Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Darkly Dreaming Dexter is the first novel in the Dexter Novels, written by Jeff Lindsay and released in 2004. It won the 2005 Dilys Award.

The events in this novel are similar to the events in Season One of Showtime's series DEXTER, but then the storyline veers away from the books.

The main protagonist, Dexter Morgan, works for the Miami-Dade Police Department as a forensic blood spatter pattern analyst. In his spare time, Dexter is a serial killer with a catch: he only kills murderers that have escaped judicial punishment.

Dexter is directed to kill by an inner urge he refers to as the "Dark Passenger." It keeps prodding Dexter to kill until he has done so. Then it's satisfied for a while, but always returns.

In this novel, Dexter Morgan is confronted by the Tamiami Slasher.

Releases
Darkly Dreaming Dexter has been released in hardcover, paperback, and mass-produced compact paperback versions. Reprints were made as soon as the Showtime series became a hit, some featuring Michael C. Hall on the cover with the same appearance as on the Season 1 DVD Boxset Cover (Dexter, looking bored, with a dead person's arm set against his face).

Chapter and Page Count
There are 27 Chapters, including an Epilogue for Darkly Dreaming Dexter. In the mass-produced novel, the page-count is 288 for the story. If the Dexter by Design pages are included, the total page count is about 317 (including extra pages meant for thanks and advertisement).

Summary
The story unfolds as Dexter describes his night and the urge to kill, while targeting a man named Father Donovan. The priest teaches choir to children and participates in their daily activities; however, he is more than just a gentle priest. Dexter takes him as a hostage, forcing him to the location where he murdered and buried seven children. He shows him the error of his ways before turning him into his 37th victim.

Flashbacks reveal that his foster father, a police detective named Harry Morgan. He recognized Dexter's proclivities early on and taught him how to kill people who have gotten away with murder as a way to channel his homicidal urges in a "positive" direction. Harry also taught young Dexter to be a careful, meticulous killer, to leave no clues, and to be absolutely sure his victims are 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. The killer begins sending messages to Dexter, who finds the crimes fascinating. Deborah sees the series of murders as her ticket out of the Vice unit and into Homicide dept. Knowing that her brother has eerie "hunches," she asks him for help in solving the case. Dexter is torn between helping her catch the killer and a desire to sit back and admire the artistry and skill of a fellow serial killer's work. Dexter decides to help Deborah, but still feels a compelling pull to the killer due to their similar desires.

After a lucid dream, Dexter wants to kill somebody and he drives around Miami. He notices a suspicious truck and begins to follow it, but the driver suddenly doubles back and throws a severed head at his car. Dexter begins to believe that he, himself, is the Tamiami Butcher, killing victims subconsciously.

Later, the slasher kidnaps Deborah and holds her in the same shipping container where Dexter's mother was murdered. Soon, LaGuerta and Dexter arrive at the shipping yard to look for the killer. Dexter enters the container first and, when he sees the resemblance between the killer and himself, he realizes they are biological brothers. He begins to remember what happened in the container when he was a child. Deborah's spiteful colleague, Migdia LaGuerta, also enters as Brian expresses his disappointment that Dexter refuses to kill Deborah. Dexter allows Brian to kill LaGuerta and then helps him escape out of familial loyalty. In the epilogue, Dexter stands at LaGuerta's funeral thinking about her, but cannot bring himself to cry.

Differences Between Novel and TV
This is the novel that inspired the series and as such, Season One is based strongly on its events. However, if the series were to follow the book, there would have been less than six episodes. Therefore, a lot of Dexter's victims and stories in the Showtime series are not present within the novel.

Most of the first half of the novel is condensed into the pilot episode of the series; however, some things are placed within the next few episodes to draw out the storyline. Therefore, certain events occur in a different order, depending on the form of media. For example, after Dexter's first encounter with the Tamiami Slasher where the killer throws a head at his vehicle, the police immediately go to the ice hockey rink (which is not featured until "Popping Cherry"). Directly after that, a man confesses to the murders once he is arrested, which does not occur until mid-season in the TV series (with a different character, as well).

