Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Dexter is a book about our main protagonist, Dexter, a very polite and mellow guy. But Dexter has a secret: he's a serial killer but has always stuck to one rule; he only kills bad guys. Working as a blood splatter expert for the Miami Police Department, Dexter is easily able to identify his victims. But when brutal murders with the same style as Dexter occurs, Dexter becomes not only flattered but frightened as he investigates who the new killer might be.

I absolutely love the show, Dexter in which is based on these series of books; Darkly Dreaming Dexter being the first book. My boyfriend had gotten me into the show as we both love forensic/crime shows.

When I found out the show was actually based on books, I automatically grabbed a copy of the first book.

What I can say right off the bat is that I really did enjoy this novel. I felt like it was incredibly fast paced and very suspenseful. There were a handful of moments that were a little bit slow to me but I found that since the rest of the book was so fast paced, I didn't mind so much about the slow parts.

I really liked how in depth the characters were though, obviously since there is so much backstory and thought process you can provide in a show - but I'll admit, I love Michael C. Hall as Dexter in the television show.

Going back to writing style, I really did enjoy Jeff Lindsay's writing. I'll admit it does make quite an interesting flow of writing. I feel like it was a mix of poetic writing and a straight forward writing style which I really enjoyed as they counteracted each other and worked very well.

Overall, the book was really good; written well and quite enjoyable. 

But like I did mention earlier, I watched the television show first and I think that set a high standard for me when it came to this book.

I really love Michael C. Hall's portrayal of Dexter and I feel like he really made this mellow yet eerie character really come to life.

When I read this book, I automatically picture Michael C. Hall yet I feel like this visual portrayal really stands out to me rather than the literature version as sometimes I've gotten to accustomed to the television.

In my honest opinion, I feel like this book would be a million times more enjoyable if the reader has never watched the show. I know I'm not the only one to says that either. 

A lot of people who absolutely love this novel are usually people who haven't seen the show yet. And I'm not saying it's because the book is bad or poorly written. It just feels like Michael C. Hall made an AMAZING portrayal of Dexter than it's hard to top that.

Although I really did enjoy this book, I don't plan on continuing the series, and if I do, it probably won't be anytime soon.

If you've watched AND read the book, I'd love to know your thoughts on what you think! Do you like the show better or the book? Let me know in the comments section or on my Instagram!