Dexter by Design

Dexter by Design it one of the rare publishing franchises that have been surpassed in quality by its TV version. Thoughout this Dexter I developed the idea that a manuscript was due by the writer's publisher and this was all he could come up with. I have three primary complaints. 1. Dexter actually accomplished very little personally in this book-it was all done for Dexter by his sister, her boyfriend, his stepchildren, and his wife while he was led around, largely in a stupor. 2. I lost count of how many times Dexter touted the abilities of his huge brain, contrasted by the many instances he stated that he was outsmarted, again by all around him. 3. I detect a harsh representation of women in this book-he treats both his wife and his sister as second class intellects-it seems the author does not understand or appreciate women. It hurts me to say these things because I love the novels and the video version, but I felt like I wasted my time reading Dexter by Design.

I was lucky enough, I thought, to purchase this book from the UK. It was fun the first few pages, and then obviously Mr. Lindsay's obligation to finish a book, any book, kicked in and the rest was Driveling Dexter, Dumb Dexter, you get the idea. This is a brilliant series, and this book was such a Dire Dexter way to end them. Best of luck to Departing Dexter.

I actually followed up the reading of this novel with the watching of an episode of the television series. I believe I can stand behind the statement that this is one of those few examples where the video format is better than the book.

Lindsay is a creative mastermind, the ideas he gets for the horrible events that occur within his books makes one think that he must be writing about himself when he writes about Dexter. However, his ability to describe the details of a story leaves much to be lacking. I think this fact is most apparent in how his stories tend to resolve. Twenty pages before the end of the book (that's including the epilogue, folks), he starts the endgame scenario. Now I'm not one who believes a writer needs to pad the book with unnecessary pages to reach a quota. In fact, I appreciate the brevity of Lindsay's books in many ways. However, his brevity, when it comes to the resolution of his tales, makes things rather confusing for the reader at times. There are still pieces of this resolution that I'm not entirely clear on.

There's also the fact that everything gets wrapped up in a tidy bow, which, considering the rest of the story, seems very out of place. It's as if Dexter can't catch a break for the entire 300 pages leading up to the end of the story, and then suddenly, his boat comes in and everything works out perfectly.

I enjoy the Dexter novels, which is why I keep coming back to them. However, I find myself wishing that Lindsay could work more closely with the writers for the television series to get the series' writing style incorporated into the much more imaginative novels. I think we'd find something much more amazing if we got a true combination of the two.

All in all, worth the read, just not as satisfying of an ending as one would hope for.

This fourth book is probably one of my favorite entries so far. As usual, Linday is a master of painting vivid and memorable scenes of carnage. Each one seems to outdo itself and this one really had me cringing as I hurriedly read through each page. I was in such shock, I wanted to stop, but yet I wanted to read more. The opening scene in Paris will really stick with you for awhile!

Dexter's character is getting soft in this one - we assume it's a side effect of settling into the comforts of marriage - and it leads him to make some costly mistakes. He gets caught in the act of murder which sets off an explosive series of vengeful acts by the witness. Suddenly everyone around Dexter is either being harmed or found dead. It's a very entertaining game of cat and mouse as Dexter must pick up the pace to catch the villain before the villain catches him!

If I could offer some constructive advice, there is one recurring item that I see at the end of these books. After hundreds of pages building the villains up to be these intelligent, ruthless, savage monsters, they always seem to meet a very easy demise. I don't believe a villain with this much venom would be taken down in public the way he is in this book. It's way too simple.

Facing the villain is tough stuff. Lindsay TELLS us that the villain is an angry and disturbed man, but he never lets us FEEL it. That's a tip I learned from How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II: Advanced Techniques For Dramatic Storytelling. If you simply tell the reader how a character feels, they'll never buy it. They have to feel it for themselves, and we never do.

The result is a finale that only lasts for about a chapter or two. It's too fast and doesn't allow us to feel the climax of this horribly broken villain who has kept us on the edge of our seats. It also doesn't seem like a fair trade when we devote 30 or more pages to describing the Miami traffic, the Miami heat, and the type and texture of donuts. When the air time of assorted breakfast snacks exceeds the description and depth of a villain, something's not balanced.

Overall, I still continue to love and look forward to the next adventure with Dexter. It's a bizarre and unusual world, quite different from my reality, and I think Lindsay continues to dish it out in a way no author dares to.

