Dearly Devoted Dexter

I love books. Really - LOVE books. I spent a large amount of my childhood wishing I was Belle from Beauty and the Beast, because of the library she got. I have never in my life been more jealous than when the Beast drew back those curtains and gifted Belle with thousands upon thousands of books. It is still my lifelong goal to have a house with a library. I have so many books that I require at least two bookshelves - probably 300-400 books. I love books.

I spend any "real" me time reading, and I would really like to have someone to talk to about the books I like. I haven't found a real life book-club that doesn't just read stupid, sappy love stories that make me want to puke. I found an on-line book club that I really like - but its slow. None of my friends read. Sooo...

I am going to talk about them here. Ha! Problem solved.

(Forewarning: this will definitely contain spoilers)

My latest book is Dearly Devoted Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay. This is the second book in his series about the blood-splatter analyst.

I will start by saying that I really like the Showtime series - and the books are absolutely nothing like the series.

This book is about Dexter as he tries to handle people who know what he is - a serial killer. Deb knows his secret, and Sargent Doakes has one of his own and seems to have an innate ability to sense it in others. Maybe all serial killers do - because Dexter's dark passenger seems to easily recognize another killer.

Doakes has Dexter backed into a corner - he has made it his mission to tail Dexter and catch him making a mistake - so Dexter is forced to wok on his disguise, a mild-mannered boyfriend to Rita. He discovers his love of beer, and his despise of the really boring day to day life of humans.

Dexter gets a break when a really sadistic fuck from Doake's days as an army hit-man comes back - completely dismembering his victims, shaving all the hair from their bodies, and cutting out their tongues...and then leaving them alive. And insane. An FBI agent comes to town, Deb falls in love with him - and he falls victim to Dr. Danco. Dexter frees the fed - Doakes gets kidnapped in the cross fire - Dexter gets caught trying to save him - and ta-da! Deb and the fed save Dexter just in time - but too late for Doakes - who loses his tongue and hands and now has to keep Dexter's secret for the rest of his life.

Oh yeah - Dexter accidentally proposes to Rita and finds out her son Cody is killing neighborhood pets.

I liked this book - didn't love it. It is short - so a lot has to happen in a really short span of time - which seems rushed a lot of the time. I know that Dexter is good - but to get everything right at the first guess is a little hard to believe. I was also frustrated that weeks of time would pass with nothing happening - and Dexter not able to get a hold of Deb - and then boom - she would reappear with more information. I know it was designed to keep me feeling frustrated with Dexter - since he doesn't understand basic human interactions. All it really did though, since I DO understand humans - was make me feel frustrated - I knew Deb was in love and getting laid - I didn't need to wait for Dexter to figure it out.

I also had a hard time with how O.K Deb is with knowing that Dexter is a serial killer. She just makes a couple small comments but seems to be fine with it. Especially as a detective who hunts and hates killers for a living, I don't really believe that Deb would just be like "Oh, cool - Dexter kills. But he is my brother. Its fine." Nope, not buying it.

I really enjoy how put upon Dexter gets when Deb or Rita needs help. I was cracking up during the scene where he rescues her Fed boyfriend, and Deb is calling over and over to try to get info, and he just can't understand why she is so worried about her now amputee boyfriend.  He is legitimately angry that she won't just let him go to sleep. It was really freaking funny.

All in all, I enjoyed the book, and I will for sure read the next one. I just hope he isn't afraid to go deeper- it isn't often that I feel like I know a character better on TV than I do in the book - but that is what is happening with this series so far. I hope that changes.