Oh I did love this. I wanted to watch the tv show, but I haven't seen it yet, so I consoled myself with Book 1, and I'm glad I did because it's brilliant.
Dexter has a unique, funny voice for a serial killer. His childhood trauma is hinted at throughout the book and revealed at the end. It has left him with a hunger to kill and a strange relationship with blood. Despite this, or because of it, he becomes a blood splatter analyst for the Miami police, helping to find killers. But Dexter has his own way of dealing with those who he believes have committed serious crimes.
He was adpoted as a child and his father Harry, knew exactly what his son was and tried to steer him away from killing the innocent and only killing the guilty. Like a vigilante, Dexter uses Harry's code as his conscience, otherwise he'd kill just for the hell of it.
Dexter often says he has no feelings, and yet he doesn't want to disappoint Harry, who is now dead, and he loves children. Probably because he has a child like quality himself. He know's he's not normal and has taught himself to blend in. Most humans are fooled by his mimickery of normal, but dogs can sniff him out instantly!
In this book, another serial killer gets his attention. He is supposed to help the police and his sister Deb, a cop, catch this serial killer, but Dexter secretly admires his work and when he is given coded messages by the suspect, he loves the challenge and is not convinced he wants to catch the killer.
I loved the writing style and the plot and the characters, especially the crazy, funny monster that I should at least fear but I can't help wanting him to win.
I can''t wait to read book 2.