There are very few things that actually creep me out. I mean things that bother most people, I wouldn't even bat an eyelash at. Take me to a horror movie where everyone is freaking out at the gore being depicted on screen and I don't even bat an eyelash. Take me to a movie where the main characters are professing their undying love for one another while gazing into each others eyes and I am most likely to cover my eyes in horror. Yes, I know it's weird, but that is just the way I am. Having said that this book had some scenes that just made me my skin crawl, Jennifer's Leg being just one of them.

In Dexter by Design we once again have the return of our favourite serial killer and his dark passenger. Gone is the hapless Dexter that we saw in the previous book when confronted by something more sinister than himself. We catch up with Dexter as he is on his honeymoon in Paris with the ever annoying Rita. While he is unable to indulge in his favourite hobby during his vacation, he does find some rather interesting and disturbing performance art to pass the time.

Upon his return from Paris, Dexter is immediately confronted with some very, very different homicides that are a bit puzzling to him. While once again trying to help his ever ungrateful and self-absorbed sister Deborah, Dexter ends up getting himself in a bit of hot water while finding out that not all objects in the mirror are as they appear.

This was a different, but enjoyable version of Dexter. It was nice to see him back to his old self, but at the same time being kept on his toes and realizing that sometimes he is his own worst enemy.

"Dexter by Design" is Jeff Lindsay's fourth foray into the psyche of a soulless mass murderer. The irony is Dexter is engaging, funny, irresponsible, and henpecked. He's married to Rita who doesn't know she's married to a monster and bringing up two little ogres (future killers) of her own, Cody and Astor. The book begins with Dexter and Rita's honeymoon in Paris where they view a bloody art exhibit.
In this episode Dexter's bigmouth sister almost buys the farm when she is stabbed. She spends most of the book in ICU where she is watched over by her loyal boyfriend, the partially maimed Chutsky.
Several of the Dexter books seem like retellings of the "Perils of Pauline" with death-defying episodes where Dexter and his family members almost get creamed. If my recounting of these Dexter books seems irreverent, bear in mind that the books are told in a breezy, highly irreverent and ironic tone by Dexter himself. He often refers to himself in the third person.
Weirdly and grossly decorated corpses are discovered around Miami ("die-o-ramas"). This is done so some sicko video photographers can film the horrified reactions of onlookers. The intent is to kill off attempts to lure potential vacationers to Miami by the tourist bureau. Could it be a disgruntled member of the tourist bureau who is causing such havoc? It turns out that the corpses are not newly killed but stolen bodies.
Deborah goes after the perpetrator of the atrocities, and she gets stabbed by the guy. Dexter mistakes the assailant's lover for the real stabber, and becoming the old revengeful deadly Dexter, he does away with the wrong guy. The real assailant is a guy named Weiss, and Dexter has inadvertently killed Weiss's lover. Weiss caught all that on tape. That's when all heck breaks loose, and Dexter and his family become targets for Weiss. Dexter and Chutsky make a trip to Havana to kill Deborah's attacker, but that falls through although they do have some powerful mojitos.
Author Jeff Lindsay does not steer away from the gory, the graphic, and the bloody details. Miami's homicidal traffic matches Dexter's homicidal craziness. The books are creepy in an entertaining way--so go figure.

This was a fun, if slightly disturbing beginning, book to read.

The Story
Dexter honeymoons in Paris with Rita and they end up seeing a gruesome art exhibit. At home, he is still trying to figure out the best way to teach the kids the path of Harry. Then, during an investigation to an interesting crime, Dexter kills someone and that someone's lover is not very happy. This other person has now targeted Dexter and Dexter has to try to stop him before that person exposes Dexter himself.

Likes
--I enjoy that the characters all have specific personalities that have not changed and seem accurate for the types of person each of them are.
--I love that Dexter always talks about himself in the third person and gives funny quips and statements.
--Absolutely enjoy the three and four word phrases the author uses for Dexter descriptions. Dexter with the Dimples :)
--This author knows how to write an interesting and riveting story that unfolds in ways that you don't see coming.

Dislikes
--I don't believe I have any thing to complain about at this point. The book was good and well done.

Conclusion
If you liked all of the previous Dexter books then I believe you will enjoy this one too. There were parts that I laughed out loud at and parts that I tried really hard not to picture in my head.

