Dexter by Design

I have read the other Dexter novels and I have enjoyed them. So I am no stranger the the character and the depth to which the novelist is willing to go.

However, within the first 15 minutes (or so) of this novel you are assaulted by a very violent, very graphic act of absolute craziness and insanity. (Just an FYI, be prepared)

I almost stopped listening there out of pure disgust, but once I was past it most of the novel was pretty good.

The ending is of course a 'cliff hanger' leaving you wanting more Dexter.

The narrator is the same from the other novels and does a good job.

I give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Now the 1 episode I've seen makes more sense. Clever book, though almost sounds like it was written with TV in mind. A few times it was predictable, sometimes a bit too repetitive, but many giggles as I listened. Didn't answer a few obvious questions, but, just go with the flow. One other character's voice reminds me of Puddy, Elaine's boyfriend, from Seinfeld. I always loved him anyway. Dark, but sarcastic humor. I enjoyed it.

I have enjoyed all of the Dexter books. The first and second were the best. The third went off in a different direction but this one is the Dexter of old. He didn't "play" in this one as much as in 1 & 2 and it could have been more humorous. If you haven't read any yet go back and read the first one (Darkly Dreaming Dexter) before you try this one.

Well,it seems as though some people reviewing this book expected something other then Dexter. If you like the show - you will like this book. If you liked the other books - you will like this book. This is not a literary masterpiece, nor should it be. It's DEXTER. It was mindless entertainment just as it was meant to be!

Okay, I think I may officially be hooked on this Dexter (vs. the Showtime Dexter). The overall story line has some pretty drastic differences, and they are quickly becoming plot lines I want to get to the conclusions of! I originally began watching with Season 5, and went back and watched 1-4 after. So the next book should be where I initially came in - very excited about this! :)

I want to compare these plot differences so much! But I don't want to include any spoilers in my review. I can say that this Dexter's sense of humor is only getting better with time, and I have to catch myself from literally laughing out loud when I'm listening to my audiobooks in public! In fact, his sarcastic, smart-ass attitude is SO exaggerated I'm having a hard time imagining him looking anything like Michael C. Hall! Yes, it's safe to say that this Dexter has officially established himself in my mind as a separate entity and I love it!

Dark humor, comedy, sarcasm, and a great story are all here. If you can laugh at the dark humor, this series is for you!!!

Whereas the last book went for the bizarre and supernatural, this book required that the reader totally suspend disbelief, especially at the end. I did like this book better than Dexter in the Dark but I'm not sure if I will continue with the series.

Overall, the story is okay. Dexter has gone back to his non-supernatural storyline so that's a good thing but... the story is not as good as the others in the series. I think this is mostly because Dexter does dumb things that are out of character for Dexter, but if he didn't do them, the story could not progress as it did. So it looks like the author changed Dexter for the sake of the story - making him dumber - because otherwise there'd be no suspense at all.

Like... Dexter is constantly in situations where he has to justify why he's even at the location. Once it's at the school, at child pickup time, and he spends time sputtering on about why he's there... none of which makes sense 'cause all he has to say is that he's there to pick up the kids... who can argue with that? But, of course, there's no suspense if Dexter can justify his presence.

Anyway, there were scenes that made me chuckle and while the story was a bit unbelievable, it was still entertaining. Same narration as the other books - sounds like what you'd expect Dexter to sound like.

I had to get this because I'm such a fan of the show. This got back to the heart of "Dexter" - and it was okay, but I can't say that I HAD to listen to it. It was slow and hardly engaging - but it was MUCH better than the last one (which isn't saying much).

Interesting twists involving Rita and the kids.

I really DID enjoy this book - there was shock and suspense a'plenty, but Dexter seemed "different" somehow, and I read the first three books only a few months ago. While listening, I wondered if the author was keeping the TV show in mind when he writes now, and I preferred the 'old' Dexter. Still, it's a good story even though we're asked to suspend a lot of disbelief in the actions of the authorities, but heck - that's just Dexter's luck. I do hope this is the last of the kinder, gentler Dexter though.