Dexter - Bev Russell, Library Director

(This column appeared in the February 21, 2010, Star-Herald)

I just finished reading Jeff Lindsay’s “Dexter By Design” and let me make this perfectly clear—Dexter is not for everyone. Dexter Morgan is a Miami police department blood-spatter expert, but there is more to Dexter than meets the eye. Dexter is also a serial killer—a very unusual serial killer. He only kills the bad guys.

Dexter Morgan comes from a police family. He is the adopted son of a police detective. When he was young, Dexter’s father discovered his son’s unique proclivity for dismemberment. Dexter enjoyed killing and dissecting animals; therefore, his father raised him to become a vigilante serial killer. Now, Dexter dispatches those killers, who have somehow evaded the law.

To the world Dexter appears to be the perfect gentleman. He has an ironic sense-of-humor, is attractive but is indifferent to female attention. He is trying to perfect his disguise as a normal human being. Dex is supportive of his sister Deb, also a Miami cop, and was recently married to Rita, his girlfriend. He is raising her two children, Astor and Cody; however, Dexter recognizes in them a similar predisposition to his unusual talents. They are his little Dexters-in-training. Inside Dexter there lives a monster, which Dexter calls his Dark Passenger. The Dark Passenger urges him to commit an occasional dismemberment. Dex’s job as a blood-splatter expert allows him to keep tabs on the criminal element and to be on the lookout for his next quarry.

Is it clear why I said Dexter is not for everyone? The library has three of the four Dexter books.

“Darkly Dreaming Dexter” is the first book in the series. In it we are introduced to Dexter and his unusual avocation. Dexter’s somewhat normal life is disrupted when another serial killer appears in Miami. The other killer has a similar style to Dex’s. Although somewhat intrigued by this, Dexter feels the interloper is invading his turf and inviting him to come out and play.

The second book in the series is “Dearly Devoted Dexter”. Dexter tries to remain an ethical serial killer; however, homicide Detective Doakes is suspicious of him. To throw Doakes off his trail, Dexter spends most of his free time with his girlfriend Rita and her two children, thus disguising himself as a serial couch potato. A new serial killer appears on the scene and abducts Det. Doakes, leaving Dexter and his Dark Passenger to save the day.

In “Dexter By Design” our hero returns from his honeymoon to face an artful serial killer. This creative slasher slices up his victims and displays them around Miami. Dexter must end the killer’s spree before his foe shows the world Dex’s own special talents.

I recommend the Dexter books to anyone with an off-beat sense-of-humor and/or an appreciation for the macabre. Dexter also has his own television series on Showtime.

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