The Dark Passenger Arises

Dexter is your typical guy; he lives in Miami, has a job for the Police Department as a blood splatter analyst...and he kills people. Dexter Morgan is a serial killer, but it's okay because he only kills the bad ones. For years, he has hid behind his "Dark Passenger"; the one who drives him to kill those who deserve to be punished. Dexter holds onto this secret, continues through his life with no emotions, and just tries to blend in.
When his foster sister, Deb, calls him about an undercover case she is working, Dexter is faced with a killer who does not leave blood on his victims. The bodies are drained clean. As he admires the killer's work, more bodies begin to surface; all without blood and all artistically arranged. Dexter is not even phased when the killer begins to send personal gifts to his apartment as if to say, "Want to play?" However, Dexter has been having weird dreams where he ends up washing blood off his hands...could he be the killer and not realize it? Has his "Dark Passenger" taken complete control?

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay makes the world rethink the mind of a serial killer. Maybe there is an acceptable time to kill, especially if the person has done more despicable things.
Just like with every movie/ t.v show scenario, I wish I had read the series BEFORE watching the show. Lindsay's writing is so funny; funny to the point where you begin to wonder why you are siding with a complete sociopath like Dexter. Dexter is so socially awkward, he is dripping with sarcasm, and yet there is something so loveable about him. Each page turn, you want him to overcome his troubles, you sympathize with him, and you even start to laugh and agree with him. The issue I continued to run into was I kept picturing the actors from the show. And because I knew what was going to happen, the surprise ending was not a huge surprise.
HOWEVER, the book is a lot different. The characters have more depth, the plot is a little tighter, and there is a huge twist in the ending of book one. The creators of the show branched off to do their own thing, which is great for readers, like me, who just saw the show before they caught on to the craze.

It was an enjoyable book. Will I read the rest, I don't know yet. I want to continue to see what else is different, and I do want to dive more into Dexter's world of madness, yet it isn't so pressing that I need to read it ASAP.
Definitely fun, and it really does give a whole different meaning to the idea of "bad guys".