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Feb
10
Audiobook Review: Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
2010 at 12am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Remember when my awesome secret Santa sent me this but made me think I was getting a Nicholas Sparks book?
Best joke anyone has played on me in a while.
And its results were completely delightful because I got to spend 8 hours and 25 minutes of otherwise boring stop-and-go car time enjoying it. Jazz assured me that the plotline of the book was significantly different from that of the TV series (on Showtime…if you’re not watching it or at least renting the DVDs, you are missing out, baby) and that I wouldn’t get the two confused, and she was right.
Dearly Devoted Dexter is the second installment in Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter series, and it begins, of course, with the introduction of a mysterious serial killer whom Dexter wants to catch before his hardworking colleagues at the Miami P.D. (where he works as a blood spatter analyst) have a chance.
(For those unfamiliar: the basic premise of the Dexter series is that Dexter is a serial killer who only kills other killers, justifying his urge to kill with the knowledge that he removes dangerous predators from the streets and never takes an innocent life.)
In this case, the killer has connections to Dexter’s colleague Sergeant Doakes from back in his military days, and he seems to be systematically tracking down a group of individuals he feels have betrayed him very deeply. What he does to them, I won’t tell you….but yowza! It’s a doozy.
This story reminded me that books can be much more gruesome than television because TV series, even on Showtime, are limited in what they can depict onscreen. But books? Books know no limits….which is how I ended up squirming my way through several key scenes of this one and loving every minute of it. Really, there’s no way I can imagine seeing on TV the images I had in my head as I listened to this. It takes a lot to shock me, but this just might do it.
(Now is probably a good time to mention that one must be a little bit twisted and have an appreciation for very dark humor in order to really “get” Dexter.)
I also really enjoyed getting a deeper look at Dexter’s understanding of his condition and his total lack of emotions. The show makes it clear that this is the case, but hearing him ponder it and strategically plan his every move in order to appear normal was very compelling and really appealed to my psychologist background.
Narrator Nick Landrum does a very nice job with the story and the many characters’ voices. I found his rendering of Sergeant Doakes particularly skillful and right in line with the character I know from Showtime. But there’s really no competing with Michael C. Hall’s perfectly dry delivery and fascinating portrayal of this complex character, and I found myself wishing he were narrating the audiobook. I’m used to hearing Dexter’s voice a certain way, and Landrum didn’t quite do it for me. This wouldn’t be a problem, though, if I weren’t familiar with the TV show, and it certainly won’t keep me from recommending Dearly Devoted Dexter to other audiobook fans in search of something different.
I am an IndieBound affiliate and will receive a (very small) commission if you purchase Dearly Devote Dexter through one of my links.
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I’ve never seen the TV show, but the whole idea appeals to me. And I’ve also heard these books are incredible. I know what you are talking about with the narration. Once you’ve got your heart set on a character’s voice, it is hard to get past that.
I haven’t seen the series, but I think I would enjoy the books.
I only watched a few episodes of Dexter before it wandered out of the reach of my attention span. These books sound interesting though. I like the idea of a self aware Dexter talking himself through his own condition.
I think we get little glimpses of that Dexter in the show, but it is much more present in the book. Hope you enjoy!
I’ve never read anything by this author, but your review makes me want to ; thanks for the great review.
I really enjoyed the first two Dexters. The third, not so much.
Why is that?
I love love love “Dexter” the TV show and pretty much abandoned reading the books after the first one because I loved the show so much and the storylines departed ways quite a bit. I cannot hear anyone but Michael C. Hall as Dexter. This is one case where I like the TV show better than the book. And did you see this year’s season finale? HOLY COW!
Boyfriend and I just finished watching the first season of Dexter and liked it a lot. The CSI and emotional parts of it appealed to me, and Boyfriend liked the awkward humor we get when Dexter tried to fake what he can’t possibly understand. I wondered if I should try the books, but maybe the descriptions would be too much for me… I’m not sure on that one. It would definitely be hard not to imagine Dexter as Michael C. Hall though!
I’m so with you, Jenners. The show is fantastic, and this season was exceptional. What an ending. I don’t know if it’s still up, but right after the finale, there was a great interview with John Lithgow on the showtime website.
Oh dear Dexter, he’s such a guilty little pleasure. You’re right I think you have to be a little “twisted” as you say to get him. Sometimes while watching the show I stop myself, thinking, “Oh my god, he’s killing people and I’m rooting for him not to get caught!” I love the show so much I’m actually kind of afraid to read the books.
Haven’t heard about this series before. I really like the premise. Just about every crime story has a certain suggestion of this concept. The bad guy who you can root for because he’s relatively good compared to the other bad guys. This sounds like a more honest and straightforward approach to using that particular plot device and I can see how it would lead the plot in strange new directions. Being unafraid to use plot devices in an obvious and shameless way can be very liberating for an author.
[...] Audiobook Review: Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay [...]