After the omnibus of the first three novels I was looking forward to reading that fourth one and enjoy the sequel of these very bloody but as clean as clean can be adventures of the most famous blood spatter technician in the world. And I was not disappointed. Dexter is always running clandestine as an avenger in his police department, though a black sergeant who has been seriously maimed in the previous but one volume is still running after him, with the help of some more curious baboons, like a couple of Internal Affairs officers and FBI officers who are after Deborah who was nearly killed by the new serial killer at large in Miami. But the new element is of course the third party in this deadly picnic, the criminal at large in Miami who is defending the brand new modern artistic trend that is derived from snuff videos and snuff art: to maim living human beings on the stage of the installation, or even better to self-maim yourself in front of your installation audience. And then put up as an exhibit the amputated part of your body. Let's note it is the fourth volume in which that amputating, dismembering, maiming of live subjects is used. Obviously Jeff Lindsay knows his classics. Frankenstein was horrible for building a body from spare parts recuperated from dead bodies, or, if necessary from freshly killed bodies. Lindsay took the opposite stand: Dexter himself is a dismemberer, then his brother was an artistic dismemberer with his elaborate installations of the body parts. Then we had that crazy doctor back from the special forces in El Salvador who made it his trade to reduce a living human being to nothing but his head on top of his trunk from shoulders to hips, all elements jutting out of it having been severed and disposed of. This well done that human being still survives, even without eyelid nor tongue. Then you had that sect that burned the bodies but severed the head first to display it somewhere public. This time the new serial killer, gay by the way (let's note this gay touch on that side of the criminal line reveals some kind of a slightly sexist element in the novel because it has nothing to do with the crime itself, uses bodies as fruit and flower baskets to enhance the touristic reputation of Miami. This time the end is close because Dexter has more or less confessed to Deborah who is going to overlook the fact, but the serial killer puts on the Internet some pictures that are more than dubious, that are frankly as clear as spring water. And Deborah's partner has managed to see the pictures by eavesdropping one night. Unluckily for him he makes a mistake that will make him part of the final installation of the artistic serial killer who will in fact himself be part of his own installation after a scuffle with our Rita who was just back from her Paris honeymoon with Dexter when all that started. That was a very close case this time and every volume brings the plot closer to a complete revelation. And during that time Rita's two kids are getting more and more insistent about doing some experimentation to learn the trade, be it only with a pencil, though a screwdriver is a lot more interesting, but. This writer reveals the deepest layers of our censored, repressed and blooming psyche. We all love that because we all have experienced these drives in our subconscious or unconscious mind. That explains the tremendous success of this author and the TV series inspired by his characters. We are expecting the next volume ASAP or otherwise we would have to come out and do it ourselves, which would be slightly sloppy and untidy, and that would not be in line with the author's anØl or recØØl character. Sorry for the censorship but some delicate ears my be reading our lines with their very fingers and one has to keep one's fingers away from some bodily places, even if Dexter does not.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Paris 8 Saint Denis, University Paris 12 Créteil, CEGID

The latest saga of Dexter Morgan starts off in Paris... as Dexter the man with no true inner feelings... other than the ones ruled by the "DARK-PASSENGER"... is on his honeymoon with his new bride Rita. Dexter's only true enjoyable moments on his Parisian honeymoon were when they attended an art piece called "Jennifer's Leg" in which they viewed a woman cut her own leg off... and then come back... and see and touch her own leg bone that was "mounted on a square of raw plywood and set in a steel frame." After returning to Miami and going back to work readers are reintroduced to existing storyline characters... such as co-worker Vince... whose daily highlight still revolves around who brought in the donuts... Angel Batista... and of course Dexter's cantankerous sister Sergeant Deborah... who between "snorts"... always has Dexter on edge... anticipating one of her famous brutal punches in the arm. Sergeant Doakes who had been Dexter's most dangerous and enduring adversary has a minuscule role in this segment... perhaps because "an amateur surgeon had captured Doakes and removed his hands, feet, and tongue"... and the only way he could communicate was with a "small handheld computer or PDA"... and by tapping at the keys with his claw (formerly a hand)... he would activate pre-stored computer generated phrases such as "I AM STILL WATCHING YOU"... and others laced with four letter words.

