Jeff Lindsay - Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Pros: Great sense of humour. Some truly horrifying and chilling moments.

Cons: Having to wait to get my hands on the sequel.

The Bottom Line: A truly sinister tale of a serial killer with his own unique morality. What's scary is that you like him.

Review: After reading and hearing some rave reviews about Showtime's series Dexter, and seeing bits and pieces of the series on commerical television, I knew I had to get back to the source -- author Jeff Lindsay's novels about Dexter Morgan, your ...

Pros: Fine mix of comedy and macabre. Structure and pacing is ideal. Miami setting.

Cons: Less domestic humor opportunity than second series entry Dearly Devoted Dexter.

The Bottom Line: Is the next wave of popular culture getting more bizarre, or simply oozing from the mind of a more open, talented and entertaining lot?

Review: Far be it for me to side with the serial-killing criminal element of any stripe. The Devil only knows the extent of such horrors that occur throughout the world. Here in the crumbling Bay State, “home of the bean and the cod”, we host ...

Pros: Excellent writing, character development

Cons: Not for the squeamish

The Bottom Line: Dexter Morgan is a unique character in literature and his story is fascinating.

Review: I "discovered" Jeff Lindsay's "Dexter" series very recently. I first heard a nice NPR review of the Showtime series now being shown in a slightly sanitized version on CBS. After watching each episode this past several weeks, I decided to go to the ...

Pros: Exciting, fun and very funny

Cons: Perhaps some might find it too disturbing?

The Bottom Line: Charming and very funny. I had a ball reading this one.

Review: When I tell people that I’ve been reading a series of books about a serial murderer, they usually give me a certain look. It’s basically a frown with a furrowed brow, and they quickly change the subject. “No, you don’t ...

Pros: top notch narrative

Cons: a little too much alliteration

The Bottom Line: You've never read a thriller like this before.

Review: *Darkly Dreaming Dexter, $22.95, deftly documented by *Jeff Lindsay -- is the best hardback I've read this year! In fact, I think it's the best debut book I've read since 1985, when I found Jonathan Kellerman's *When The Bough ...

Pros: Enriches the story told by the Showtime series.

Cons: I thought the description of Deborah Morgan was a bit pale.

The Bottom Line: Although the basic nature of the book is graphic, the author doesn't go overboard with gore. This is a most engaging read.

Review: I spent some of my birthday money to pick up a couple of Dexter books. I've enjoyed the series on Showtime and ordered this book without reading very much about it. Now I'm glad that I didn't read much about it. I probably wouldn't have ordered it and ...

Pros: Excellent anti-hero, short, sharp chapters.

Cons: Formulaic supporting characters.

The Bottom Line: An excellent alternative to the long windedness of a Koontz or King.

Review: Darkly Dreaming Dexter is my favourite kind of book...a free one! Received as a mystery gift from a book club I approached this crime/thriller with some trepidation. It was by Jeff Lindsay, a new author I had never heard of in a genre I find rarely ...

Pros: Great characters, situations, research and a caseload of irony

Cons: None

The Bottom Line: This book should appeal to readers of the macabre and literature alike due to its content and sophistication. Buy the book if you're either.

Review: I first learned of Dexter by overhearing some commentary on television about a Showtime original series based on characters in a novel about a policeman who is also a serial killer who only kills other serial killers. The possibilities were intriguing. I ...

Pros: A fast-paced first person account of a serial killer.

Cons: Sometimes seemed too out of character.

The Bottom Line: A psychological thriller with a difference, this one told completely from the perspective of the killer.

Review: As the name of the book suggests, Darkly Dreaming Dexter is a disturbing story that delves deeply into the mind of a killer, namely Dexter Morgan. Alternately macabre and wryly amusing, Jeff Lindsay’s debut novel is a thriller that puts ...

Pros: Great lead character, darkly funny

Cons: Quite brutal, some cookie cutter characters

The Bottom Line: For a debut novel, this is a great book. It has already spawned a sequel book and a Showtime series.

Review: Jeff Lindsay’s Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2001) is a very twisted story about a serial killer who happens to be a forensic scientist with the Miami Police Department. This novel was the inspiration for the series Dexter which currently airs on ...