Darkly Dreaming Dexter

by: Jeff Lindsay

Dexter is now a popular show in it’s third season on showtime, but the show was inspired by a novel written by Jeff Lindsay about a sociopath serial killer, who essentially only murdered the “evil doer”. If I hadn’t read so many of her books myself I wouldn’t have seen the parallels between vampires in Anne Rice novels and Dexter, but they do exist.

Dexter is a blood splatter specialist for the Miami forensic department. But what the department doesn’t know is they have their very own serial killer right under their noses. Dexter. At a young age Dexter and his foster father recognized his urges to kill. After a certain amount of time when it was obvious the urges wouldn’t disappear, Dexter began to utilize his talents against those whom the law had yet not caught or could not punish. And afterwards, when he’d finished his methodical and almost musical routine, he saved himself a souvenir. A drop of blood from each victim.

What makes this book so remarkable and sets it apart from other books about serial killers is the narrative by Dexter himself. Not only is he charismatic, he’s handsome, likable, and quite funny. While the book certainly maintains a serious tone, it balances the lightness and darkness perfectly. The most interesting part is Dexter’s self knowledge of his own lifeless detachment to society, but in some ways it gives him a completely clear picture of reality.

The manner in which I would compare it to an Anne Rice vampire novel is Dexter reminds me of my all-time favorite literary anti-hero Lestat de Lioncourt. He is more than aware of his evilness, but embraces it in a way that not only makes the reader adore him, but even love him. I seldom see characters so rich with charisma that are essentially so empty and dead inside. It impresses me to no end the talents both Rice and Lindsay have to make such things possible. The icing on the cake is the humour that bounces off such dark stories. And it works.

I absolutely adored this offbeat novel and would recommend to anyone who has a slightly irregular sense of humour or obsession with serial killers.