Shortly after Dexter's return there are four uniquely grisly murders with a similar M.O.. The person committing the murders seems to have more "creative-fun" with the bodies after the death... than any type of enjoyment during the committing of the homicides. One such example was a corpse that had the shirt unbuttoned "and pulled back to reveal that the man's chest had been removed and the cavity emptied out of all the natural and awful stuff that should go in there. It was now filled instead with ice, bottles of beer, and what appeared to be a shrimp-cocktail ring from the grocery store. His right hand was clutching a fistful of Monopoly money, and his face was covered with a glued on plastic mask." Sergeant Deb grabs Dexter instead of her partner and follows up on leads in an attempt to track down the killer. While Dexter sits in the car contemplating whether his sister... who now knows what he does for enjoyment at night... is going to turn him in... Deb gets stabbed and winds up in serious condition in the ICU. Dexter is forced to deal with emotions that he never thought he even remotely possessed. When he kills the man ... that he thought stabbed his sister... in retaliation... all hell breaks loose in Dexter's previously secret life. Simultaneously Rita's two young children Cody and Astor who are two "junior-Dexter-future-serial-killers-in-the-making" keep begging Dexter for some hands on training. The author gives tremendous "screen" time to an ingenious supporting character with almost unlimited dramatic and poker-face humor potential... Kyle Chutsky. Chutsky is Deb's boyfriend who "is at least ten-years-older than Debs, very large and beat-up, and missing his left hand and foot as the result of an encounter with the same amateur surgeon who had modified Sergeant Doakes." Chutsky sits like a sentinel at the side of Deb's bed and is eternally optimistic and incorporates *HEY BUDDY* in almost every discourse with Dexter. It also turns out that Chutsky may be part of a secret government organization. When Dexter and Chutsky team up it is a modern day version of the Odd Couple.

This is an expertly written saga... with Dexter's internal thought processes... and parenthetical humor... razor sharp. For any potential readers who were turned off and dismayed (like I was) by the author's previous book "DEXTER IN THE DARK" don't let that stop you from buying this one. It is three-hundred-per-cent better!

Dexter Morgan is, as many already know, a serial killer who lives to kill other serial killers. And he so enjoys his work. He returns in his fourth appearance in this new novel by Jeff Lindsay.

This author's use of alliteration and plays on words has already been well-documented, as have Dexter's homicidal proclivities. To call the series an example of dark humor at its best is to state the obvious, as fans of the books and the even more popular tv series can attest. To the uninitiated, Dexter is a man who needs to rehearse "normal" behavior, coming to none of it naturally. His "day job" is as a blood spatter analyst with the Miami, Florida PD. He has his own code, carefully taught to him and rigidly adhered to, as to who needs to be killed by him to restore balance to the world by what he calls "my small and harmless hobby of tracking down the bad guys who slip through the cracks in the justice system and turning them into a few nice and tidy garbage bags full of spare parts."

As the book opens, Dexter has just returned from a Paris honeymoon with his bride, Rita [part of his plan to present a normal face to the world]. His first case after he gets home to "the malice and mayhem of Miami" involves a series of killings where the bodies have been posed in what Dexter dubs "die-oramas," where the victims' body parts and innards have been replaced with gruesome ostensibly artistic designs in carefully composed settings.

As he gets closer to finding the killer, the current case becomes much more personal than usual for Dexter, as those nearest and dearest to him [to the extent that such is possible for Dexter] are threatened, and his usual 'mission' becomes defensive as much as anything else.

Dexter being who and what he is, I find the enormous fun [and slight thrill of horror] derived from the series somewhat of a guilty pleasure, but pleasure it undoubtedly is, and the book, as its predecessors, is recommended.

The fourth installment in the Dexter series feels more in line with the first two books of the series. The supernatural elements introduced in the previous novel, Dexter in the Dark: Dexter Morghan (3), are barely mentioned here. Instead, the book has a certain international feel to it. The book opens in Paris with Dexter and Rita enjoying their honeymoon. A very distinct style of art is illuminated there and upon their return to Miami, a spree of crimes shares a similar "artistic" flair.

Deborah and Dexter finally - after three books! - talk directly about what she knows about her adopted brother. Dexter even manages a second trip in this one -to Cuba! It's another fast-paced and fun addition to the series. And though the plot is completely wrapped up, there are some exciting hints about the next book! I can't wait to read it!

While Domesticated Dexter is a bit less fun than the Dexter of the first two books, this installment of the Dexter series is *miles* better than the third one. No goofy pseudo-mysticism trying to 'explain' Dexter's urge, thank heavens--some things are ruined if you try to explain them, and that Moloch nonsense in the third novel is a perfect example.

