Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Encyclopedia
Darkly Dreaming Dexter is a 2004 novel by Jeff Lindsay
, the first in his series about serial killer
Dexter Morgan
. It has formed the basis of the Showtime television series Dexter
and won the 2005 Dilys Award
and the 2007 'Book to TV' award.
, Dexter Morgan
, works for the Miami-Dade Police Department
as a forensic blood spatter pattern analyst. In his spare time, Dexter is a serial killer
who kills murderers, rapists and other such undesirables he believes have escaped justice.
Dexter's murders are directed by an inner voice he refers to as the "Dark Passenger", who keeps prodding Dexter to kill something. Once he has done so, the voice is satisfied for a while, but always comes back.
Flashbacks reveal that his foster father, a police detective named Harry Morgan, recognized early on that Dexter was a violent sociopath
with an innate need to kill, and taught him how to kill people who have gotten away with murder as a way to channel his homicidal urges in a "positive" direction. Harry also taught the boy to be a careful, meticulous killer, to leave no clues, and to be absolutely sure his victims are guilty before killing them. Dexter calls these rules "the code of Harry."
Dexter manages his double life reasonably well for years, but his idyll is disturbed when he becomes involved in homicide investigation in which a serial killer is preying on Miami's prostitutes. As the "Tamiami Slasher" rampages through the city, he begins sending messages to Dexter, who finds the series of terrifying crimes engrossing and fascinating. Meanwhile, his adoptive sister Deborah sees the series of murders as her ticket out of the Vice unit and into Homicide
. Dexter is torn between helping her catch the killer and a desire to sit back and admire the artistry and skill of a fellow killer's work.
story narrated by a serial killer.
Dexter claims to be devoid of human emotion, but he does harbor feelings of a sort for the people in his life, including his foster sister Deborah, his girlfriend Rita (who he supposedly dates solely to gain the appearance of a normal social life), and Rita's children, Astor and Cody. By the novel's climax
, he admits to himself that he is "fond" of them, the closest he can get to feeling love.
As a narrator, Dexter has a sense of black humor, even as the story turns grim. He also uses numerous alliterative
phrases, typically featuring three prominent D sounds (e.g. Darkly Dreaming Dexter, The Dark DefenDer).
on the cable network Showtime. Whereas the first season largely followed the plot of the original book, the second, third, fourth, and fifth seasons featured original storylines not directly based on subsequent "Dexter" novels.
Darkly Dreaming Dexter was also featured on an episode of Booked, a Canadian
television series that investigates crime fiction novels through the eyes of real forensic science experts.
presented by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
Jeff Lindsay (writer)
Jeff Lindsay is the pen name of American playwright and crime novelist Jeffry P. Freundlich , best known for his novels about sociopathic vigilante Dexter Morgan. Many of his earlier published works include his wife Hilary Hemingway as a co-author. His wife is the niece of Ernest Hemingway and an...
, the first in his series about serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Dexter Morgan
Dexter Morgan
Dexter Morgan is a fictional character in a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay, including Darkly Dreaming Dexter , Dearly Devoted Dexter , Dexter in the Dark , Dexter by Design , Dexter is Delicious and Double Dexter...
. It has formed the basis of the Showtime television series Dexter
Dexter (TV series)
Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
and won the 2005 Dilys Award
Dilys Award
The Dilys Award have been presented every year since 1992 by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. It is given to the mystery title of the year which the member booksellers have most enjoyed selling. The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association is an association of retail businesses...
and the 2007 'Book to TV' award.
Plot summary
The novel's protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, Dexter Morgan
Dexter Morgan
Dexter Morgan is a fictional character in a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay, including Darkly Dreaming Dexter , Dearly Devoted Dexter , Dexter in the Dark , Dexter by Design , Dexter is Delicious and Double Dexter...
