A review by _forestofpages
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Started out really great, engaging, dark, humorous. The premise had me hooked, but about 30% in I realized nothing was really happening. I hate to compare but as I am a massive fan of the show adaptation I was hoping the book would be as entertaining and complex especially in the psychology and investigative ways the show is, but the book has none of that. 

The characters are boring and stereotypical, and all of the women are either cold or stupid. Save for Rita who is mentioned three times and then is never given page time or development. All of the other characters are 1d cutouts of people who are all sharing a single braincell. There isn't even an investigation, nothing about forensics or splatter patterns, nothing at all. 

The reveal for the killer felt empty and emotionless just as much as Dexter was the whole book. There were no clue's or hints as to the identity of the killer throughout the book. I hate a mystery with no foreshadowing, because I know that the twist or reveal will be either completely unrealistic or only for shock value which is how the ending felt, especially that vague epilogue. 

Debra Morgan's character to me was particularly annoying. She treated her brother like crap, was angry and cruel to everyone, had no personality beyond being mad and talking about her promotion every five seconds. She had zero character development. 

And one more thing, for a novel about a prolific serial killer there was a serious lack of murder going on. At least when compared to the show. 

The 2.5 rating is for the first 50 pages or so which were pretty solid and a good setup and introduction; I did enjoy the writing at that stage as well. Sadly, it all went downhill from there. My advice is to just watch the show which is infinitely better. 

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