The second in the series, featuring Dr Danko, will always be my favorite, but this is a nice entry. It starts off wobbly, I'll admit, as if he hasn't quite gotten the voice down again (and let's face it, the narrative voice is the key treat for a Dexter fan!). But there are plenty of plot complications to keep you turning those pages. Even though Rita in this novel is...well, kind of a moron, and the kids are precociously vicious, and it seems that there are a bucket of 'killer' personalities out there (Doakes, Coulter, Chutsky--they all seem more than ready to recognize and/or accept murderous Dex) that really make it a secret almost not worth keeping, it builds well to a climax that's exciting and funny while being really spectacularly bizarre. Even the voice sounds more confident--like Lindsay's finally gotten back in control--by the end.

Not the best, but it's almost enough to make me forget the third one. And hope for the fifth!

Television has ruined Dexter. I discovered Jeff Lindsay's work last year and enjoyed all three (yes, even the third) books VERY much. I was so excited about Dexter By Design that I made sure to get it on the first day of release and finished it early the next day. Page after page I kept telling myself, "This has got to get better . . . this must be a horrible dream Dexter's having . . ." You get the picture.

In this installment Dexter is a shadow of his former self and it reads more like a screenplay (intended to give equal air time to an all-star cast) than a book about a lovable and un-loving serial killer who's just trying to get along in the world. It seems that everybody and his dog now know about Dexter's 'secret' and the only possible outcome from here is his arrest and execution. And was his sister such a complete pill in the earlier work? I think I gave the book three stars only because it IS Dexter.

Now I am left with dreams of next year - and if I should chance to meet Jeff Lindsay, right after I tell him that I am a huge fan of his work I might say, "Please Mr. Lindsay, take the time to re-read your earlier books and get Dexter back on track. Forget Showtime, leave television to the screenwriters and go back to your roots."

Normally I'd give this book three stars - which to me means some serious flaws but still worth reading. But it is such an improvement over book three that I'm giving it an extra star just to thank the author for learning from his mistakes in book three. All the mumbo-jumbo that made book three so painful is gone - the Dark Passenger stays safely in Dexter's head, apart but still most definitely a part of him.

That being said, Dexter is way off his game in this book. I won't spoil the plot as other reviews have done, but bottom line Dexter is too passive and too sloppy. Not necessary an inconsistent character development, given his recent life changes, but an unwanted development.

It is interesting to compare the TV Dexter and the book Dexter. The book Dexter is much less nice than TV Dexter - his basic contempt for Rita in the book can make for uncomfortable reading, but actually feels "truer" than his TV marriage. Dexter's denial of his emotions in the book is much stronger than on TV, and the author does a decent job of showing that Dexter does indeed have emotions even as the first-person narration denies them.

All-in-all, a must read for die-hard Dexter fans, even though it may still have some disappointments.

Dull, disappointing Dexter... but at least it was better than the last one. After a very promising start, Lindsay has apparently ran out of steam with his brilliantly conceived title character, Dexter. "Dexter by Design" features a hackneyed plot, full of predictable perils and plenty of deus-ex-machina moments. I know, it seems silly to use this word when describing a story about a psychopathic serial killer who hunts down and kills criminals while maintaining his alter ego as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police: but every bit of this tale felt contrived. Certain elements- the badly mangled Doakes still stalking Dexter, Cody and Astor keeping Dexter's dark secret while they train to follow in Dexter's footsteps, keeping their mother blissfully ignorant- have lost whatever darkly comic potential they had, and now play as just creepy. I won't provide any specific spoilers to those who still want to take this ride, but Dexter is getting to be like Gilligan's Island: in every episode, the castaways come tantalizingly close to escaping the island, but then Gilligan screws it up... in the Dexter tales, law enforcement gets tantalizingly close to figuring out Dexter's secret, but then the killer that Dexter is trailing kills the cop that's about to discover Dexter's dealings. The quality of writing for the Dexter TV series has far outstripped Lindsay's last two Dexter novels. After four books, I'm definitely done with Dexter.

Miami Police department forensic technician Dexter Morgan has just returned from his honeymoon with his wife Rita in Paris. However, he has no time to ease back into his role of studying blood splatter patterns. Two corpses brutalized in a way that only Dexter would appreciate (especially the fruit "basket" designer body) have been found on the beach; a sacred part of Miami unlike the streets.

Dexter's sister Sergeant Deborah is investigating the homicides when a suspect Alex Doncevic stabs her before fleeing the scene. Dexter assumes Alex is the serial killer and murders him; not out of sibling love or loyalty but because he is an avenging angel murdering murderers. However, to his shock his homicide of Doncevic appears on You Tube while Dexter also realizes the serial killer remains free to keep playing with him.

