Before Showtime came along and made it into the "hottest new show on television" (I'm sure someone said that), Dexter was the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay. (Side note: locate the version with the cover shown and check out the author photo. Worst. Photo. Ever.)So what if you've seen the show? I'm still going to tell you about the book.
Dexter Morgan is a blood-spatter analyst in Miami, even though he hates blood and is also a serial killer who saves a drop of each victim's blood on a slide, even though he hates blood. (You do find out why he hates blood, but I won't spoil it for you.) Crime-solver by day, crime-maker by night. Simple enough, right? What keeps this book from being overly formulaic is who Dexter kills, how he rationalizes it and how he fits into society. Dexter only kills people who deserve it: murderers, child molesters and abusers that the police weren't able to catch. But he does it so well, no one in Miami realizes there a serial killer out there, disposing of these criminals.
But on to the how. Dexter perfected his art of killing through the careful guidance of his adoptive father, Harry. Early on, Harry discovered "what" Dexter was and taught him how to control the urge to kill and, when it rose, how to channel it into something productive, almost good. With Harry's help, Dexter also learned how to blend into society, how to pretend he had a heart and soul and feelings, how to be so inconspicuous no one would ever think him capable of the things he does. And Dexter is careful; he wants to follow the Code of Harry and get rid of the bad guys, but also needs to satisfy his own urges. He's a planner and he makes the most of his time with his victims.
In the book, Dexter works with the Miami police to catch a serial killer that ends up playing games - mind and otherwise - with Dexter. Through first-person narration, the reader is brought into Dexter's world as he delights in this new playmate that has appeared while trying to keep up appearances at work. It is this clever narration that moves the book above being just another serial killer book. Although the narration can drone on a bit at times, it really is what makes the book interesting. It allows you to see the two sides to Dexter, and even though he's a killer, you can't help but like him. He's funny, he's charming, he's a little OCD. But as the book reaches its climax and you discover more about Dexter, his new playmate and his past, you start to see him fall apart and show weakness, almost become - human.
While I found the most interesting element of the book to be the relationship between Dexter and the elusive killer, the supporting characters add their own spice. Deborah is Dexter's sister and a cop, like Harry, who wants desperately to catch the killer to prove herself a homicide detective. Lieutenant LaGuerta is consistently incompetent with a major crush on Dexter (who can't quite wrap his head around this idea of attraction). But Dexter does have a girlfriend, Rita, who is perfect for him due to being beaten by her ex-husband, which left her with no interest in any kind of intimacy. Sergeant Doakes has it out for Dexter and Deborah and, well, everyone it seems. And Harry, who has since died, appears in flashbacks and provides insight into how Dexter became the nice, polite, attractive, tidy, diligent, hard-working serial killer he is.
Despite the author photo, Jeff Lindsay writes in an engaging and compelling way, making you want to keep reading not just because you want to know whodunit, but because you actually like Dexter.
(I also watch the show, of course, but I only get the censored version on CTV. I've been told the uncut version is far superior. I can believe this; my favourite censored line so far is "mother lover".)
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