, works for the Miami-Dade Police Department
Miami-Dade Police Department
The Miami-Dade Police Department , formerly known as the Metro-Dade County Police Department , Dade County Public Safety Department and the Dade County Sheriff's Office is a Limited Service County Police Department serving Miami-Dade County, Florida's unincorporated areas, although they have...
as a forensic blood spatter pattern analyst. In his spare time, Dexter is a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who kills murderers, rapists and other such undesirables he believes have escaped justice.
Dexter's murders are directed by an inner voice he refers to as the "Dark Passenger", who keeps prodding Dexter to kill something. Once he has done so, the voice is satisfied for a while, but always comes back.
Flashbacks reveal that his foster father, a police detective named Harry Morgan, recognized early on that Dexter was a violent sociopath
Antisocial personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder is described by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition , as an Axis II personality disorder characterized by "...a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood...
with an innate need to kill, and taught him how to kill people who have gotten away with murder as a way to channel his homicidal urges in a "positive" direction. Harry also taught the boy to be a careful, meticulous killer, to leave no clues, and to be absolutely sure his victims are guilty before killing them. Dexter calls these rules "the code of Harry."
Dexter manages his double life reasonably well for years, but his idyll is disturbed when he becomes involved in homicide investigation in which a serial killer is preying on Miami's prostitutes. As the "Tamiami Slasher" rampages through the city, he begins sending messages to Dexter, who finds the series of terrifying crimes engrossing and fascinating. Meanwhile, his adoptive sister Deborah sees the series of murders as her ticket out of the Vice unit and into Homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
. Dexter is torn between helping her catch the killer and a desire to sit back and admire the artistry and skill of a fellow killer's work.
Narrative style
Darkly Dreaming Dexter features a first-personFirst-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
story narrated by a serial killer.
Dexter claims to be devoid of human emotion, but he does harbor feelings of a sort for the people in his life, including his foster sister Deborah, his girlfriend Rita (who he supposedly dates solely to gain the appearance of a normal social life), and Rita's children, Astor and Cody. By the novel's climax
Climax (narrative)
The Climax is the point in the story where the main character's point of view changes, or the most exciting/action filled part of the story. It also known has the main turning point in the story...
, he admits to himself that he is "fond" of them, the closest he can get to feeling love.
As a narrator, Dexter has a sense of black humor, even as the story turns grim. He also uses numerous alliterative
Alliteration
In language, alliteration refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of Three or more words or phrases. Alliteration has historically developed largely through poetry, in which it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to...
phrases, typically featuring three prominent D sounds (e.g. Darkly Dreaming Dexter, The Dark DefenDer).
Television series
The novel was the basis for a TV seriesDexter (TV series)
Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
on the cable network Showtime. Whereas the first season largely followed the plot of the original book, the second, third, fourth, and fifth seasons featured original storylines not directly based on subsequent "Dexter" novels.
Darkly Dreaming Dexter was also featured on an episode of Booked, a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television series that investigates crime fiction novels through the eyes of real forensic science experts.
Differences between the book and the television series
| Book | TV series |
|---|---|
| The character of LaGuerta is named Midgia LaGuerta and is a detective. She is more forceful with her feelings for Dexter and after he spurns her advances, she catches him looking for Deborah at the ship yard. | She is named María LaGuerta and is a lieutenant. She has a slight crush on Dexter, and Doakes is the one who catches Dexter at the ship yard looking for Deborah. |
| Deborah seems to suspect that there is something "wrong" about Dexter and eventually discovers his secret. | As of Season 5, Deborah only knows that Dexter is hiding something. |
| Brian Moser kidnaps Deborah, kills LaGuerta and escapes. | Brian Moser dates Deborah, proposes to her and then kidnaps her so that he and Dexter can kill her together, which Dexter refuses to do. Dexter kills Brian. |
| The string of prostitute murders are committed by the Tamiami Slasher. | The killer is named the Ice Truck Killer. |
Awards and nominations
Darkly Dreaming Dexter won the 2005 Dilys AwardDilys Award
The Dilys Award have been presented every year since 1992 by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. It is given to the mystery title of the year which the member booksellers have most enjoyed selling. The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association is an association of retail businesses...
presented by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.