This is an amusing satirical Dexter thriller as his latest caper is a bit more personal than usual. Although the plot is thin and the climax feels forced, Dexter and his straight foil Doakes make for a delightfully droll dark dueling duet as the serial killing technician balances a wife with his homicidal activities.

Harriet Klausner

After the last Dexter book which took a Stephen King type turn, Jeff Lindsay returns to form in this installment. We find Dexter married and step father to two as an odd killer begins leaving bodies, with additional items, around Miami. Through a few twists and mistaken identity, Dexter becomes hunting by a vengeful artist bend on making Dexter's life his art. We get to see Dexter question himself and also find him become more vulnerable and a bit weaker. The dry wit and humor are present which makes Dexter the type of character we enjoy. Most of the story leaves us with Dexter on his own. Angel is there for a page or two and Doakes makes a few appearances in which he is only reminding Dexter that he "has his eyes on him (insert colorful metaphor)". I enjoyed the middle of this book with the surprise twists and the "what will he do now" moments but it kind of ran out of gas near the end. The actual climax left me disappointed and wanting more but the book does leave us with a cliffhanger (nothing fans of the novels and show wouldn't already guess) to set up the fifth book. It is a definete improvement over the previous book and I do enjoy how the show and novels are two seperate roads. Lindsay keeps his story his and has not gone to incorporate other aspects and characters of the show. All in all this is an OK read for any Dexter fan who tries to seperate what happens in print VS what happens on TV.

Absolutely LOVE Dexter. We've watched the entire TV series and then found out about the books. My fiance has NEVER been a big book reader, while I read anything I can get my hands on. This series was the first he's started reading and can't put down. We even had to stop while on vacation at a book store to buy him the next in the series. It will well written and told from Dexter's perspective. It is not exactly like the TV series but it is a welcome change. You get to know the characters better and see it entirely from Dexter's mind.

I enjoyed this book, but it quickly became apparent that I should have read the first in the series, or at least be acquainted with the popular TV show based on these characters. As I read I realized I needed a better understanding of how and why the characters interacted with each other and what their history was that led them to their actions herein. I mean I get it that Dexter is a rogue cop (CSI blood spatter type) who exterminates evil-doers who escape the law. And somehow that is tied in with the "Dark Passenger" who I think was Dexter's father or stepfather or adopted father. I don't know which. And it appears the elder trained him for his vigilante work. At least I think so. Beyond that, this is a fast-paced read with exciting twists and turns and I shall look for the first title in the series, "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" to further my understanding.

Art can be a thing of self-expression, beautiful...if used in the right circumstances. The newest serial killer to hit the streets might be taking his art too far. His medium? Corpses. He lives off the shock and horror of those unfortunate enough to stumble across his "exhibits" and now Dexter must hunt him down in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Why? The artist is smart.

He knows the truth, and he wants to make sure everyone else does too.

Thankfully, Jeff Lindsay returns to the good ole Dexter in Book 4, "Dexter by Design." There's no mention of the supernatural Moloch or any silly cults. Dexter is simply back to his old tricks, but now must deal with them as they relate to his family life.

We see an increased attachment from Dexter to his mundane roles: husband, father, brother. I really enjoyed the focus of this book on Deborah and how Dexter interacts with his sister, as well as Cody and Astor, his step-children.

There was a lot of build-up in the plot, with a quicky pay-off that felt like it didn't really pay-up. The characters are great, and the plot was there, but the ending just fell flat. I really expected something, I'm not sure what, but something MORE.

I'll continue to read the series for its unique voice and great characters. This one was certainly better than Book 3, so here's hoping to a steady improvement process!

Those who have been loyally following the television show "Dexter" since its premiere on Showtime in 2006 may be surprised to learn that it is based on a fine series of novels by Jeff Lindsay. The fourth installment, DEXTER BY DESIGN, was published almost simultaneously to the start of the fourth season. If you have been watching the program and haven't picked up one of the books yet, let me urge you in the strongest possible terms to purchase Lindsay's latest, which is an excellent read and, in a very dark and dire sense, great fun as well.

Dexter Morgan, a blood splatter specialist with the Miami Police Department, is seriously damaged mentally and emotionally. He is a serial killer who exhibited all of the classic signs --- withdrawal, animal torture, fascination with violence --- at an early age. His stepfather, who was a Miami cop himself, saw Dexter's base impulses (which Dexter refers to as his "Dark Passenger") early on and knew that while he couldn't exorcise them, he might be able to guide him in their application. As a result, Dexter manages to channel his urges and slake his thirst for bloodshed by murdering criminals --- those who he feels "deserve it." He also is able to present a fairly normal face to the world at large to the point where he has actually managed to woo and marry his girlfriend Rita as part of his façade of normalcy.

