Dexter by Design Paperback – August 24, 2010

This is a solid, great book in the Dexter series. It shifts gears in style and subject, abandoning the supernatural elements of the previous novel in the series. Really, that's for the best: if Dexter is at all realistic, human, and believable, he certainly shows it in this volume. It begins with his honeymoon in Paris with Rita, which is richly layered in both cliché and irony, and playfully detailed by a mash-up monologue of Dexter's newly-learned French and native English. Naturally, upon returning to Miami, Dexter is confronted with the hunt for a serial killer (or is it killers?) who turns corpses into artistic masterworks of macabre sadism. The hunt for the killers brings Dexter closer to Deb and her boyfriend, Chutsky, who plays a large role in the story. I think that is one of the better parts of the book; the reader gets a sense of deepening and more realistic, more human relationships between Dexter and his closest friends and family. On the flip side, however, the book fails to give a convincing motivation for the killer, and the killer's actions become more fantastically, more unbelievable, to the extent that the reader will simply have to suspend disbelief and keep reading on, knowing that what's happening is happening because it's a novel, and because the absurd killer will continue to be absurd. Once again, like the other Dexter books, nothing happens for 200+ pages, and then everything is resolved quickly in the last 30 pages. But I still recommend it because it is an enjoyable read: Dexter's narration is hypnotic and addicting, and quite frankly, if you've read the last three Dexter novels and want to read more, you will love this one no matter what. You will especially love it if "Dexter in the Dark" left you in the dark.

As I've already said, I started reading this series because I love and miss the show.I enjoyed book four a lot. Much more than the previous book. And I'm really having fun with Dexter the character. He's different in a number of ways from the Michael C. Hall version. He's funnier in print, and a little more action hero. I still can't chase the vision of Showtime's Dex out of my mind, but the book character is starting to be much more his own man. He's evolving and I like that. I'll always love Michael C. Hall, but I'm starting to love this Dexter, too.There are other differences as well. After all, this is not fanfic -- I honestly don't have a clue if there was any cross-pollination.Anyway it's a good read and I have to laugh because some of the "scenes" in the book (I won't go into detail here - no spoilers!) remind me of the TV show Hannibal. I like the synchronicity -- even though I'm sure this book came out before Hannibal was even a gleam in Fuller's eye. Still, if there's any replacement for Dexter, it's gotta be Hannibal.So the story moves along and then--wow!--a cliffhanger (of sorts). Thus, where I wasn't sure if I would buy the next in the series (shame on you Amazon for not providing package deals on ebooks), now I am going to do that forthwith.

Book Info: Genre: Supernatural Thriller/Police ProceduralReading Level: AdultRecommended for: twisted peopleTrigger Warnings: murder, desecration of the deadMy Thoughts: This is a crazy book. I found myself extremely amused by Astor's declaration that "nobody speaks French" and Dexter's response that "several people in France do." I also found Dexter's assessment of the bodies they found to be humorous, not to mention his thoughts on the clothing and various accoutrements that accompanied each. Deb I wanted to smack several times with her doubting Dexter and threatening to turn him in all the time, plus the way she continues to take his assistance for granted and treat him so badly all the time, always acting like everything is his fault if he doesn't immediately know the answers she's looking for. His patience with her astounds me. Then again, I never had a sister, so...A cool note about my edition: I picked it up used somewhere, and it's the UK edition. While it is not completely Britishized, the formatting is done in the British style, and some of the spellings have been altered accordingly.I was a bit puzzled about the fact that Chutsky was allowed to stay with Deborah in ICU. Maybe things are different in Florida, but it's my understanding that typically ICU only allows family members to visit, and them only one at a time. There's also a point where Dexter thinks to himself that Deb's crying was out of character and he hadn't seen it since she was 12, but strangely enough, he thought almost exactly the same thing in the previous book when Chutsky was kidnapped and Deb became upset about it and cried...Of course, Dexter has typical male reactions to crying."There are few things in the world that make me feel more clueless than a woman's tears. I know that I am supposed to do something comforting and then go slay whatever dragon caused the crying fit, but it has been my experience, in my limited dealings with women, that the tears never come when they should, and they are never about what you might think, and consequently you are reduced to truly stupid options like patting her head and saying, 'There there,' in the hopes that at some point she will let you in on what the display is actually about."Watching Dexter trying to deal with having a wife and children is quite hilarious most of the time, and Cody and Astor's preternaturally adult mannerisms just add to the humor level.This book has also reaffirmed what I've felt for a long time, and that is I'd really like to visit Cuba. I know this attitude is dangerously unAmerican, but it sounds like a neat place and I'd like to go there sometime.Most fans of the series were happy that this book retreated from the supernatural elements found in the third book. I would have liked to have seen Dexter more on his toes--he really isn't at his best in this book--but overall, yes, this is an excellent addition to the series. Definitely not to be missed!Series Information: Dexter Morgan seriesBook 1: Darkly Dreaming Dexter, review linked hereBook 2: Dearly Devoted Dexter, review linked hereBook 3: Dexter in the Dark, review linked hereBook 4: Dexter by DesignBook 5: Dexter is DeliciousBook 6: Double DexterBook 7: Dexter's Final CutDisclosure: I purchased this book for myself. All opinions are my own.Synopsis: After his surprisingly glorious honeymoon in Paris, life is almost normal for Dexter Morgan. Married life seems to agree with him: he's devoted to his bride, his stomach is full, and his homicidal hobbies are nicely under control. But old habits die hard--and Dexter's work as a blood spatter analyst never fails to offer new temptations that appeal to his offbeat sense of justice... and his Dark Passenger still waits to hunt with him in the moonlight.The discovery of a corpse (artfully displayed as a sunbather relaxing on a Miami beach chair) naturally piques Dexter's curiosity and Miami's finest realize they've got a terrifying new serial killer on the loose. And Dexter, of course, is back in business.

Every one of these books are well-written, good story lines, full of surprises, with twists and turns. The author is a genius and the books form possibly the best series that I have read, ever.

Love this series

L'ho comprato perché appassionato della serie televisiva DEXTER. Per gli italiani con ottima conoscenza dell'inglese lo consiglio fortemente, mentre se non si è abbastanza ferrati meglio leggere la versione in italiano in quanto lettura pesante se ogni 2 secondi bisogna capire il significato delle parole ( ricercate e specifiche ).

Yellow pages....never expected such low quality

Encore mieux que la série ! Des aventures différentes, un Dexter plus que sociopathe et des réflexions de cet animal à sang froid plus que croustillantes (en VO c'est un régal).