Because the writers placed much of the first part of the novel within a 60-minute episode, other storyline's rose up to expand the season. Immediately, in "Crocodile," we're introduced to Matt Chambers and Carlos Guerrero in a mini-arc (that lasts three episodes). The Ice Truck Killer storyline is kept in the background, until it reemerges significantly in the following episode with the ice rink. Much of the second half of the Season concerns Rudy Cooper (actually Brian Moser) who leads Dexter towards his past both indirectly and directly. The Season closes out with Brian dying by Dexter's hand, which is not the case in the novel.

Some character differences are noted as well. Foremost, Lieutenant/Captain Maria LaGuerta of the TV series was originally Detective Migdia LaGuerta in the book. She was also a much harsher woman and VERY open about her attraction to Dexter. This is only hinted at during the first episode, and later completely dies out. Noted by Dexter, Migdia has barely a brain and is undeserving of her position as Detective. She constantly belittles all correct information from Deborah, whom she calls "Officer Puta" and "Einstein." (This is a joke based upon Deb's womanly parts and she spread it throughout the station to ruin Deb's reputation. The exact quote is, "If her tits were her brains, she'd be Einstein.") Migdia's mistakes include chasing after a non-existent witness, and arresting a man who "fits the case" based on a trick played by the Tamiami Slasher. At the very end of the novel, Migdia meets her end by dying from knife wounds from Dexter's brother, Brian, which makes Sergeant Albert Doakes extremely suspicious of Dexter.

Other characters have name changes such as Vince Masuoka becoming Vince Masuka in the series; Deborah Morgan being shortened to Debra Morgan; and Albert Doakes (referred to only as Sergeant Doakes in the first novel) is renamed James Doakes for the show. In the book, Angel Batista is a fellow forensic lab tech of Dexter's, rather than a detective. Also, in the book, he is often called Angel-no-Relation (to emphasis that he, being of Cuban descent, is not related to the deposed Cuban dictator Batista), whereas in the series he is just referred to as "Batista. "The Ice Truck Killer" of the TV series was originally called the Tamiami Slasher, and a refrigerated truck, rather than an ice truck was used in the murders. Characters such as Masuoka and Batista are also fairly minor within this novel, appearing at crime scenes certainly, but they have no extended roles. Captain Matthews is also even more minor than he is in the series, only appearing as a "spiritual" character most of the time who helps out from the background.

Dexter's personality is less human than in the series; however, his thoughts are more psychologically inclined. He is less in touch with his human emotions and, if he does feel something, he reacts with "so this is what a person feels." His urge to kill is not as powerful as it is in the series, as half the book is over with before he decides to find another victim.

Characters
Main article: List of Characters (by Novel)
 * Albert Doakes
 * Angel Batista
 * Astor
 * Brian Moser
 * Camilla Figg
 * Captain Matthews
 * Cody
 * Daryll Earl McHale
 * Deborah Morgan
 * Dexter Morgan
 * Father Donovan
 * Gervasio César Martez
 * Harry Morgan
 * Jamie Jaworski
 * Last Nurse
 * Migdia LaGuerta
 * Rita Bennett
 * Vince Masuoka

Locations

 * Café Relampago
 * Cacique Motel

Related Page

 * Differences between Dexter Novels and Series

Trivia

 * Darkly Dreaming Dexter features a first-person story narrated by a serial killer.
 * Dexter kills only two victims throughout this novel (plus a third in a flashback).

List of Novels

 * 1) Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004)
 * 2) Dearly Devoted Dexter (2005)
 * 3) Dexter in the Dark (2007)
 * 4) Dexter by Design (2009)
 * 5) Dexter is Delicious (2010)
 * 6) Double Dexter (2011)
 * 7) Dexter's Final Cut (2013)
 * 8) Dexter Is Dead (2015)