As DEXTER BY DESIGN opens, the newly married couple is honeymooning in Paris where they view a performance art exhibition, which will soon have eerie repercussions in their lives. Rita's two young children are "differently abled" in the same manner that Dexter is, and he takes it upon himself to raise them accordingly. As soon as the honeymoon is over and the new family returns to Miami, Dexter becomes involved in one of the most chilling cases of his career. Someone is leaving corpses painstakingly and artfully displayed in public areas of Miami. And seeing as such scenery does not do wonders for the tourist industry, there is a great deal of pressure from the top down in the Miami Police Department to solve the case quickly. Dexter's thoroughly unpleasant sister, Deborah, who works with her brother as a detective, is assigned to the case, and the two find themselves teaming up. This puts them both in an extremely difficult situation given that Deborah is one of the very few people who knows what lies under the veneer that Dexter presents to the world.

Everything changes, however, when Deborah is violently attacked during the course of the investigation. Dexter witnesses the incident and feels free to let his Dark Passenger off its tether as Deborah lies near death in a Miami hospital. His actions bring a whole new level of violence to the picture, one that places his family in terrible danger. For now there is someone else who is aware of who and what Dexter is. Motivated by revenge, Dexter and a somewhat unlikely ally find themselves in the unfortunate position of being pursued by a madman who will not be content until he has murdered Dexter and everyone around him.

Lindsay continues to mix graphic descriptions and grim humor into a storyline in which the protagonist is not so much a fish out of water as a dry land piranha on a mission. Dexter remains a sympathetic, if twisted character whose balancing act between dark impulse and normalcy continues to be challenged. If the closing of DEXTER BY DESIGN is any indication, his greatest challenges are yet to come. Recommended (and not just because of the great cover).

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Yummy.

I think fans of the first two Dexter books, but not so much the third, will be happy with this book. Not ecstatic, but happy.

Dexter has just gotten married, and by the time he gets home from his honeymoon, his dark passenger is rearing to go. He seems to be playing a little more fast and loose with the code of Harry and we see a bit of cat and mouse in this book, and I was somewhat reminded of book one.

I'm generally happy with whatever form of Dexter I can get (I even liked book three) so I was entertained. A few things grated on me a bit, however. The book lacked the humor of the first three, perhaps the novelty has worn off, but mostly I think Lindsay beat the horse dead on both Miami traffic, and Dexter's supposed lack of emotion. If Dexter had no emotion, he'd be a dull character nobody liked. So to be reminded like 100 times during the book that he doesn't have emotions, was overkill (ha!). Dexter might not be "human" but he definitely has strong feelings about things. (Food, justice, Doakes, himself, etc.)

I don't know if I have "book Rita" confused with "TV Rita", so I may have this wrong, but the minute they got married, she seemed to turn into this unlikeable simpering character. And finally, there were several times where I declared "That would never happen." So all in all, I enjoyed it, I was entertained, I love Dexter, but it was a tinge flawed.

Dexter the television show is among my favorites on TV. They've done a phenomenal job with the character, and all the characters on the show really. I give Lindsay all the credit in the world for having created this magnificently loveable serial killer, but for me, the television shows have surpassed the books. In spite of that, I definitely plan to keep reading the books.

During the ritual last minute dash to pick up something for the holiday I was snookered: Darkly Dreaming Dexter, the first in Jeff Lindsay's now televised series, had sold out. The only one left was Dexter by Design, the fourth, and I went with this in the hope that familiarity with the TV Series would be enough to get me through.

It was, handsomely, and I found Dexter by Design a ripping read. Its wry observations on Miami life - about which, otherwise, I know nothing - raised a smile and the characters were excellently realised, and in each case a little more extreme than their TV versions, which otherwise rang very true. Dexter's own "dark passenger", with its black, fluttering, bat-like wings - is sadly (and surprisingly) under-emphasised in the TV series, and it is an unnerving, queasy addition to the experience of the novels. On the other hand, Deborah Morgan's literary manifestation is an immensely enjoyable character and her dialogue often caused me to laugh out loud. Note to file: embarrassing, in public places to snigger and chortle at a book with blood-spatter, carving knives and gore displayed prominently on its cover. When in Jeff Lindsay's hands, that's an occupational hazard.

