Reviews

Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay

bookalorian's review against another edition

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5.0

This one is my favorite so far. I love the paranormal aspects that the show doesn't give us... cannot wait for the next installment

tnews333's review against another edition

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1.0

I think I'll just wait for the show to come back on...

This one was hokey.

Teri

jladuke's review against another edition

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2.0

I am liking the books less and less. I would actually call this one more of a 2.5 stars.

More and more I am seeing why the tv series has deviated from the books.

In this outing Dexter gets to explore more of the supernatural basis of the Dark Passenger. The whole business with the darker more dangerous ancient god just wasn't my cup of tea.

I understand that the author probably is trying to expand and develop the character. However, one of the things that made Dexter so creepy was thinking that the Dark Passenger was just a part of him.

However, this series is fun, light-hearted reading. So odds are I will probably check out the fourth installment once it is in paperback. In the meantime I am much more in anticipation of Season 4 coming out on DVD.

lvbopeep's review against another edition

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4.0

Dexter is back again, this time with a supernatural theme that I'm not sure really works with him. I kept hoping for there to be a rational explanation for different killers and their relationship to the Moloch religion but gave up hope when our Dark Avenger started hearing the music and nearly let the kids turn into toast without any resistance. Glad he finally snapped out of it but would have preferred that there was another explanation for it all.

I think the TV series has done a far better job exploring the issue of Harry's Code and how it has affected Dexter. In the series, Dexter is far more questioning of Harry's motives and whether he was right to mold Dexter into a serial killer or not. In this book, Rita's children are the budding serial killers and Dexter just accepts that they will be like him without questioning whether it's too late for them. The tv Dexter may be a little more concientious, and it's the author's character but I prefer Dexter to have doubts about his ability to make moral choices like he does in the tv series. Plus, I found Cody's actions at the end to be completely unbelievable and entirely too convenient. However, it was still an entertaining, humourous read and I look forward to the next one (and even more forward to the new tv season! :) )

zhenya_crosbaya's review against another edition

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3.0

I had eagerly anticipated this book since I closed the second in the series, Dearly Devoted Dexter. I started reading it before bed, intending to read a chapter and then go to sleep. Of course, I finished the book. It was good enough to keep me from putting it down, but it was a disappointment when compared to the first two books. It took an very unexpected supernatural twist from the very first page that continued throughout. I read novels that I call 'crime novels' because I enjoy the realism that comes with a good murder and cop story. I got my fill of fantasy when I was in my teens to early twenties, and with the exception of horror novels, I prefer things like Lee Child's Reacher series, Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware, James Patterson's Alex Cross, even the Jason Bourne novels. Darkly Dreaming Dexter and Dearly Devoted Dexter fit that bill nicely. Serial killer who was a cop, and only killed bad guys. Cool. I would have preferred if Lindsay had stuck to that with this one. Not that it was bad, but I would have enjoyed it more without the supernatural element.

madivord's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

If you're looking for a good time, look no further. This book has everything: ancient dark gods, killer children, children getting killed, the mention of a hurricane, and MTV's hottest caterer Manny Borque.  Demonic possession? Dexter in the Dark has that by the boat loads. 

This is ridiculous. It is fun though, genuinely hilarious. Jeff Lindsay has lost the plot and you can tell he's having fun with it. Jeff Lindsay read IT by Stephen King and thought to himself "I've got to start doing coke while I write." Then he went out and bought as much as he could with the money he made off the first two Dexter installments, did several lines, and began to write this novel.

Seriously now, in my review of Dearly Devoted Dexter I said Jeff Lindsay didn't seem to have a grasp on Dexter as a character. Dexter in the Dark proves me right. The one consistent thing about Dexter is he's funny. The rest is a toss up. Aster and Cody do get some thorough character development. 

I can absolutely see why fans hate this book but it is so outrageous I kinda love it. Its verging on camp. 

sarahinred's review against another edition

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3.0

This was not my favorite one. It was actually a bit of a bore. The absence of Dexter's Dark Passenger makes for a very boring Dexter. There were time I found myself saying, "Get to the point!"

caroleina's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

3.5

maddyjo's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

dinadenso's review against another edition

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4.0

So far I have read three books of the series and this one is the one I least like. I am not happy with the mythical element in here that ‘trying to explain’ what the passenger was as if I needed to know in the first place - I didn’t, and how it ended was rather bland. I was kind of hoping that there was a logical explanation as to the passenger’s disappearance and return..