Pros: Who doesn't
want to see the bad guys get it?
Cons: Abrupt
shift in ending left a few odd questions unanswered.
The Bottom Line:
Proof that karma isn't a b*tch - it's a killer
I’d been meaning to pick this one up for quite some time.
I’d seen a few episodes of the show and knew it was based off Jeff Lindsey’s
novels. And the books are always better,
right? And what’s not to like about a
guy who offs sickos and murderers?
As we open, Dexter has already been doing this for quite
some time. He has a semi-moral code:
only kill the bad guys. He sticks to it
and he’s good at what he does. It helps
that he works with the police department – gives him a lead on potential
victims. Except there’s a new guy in
town and it’s almost like he could be Dexter’s clone. In fact, he’s so good at what he does Dexter
is in awe of his work. But of course
Dexter shouldn’t be looking to make friends, he’s supposed to be helping his
sister the cop find this guy, right?
Right?
It’s interesting because it’s hard not to like Dexter yet at
the same time it’s obvious he’s so far outside the “norm” of human behavior and
thought processes that at some points you start thinking, “Whoa. Not cool.”
Remember, this book is written from Dexter’s point of view, so you get some
rather special insights into what is going on in his mind. It’s interesting to see how Dexter ended up
the way he is, although you don’t get the full picture until the very end of
the story. Still, it’s amazing what the
right influences can do. There’s an
interesting, albeit creepy cat-and-mouse game going on between him and the
killer and you’ll never know what exactly is going on until the end. It is possible to guess although you may be
like me and dismiss the thought when it comes into your head with a, “That’s
silly.” Apparently it’s not and you’ll quickly learn why. Some may argue that the end reveal is a bit
cliché, but I think Lindsay pulls it off well enough that even if it does at
first, it doesn’t stay that way.
My only issues were Dexter’s sister Deborah and the way the
end was handled. Deb seems as though
she’s supposed to come off as this hardcore cop when to me she actually looks
rather stupid in many cases. At others
when she speaks up in front of superiors, rather than looking confident and
acting like she does the rest of the time, she’s meek and stumbles over what
she’s wants to say. Are you a tough cop
or aren’t you? Please pick a side and be
consistent.
The other thing was the very abrupt shift in the end. I know what Lindsey was trying to do, but I
ended up with a lot of questions that didn’t get answered – some of which were
rather important. From the fate of the
bad guy (er, so to speak), to what Deb’s reaction was to what went down (seems
rather important to me), there’s no addressing of these things. Maybe they get addressed in the second book
though, so I’m willing to let that slide for now.
The question now is, will I read the second book? Perhaps in the future, but I admit – as much
as I enjoy seeing Dexter wipe icky people off the map, he’s going to face some
equally icky people that the police force will have to catch. And honestly, I can only read so many books
about creepers killing women (because let’s face it, we women are always the
targets of these sickos), you know?
NT
Notes from the playlist: "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men
2 comments:
You know, my brother has the same complexion, same hair colour and same features as Dexter... and a few years back, I gave him a Dexter calendar for Christmas; and when Mum wanted a photo, he pulled a face and he looked exactly like Dexter..... spooky! :/
Hahah! That's awesome and creepy at the same time.
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