This is the novel that the Showtime TV show “Dexter” is based on. I always love when I get to read both the book and see the movie/TV show because when done well, both mediums are pretty awesome. With a movie, I can see someone else’s vision of what something should or could look like. Sometimes it’s a disappointment, and sometimes it’s more awesome than my imagination could comprehend (LoTR). I really liked watching the whole TV series (so far) and then reading the book, because the TV show is awesome, but with the book, I can get some of the prose and inner dialogue that would make a TV show dull.
What’s so cool about this book? Almost until the very last chapter, the book is a true-to-the-show mirror. And the writing is gorgeous. It’s very difficult (I imagine) to write about the mentally ill. I have read a lot of books about serial killers (gothy teen, remember?) and it either comes across as super technical or woo-woo-stream of consciousness stuff. Lindsay does a great job with these appropriately placed, euphonic, alliterative phrases along with decent dialogue and great direction.
So, I loved it because I could replay the TV scenes in my head, and overlay it with what I was reading (does that even make sense?) but I also loved it because the last chapter or so is such a drastic departure from the show that I am looking forward to read his next book (I think there are 2 or 3) to see where this “alternative, though original” storyline will go. I want to puzzle out why the TV folks went in a direction. It’s kind of like really well written fan fic.
Pale Nerd 