Dexter In The Dark

This post first published August 19, 2012.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
Series: Dexter #3
First Published:  2007
Publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
303 pages (paperback)
 
This is the third installment of the Dexter series, and while overall I enjoyed it and liked it, the new paranormal/supernatural elements added in this book threw me off and lessened my liking of it. I’m not saying crime or mystery novels can’t have supernatural elements to it. Just in this series, it feels horribly off. The first two Dexter books have established a world, a universe, of certain set rules, and 3000 year old gods weren’t a part of it. Dexter’s Dark Passenger was (I thought) a metaphor for the killing urges Dexter has. I mean, there just really wasn’t anything to suggest it was anything more than that. I didn’t expect the Dark Passenger to suddenly become a real thing.

In Dexter In The Dark, Dexter is in the midst of wedding preparations, trying to become a mentor to young Cody and Astor and of course, his dark hobby. When he is called to investigate a crime scene, Dexter finds his Dark Passenger retreating inside of him, as if it was scared, until one day, it simply disappeared. Even worse, someone or something is stalking him — the Watcher, it is called, which turns out to be a 3000 year old god that goes from one human host to the next. The murders that started all this get worse as well, as victims keep turning up all being killed in the same manner. Dexter feels the murders must be somehow related to the disappearance of his Dark Passenger but he hasn’t a clue.

As I already mentioned, this book threw me off. I didn’t expect the 3000 year old god thing to be literal, yet it was. I mean, if this wasn’t a Dexter book, I think it would be a fine, solid book, but it’s a Dexter book and paranormal elements were not a part of the first two. The whole time I was reading, I kept thinking, “Nah, there’s going to be some logical explanation at the end of the book that will explain everything” but it turned out the fantastical explanation was the explanation. It also feels like it cheapened Dexter, the character. The idea that he’s just a guy under demonic possession and not a serial killer just cheapens the whole thing. “Dexter’s really quite human! He’s just possessed by this demon thing!” Well, that is not the reason why I enjoyed reading about Dexter in the first place.

I know I’m making it sound like this book is horrible or something, but it’s really not. It’s just my one complaint about the book turned out to be a rather huge complaint, so it comes off that way. It’s a good, solid book, with good, solid entertainment, though even minus the supernatural stuff, it’s a bit lackluster compared to the first two books. Dexter furthers his relationship development with Astor and Cody, which is a huge focus of this novel, I felt. They have Dark Passengers of their own and Dexter is trying to become a sort of mentor to them, but the two kids just don’t listen to Dexter too well. The mystery is a little lackluster because it’s so intertwined with the ancient god thing, but still, I enjoyed reading about Dexter and Deborah attempting to solve the case anyway.

I think overall, this book is fine. It’s not great and quite unexpected, but it’s okay. I hope the next few Dexter books are more like the first two though.

My Rating: 3/5