Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Darkly Dreaming Dexter is a 2004 novel by Jeff Lindsay. It has formed the basis of the Showtime television series Dexter.

Plot summary

Template:Spoiler Darkly Dreaming Dexter Follows the story of Dexter Morgan. Dexter is a young man who works for the Miami police department as a forensic bloodstain pattern analyst. Yet in Dexter's spare time he has a very odd and disturbing hobby. Dexter enjoys hunting down and killing the scum of Miami, and then dumping their bodies into the bay. Dexter is a serial killer, yet with only one catch, he only kills people who deserve to die. As a child Dexter witnessed his mother being murdered by an axe murder and cut into pieces. Dexter witnessed what psychologists call a Traumatic Event, according to theory a traumatic event would scar a person for life and change their personality forever, these events are one of the main causes of serial killers being born. Due to the event, Dexter no longer had feelings, or a conscience. If not for one man Dexter would have definitely ended up as a serial killer not caring who he kills. That man would be Dexter's step father Harry Morgan, Harry saw Dexter for what he truly was and knew that he would one day need to kill to satisfy his dark soul. Harry taught Dexter to control his urges and kill only those who deserved to be killed. Harry also taught Dexter another vital skill, Harry taught Dexter to put on a mask and blend in, to conceal his dark self beneath a false being and blend in with the world around him. Even years after Harry's death Dexter was doing fine. Yet even he is unprepared when a serial killer, with a style very similar to his own begins to terrorize Miami. Dexter is caught in between being flattered and being horrified. After about a month the serial killer takes a name, The Ice Truck Killer. The Ice Truck Killer, then commits a series of terrifying crimes throughout Miami, yet also sends messages to Dexter along the way.