Book: Darlky Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay


Lightweight crime novel about a serial killer who works for the Miami police

Jeff Lindsay
Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Doubleday, 2004
ISBN: 0-385-51123-X
$22.95
288 pages

In Darkly Dreaming Dexter the narrator, Dexter Morgan, is a crime-scene technician with the Miami police department. He's also a serial killer. But he's not your ordinary serial killer. He only kills serial killers. That would be a good enough premise for an entertaining crime novel if you ask me, but in the middle of the book Mr Lindsay throws in a twist. I thought I had the twist figured out, but I turned out to be quite wrong.

When Dexter narrates, there's some wit that's reminiscent of Carl Hiassen, another writer of lightweight crime novels set in Miami. For example:

    Another beautiful Miami day. Mutilated corpses with a chance
    of afternoon showers. (p. 173)

and

    Since he had only one dark eyebrow running all the way
    across his face and no apparent forehead, I decided it would
    be a very good idea to go along with his wishes. He looked to
    be just the sort of dull-witted brute who might shoot an innocent
    person -- or even me. (pp. 224-225)

A couple of times, Mr Lindsay gives us Dexter's stream of consciousness and I think that's rather less successful. I haven't the first idea what a serial-killer's stream of consciousness would sound like, but for whatever reason I didn't find it compelling. Happily, there's just a few pages of that and they go by quickly. Darkly Dreaming Dexter is an evening or two's fun entertainment.

Posted: Mon - September 6, 2004 at 02:17   Main   Category: 

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