be for the worse. In fact, the only instance I can recall thinking that the movie and book complement each other is A Clockwork Orange. But, I digress.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter is the story of Dexter Morgan, serial killer. With a conscience. Sort of. Dexter was adopted and raised by Harry Morgan, a Miami cop. When Dexter was still young Harry noticed signs that he may be troubled but felt that he was a good kid nonetheless. So, Harry instructed Dexter to live life according to a rigid code. Essentially, he taught Dexter how to channel his urge to kill into only going after bad guys, and he also taught him how to avoid being caught. The book takes place when Dexter is twenty eight, and has been enjoying the life of an unknown serial killer for about ten years.

This book is really an introduction to Dexter, his life, and his ways. At first, I loved it. Loved Dexter's stoicism. Loved that in print he is one hundred times more creepy and detached than he is on the show. Although the supporting characters do not play a very large role in the book (so far, at least) it was interesting to see them through author Jeff Lindsay's eyes. But as the book continued, it became...strange. There is a serial killer on the loose. Although Miami homicide is stumped, Dexter feels a kinship with the killer. Is it because he, too is a serial killer and knows how they think? Or is it an unexplained psychic bond with the killer? (view spoiler) The title, Darkly Dreaming Dexter, refers quite literally to Dexter's dark dreams. It will be interesting if this angle is more fully explored in future books. However, as they are introduced in this book, they come across as poorly explained vaguely paranormal filler. In addition, when the climax of the story was reached, and the good(?) guys were in direct confrontation with the bad(?) guys it simply... ended. The next chapter was at least a few days later. Wha-what? Lindsay reveals the basics of what happened, but not the details. Frankly, I felt that this was a cheap trick. As if he knew how to create a mess, but not how to get his characters out of it. That alone is such a poor writing trick that it lowered this rating from four stars to three.

I can't say that this is a novel I wholeheartedly recommend. If I were to read it as a standalone book, having never seen the television show... I'm not sure how well I would like it. Dexter is a complex and fascinating guy, no doubt. And Lindsay deserves kudos for coming up with the concept. Unfortunately the written execution of Dexter and his story leave a little to be desired. Dexter does the emotionless sociopath thing just a little too well here. There simply isn't any character development.

However, maybe there will be changes in book two? After all, I know where the show is going and what is in store for Dexter. Although there are some huge differences between the show and the book, (as in life and death differences) (view spoiler) the show being based on the novels lead me to believe that they both are headed in the same general direction. Or not :) I guess I will find out because despite my love/disappointment with this novel, the show ended on one heck of a fucking cliffhanger this season. Hopefully reading these books during the offseason will sate my Dexter obsession until next September!
...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
HMSA Summer Reading: Spoilers: Dexter	3	13	Aug 08, 2016 11:55PM
2015 Reading Chal...: Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay	11	25	Dec 14, 2015 07:38PM
Getting back onto BCF , Dex	1	15	Oct 08, 2015 03:25PM
Darkly Dreaming Dexter	2	27	Oct 06, 2015 06:14AM
2017 Reading Chal...: Darkly Dreaming Dexter By Jeff Lindsay	1	14	Aug 24, 2015 12:07PM
2017 Reading Chal...: Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay	2	15	May 15, 2015 10:34PM

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About Jeff Lindsay

Jeff Lindsay

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Jeff Lindsay lives in Florida with his wife, author Hilary Hemingway, daughter of Leicester Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway's brother.

Lindsay is best known for writing the Dexter series of novels. Several of his earlier published works include his wife as a co-author.

Jeff graduated from Middlebury College, Vermont, in 1975, and Celebration Mime Theatre's Clown School the same year. He received a doub ...more

Other books in the series

Dexter (8 books)

Books by Jeff Lindsay

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“Weren't we all crazy in our sleep? What was sleep, after all, but the process by which we dumped our insanity into a dark subconscious pit and came out on the other side ready to eat cereal instead of our neighbor's children?” — 278 likes

“I'm not sure what I am. I just know there's something dark in me. I hide it. I certainly don't talk about it, but it's there always, this Dark Passenger. And when he's driving, I feel alive, half sick with the thrill of complete wrongness. I don't fight him, I don't want to. He's all I've got. Nothing else could love me, not even... especially not me. Or is that just a lie the Dark Passenger tells me? Because lately there are these moments when I feel connected to something else... someone. It's like the mask is slipping and things... people... who never mattered before are suddenly starting to matter. It scares the hell out of me.” — 257 likes

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