Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay Book Review

Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Dexter #1) by Jeff Lindsay 

Synopsis 

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 victims. But when a series of brutal murders bearing a striking similarity to his own style start turning up, Dexter is caught between being flattered and being frightened -- of himself or some other fiend.

Opinion

Well shit (pardon my french), but, in short, that's about as eloquently as I can put it. Okay, let me backtrack a minute. So, to start things off, let me admit to a blaring fact, I enjoyed the TV show much more than this book. What? How is that possible, you may ask. Well, let me explain. 

For one, this book is far too short. FAR TOO SHORT. 288 pages in this small paperback book is not enough to give this story justice. The first season of the show was full of so many twists and turns, and dare I say, surprises. The book, however, probably had like one surprise in it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this book, but I believe that the main reason I did was for the nostalgia of the show I once loved (why I don't love it anymore is such a spoiler). Regardless, my enjoyment of the book was heavily carried by my enjoyment of the show. Like I said, the it just had so much more muchness to it than the book. 

Two, the character are flat...again this goes back to the show. Yes, I believe Lindsay really got into parts of the innate creepiness and dark minded Dexter, however it was not quite enough for me. I mean, c'mon, he's a wolf in sheeps skin, and he's portrayed as a man with a conscious built by another. Don't get me wrong, I get why Harry was such a big deal to him and that he has this "dark passenger" in the back of his brain basically making him kill people, but it makes it seem like Dexter himself isn't all that bad and he just has a different kind of itch to scratch. I mean, I guess in some ways he really isn't all that bad, thanks to Harry. But he's basically a sociopathic serial killer writing the book on how to act normal and not get caught. Still...I wanted him to be darker. Is that wrong? 

Three, I just liked where they went with the show much better. I prefer where they went with the 'Ice Truck Killer' (deemed by the tv show), making him seem much darker, and showing way more into the thought processes of how these people think. Also, Deborah was given way more chances to kind of be a badass, in the books she was to reliant on Dexter to help her be a cop. 

All in the book was good but I think it would have been better if I hadn't watched (most of) the tv series first. I'd have to give this book a 3.5/5 on its own...the show is pretty awesome though...just sayin'.