Darkly Dreaming Dexter

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Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Darkly Dreaming Dexter.jpg
Cover of the 2004 edition
Author Jeff Lindsay
LanguageEnglish
Genre Crime novel, Thriller
Publication date
July 2004
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Followed by Dearly Devoted Dexter  

Darkly Dreaming Dexter is a 2004 novel by Jeff Lindsay, the first in his crime/Thriller series about American forensic analyst/serial killer Dexter Morgan. It formed the basis of the Showtime television series Dexter and won the 2005 Dilys Award and the 2007 Book to TV award. [1]

Contents

Plot

Dexter Morgan works for the Miami Police Department as a forensic blood spatter analyst. In his spare time, he is a vigilante serial killer who targets murderers, rapists, child molesters and other undesirables he believes the legal system has failed to stop. Dexter's murders are directed by an inner voice he refers to as "The Dark Passenger", prodding Dexter to satisfy his homicidal urges on a regular basis. When accomplished, the voice is placated for a while, but always, eventually returns.

Flashbacks reveal that Dexter's foster father, an esteemed police detective named Harry Morgan, recognized early on that he was a violent psychopath with an innate need to kill, and taught him how to kill people who had gotten away with horrific crimes as a way to channel his homicidal urges in a "positive" direction. Harry also taught the boy to be a careful and meticulous killer, to leave no clues, and to be absolutely sure that his victims were guilty before killing them. Dexter calls these rules "The Code of Harry."

Dexter succeeds in managing his double life until he investigates the "Tamiami Slasher," who has murdered three prostitutes. His adoptive sister, Deborah, who is also on the force and wants to be promoted to Homicide—and knowing that her brother has eerie "hunches"—asks him for help in solving the case. Because of his moral code, Dexter helps Deborah. Yet, he feels a compelling pull to the killer, due to similar desires. After a lucid dream, Dexter drives around Miami and spots a refrigerated truck. When he follows the truck, the killer throws a severed head in his car.

The killer begins sending messages to Dexter, who finds the crimes fascinating. Dexter is torn between helping Deborah and allowing the killer to continue his spree. Meanwhile, due to his strange dreams, Dexter wants to kill somebody, so he follows a man whom he suspects of raping and killing five teenage girls and kills him after confirming his guilt. The Tamiami Slasher kidnaps Deborah and brings Dexter to the scene, revealing that his sister is being held in the same shipping container that Dexter's biological mother, Laura, was held in. The killer is Dexter's biological brother, Brian, who was separated from Dexter after their mother's murder at the hands of a drug dealer. As Deborah's spiteful colleague, Migdia LaGuerta, arrives on the scene, Brian is disappointed that Dexter refuses to kill Deborah. Dexter allows Brian to kill LaGuerta and helps him escape, out of a sense of familial loyalty. In the epilogue, Dexter stands at LaGuerta's funeral and feels sad, but cannot bring himself to cry.

Award

Darkly Dreaming Dexter won the 2005 Dilys Award presented by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. [2]

Television series adaptation

The novel is the basis for a TV series on the cable network Showtime. Whereas the first season largely followed the plot of the original book, subsequent seasons featured original storylines not directly based on subsequent "Dexter" novels.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter was also featured on an episode of Booked, a Canadian television series that investigates crime fiction novels through the eyes of real forensic science experts. [3]

In "The Chris Rock Test", the second episode of the fifth season of the television series Billions , Charles “Chuck” Rhoades is in a session with a therapist. [4] When prompted by the therapist to choose a 'wise person', Rhoades, an avid reader of crime fiction, nominates Dexter's father, Harry Morgan, for guidance. [5]

Following the widespread success of the Dexter franchise, reformed former teenage revenge spree killer Pedro Rodrigues Filho, (sometimes credited as the inspiration for the Dexter series) received international recognition as the "Brazilian Dexter (Morgan)" and "South American Punisher", leading to him ultimately beginning a career as a successful YouTuber from 2018 onward. [6] [7] [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Dexter</i> (TV series) American crime drama TV series (2006–2013)

Dexter is an American Crime television series that aired on Showtime from October 1, 2006, to September 22, 2013. Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan, a forensic technician specializing in blood spatter analysis for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department, who leads a secret parallel life as a vigilante serial killer, hunting down murderers who have not been adequately punished by the justice system due to corruption or legal technicalities. The show's first season was derived from the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004), the first in a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay. It was adapted for television by James Manos Jr., who wrote the first episode. Subsequent seasons evolved independently of Lindsay's works while using many of the same characters and concepts.

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<i>Dexter in the Dark</i> Book by Jeff Lindsay

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<i>Dexter by Design</i> 2009 novel by Jeff Lindsay

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Pedro Rodrigues Filho, also known as Pedrinho Matador, Killer Lil' Pedro, Killer Killer Petey, or simply Killer Petey, was a Brazilian serial killer, spree killer, vigilante, and YouTuber known for pursuing and killing exclusively suspected criminals as a teenager, between the age of 14 and 19, in particular an entire gang in response to the murder of his pregnant girlfriend. Officially sentenced for 71 murders but claiming to have killed over 100 drug dealers, rapists, and murderers, he served 34 years in prison before his release in 2007. In 2011, Rodrigues was imprisoned again on charges of inciting riot and deprivation of liberty; he was sentenced to eight years in prison, but was released again in 2018 after seven years on good behavior.

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References

  1. ↑ Tron, Gina (29 October 2021). "As The New Season Of 'Dexter' Nears, Who Are The Real Life Killers That Inspired (Or Were Inspired By) The Show?". Yahoo.com . Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  2. ↑ "The Dilys Award". Archived from the original on 2008-09-16. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
  3. ↑ "Booked.TV".
  4. ↑ M.Sc, Shain E. Thomas (2020-05-10). "'Billions': S05.E02. "The Chris Rock Test"". Medium. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  5. ↑ Surrey, Miles (2020-05-11). "'Billions' Superlatives: "No, It's Torture!"". The Ringer. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  6. ↑ Morrell, Jack (4 December 2019). "10 Serial Killers You've Never Heard Of: The Real Life Dexter Morgan". WhatCulture . Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  7. ↑ Robinson, Eugene S. (8 February 2021). "This Brazilian Dexter Loves Killing Killers". OZY. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "The True Story Of The Serial Killer Who Is Now A YouTuber". Grunge.com. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
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