That said you do get the sense - as well you might after book four in a series - that it isn't just eponymous hero that keeps to a safe, tried-and-true routine. There's a formula here, and Jeff Lindsay sticking closely to it, even if this time around Dexter doesn't (and accordingly gets himself in trouble from straying from the "Harry Path").

So even though, for example, former nemesis Sgt. Doakes is incapacitated, a new one, Deceptively Dopey Detective Coulter, drops more or less exactly into Doakes' role as the sceptical insider who knows something is up with Dashingly Demure Dexter. And again, as usual, the villain - this time with implausibly little in the way of criminal experience let alone record, an at-best-sketchy motivation, and no history of murder, again seems imbued superhuman powers of extra sensory perception and uncommon analytical and logistical prowess, able with ease to stay several steps ahead of not just Miami homicide but Darkly Scheming Dexter as well for much of the novel. So much is true to Lindsay's form.

Look, suspension of disbelief and all that, but four series in and four homicidal maniacs have cottoned on to Dexter's Dark and Devious Dance and yet, by novel's end he has once again managed to dispel what looked for all the world like an insoluble suspicion. Unlike Matsuoka and Debs, our villain - by job description the most complex and unnerving character of the lot, you'd think - is disappointingly two-dimensional and under-developed.

I had thought Dexter Morgan showed the potential to transcend his genre, the way Hannibal Lecter and only a few others have managed to do. But on this fourth showing - and unlike Thomas Harris' output, they're coming at quite a clip - you do wonder whether Jeff Lindsay has perhaps set his literary priorities lower, and his commercial ones higher than the author of Silence of the Lambs.

Olly Buxton

The infamous Dexter Morgan is now married and settled down... but of course, that hasn't really changed anything inside him. Or has it?

And "Dexter By Design" is a solid fourth entry in Jeff Lindsay's thriller series, about a serial killer who focuses his efforts on serial killers. While there's still a bit too much focus on Dexter's new home life and stepkids, Lindsay still laces the story plenty of incisive wit, weird and grotesque serial killings, and a general aura of overhanging darkness. And coq au vin, occasionally.

After a brief and mostly idyllic (except for some gruesome performance art) honeymoon in Paris, Dexter has returned to Miami as a devoted husband and family man, yada yada. He also returns just in time for a string of gruesome new murders: four people who are eviscerated, filled with weird stuff (fruit and sunscreen, among other things), and artfully arranged. When it causes a media storm, a reluctant Deb asks Dexter to please help her out with the investigation.

His own experiences (and the Dark Passenger) tell Dexter that this isn't an ordinary serial killer, but someone who seems to have a strange grudge against the tourist trade of Miami. Or something like that. Whatever But things get far more personal for our soulless anti-hero when Deb is viciously stabbed, and Dexter's killing of the serial killer only end up causing more trouble... because he got the wrong guy. The next murder is someone close to his family, and Dexter ends up on a race against time to keep them from being the next round of victims.

"Dexter By Design" is neither the best nor the worst of the Dexter series -- while it's better than the story that precedes it, it's not quite up to the brilliance of the first couple books. But it's a fairly solid thriller story taken on its own merits, laced with Jeff Lindsay's dark wit and macabre goings-on (as well as some bizarre new problems associated with being a stepdad -- such as the whole "poop van" scenario).

Lindsay juggles and eventually intertwines the two different sides of Dexter's bizarre life, in a style that mingles tongue-in-cheek wit with a sort of mellow sociopathy. He has a knack for weird descriptions (at one point Deborah looks like "a large and very angry fish, all teeth and wide eyes"), and Dexter's cool internal observations glide through the increasingly frenzied plot like a swathe of black silk ("... while the rest of the world went on its merry way, killing and brutalizing each other without me").

The most pressing flaw? Well, the first half's focus on Dexter's new family is a bit on the dull side, primarily because we're told rather than shown that Astor and Cody are disturbed kids. Fortunately Lindsay seems to realize this (as does Dexter) and things start smoothing out after that, with criminal investigations, kidnappings, revenge and ghastly performance art.

But the fascinating aspect of this book is Dexter himself -- he claims to be soulless and feel nothing, like a demon made flesh, and the Dark Passenger still revels in death and pain. But he seems to be developing some personal feelings for his new stepchildren ("I had a large and wonderful responsibility in taking charge of these two and keeping them safely on the Harry Path") and his distrustful sister Deborah, and even the flickerings of an embyronic conscience. These developments trouble and confuse him, while changing him enough that the character doesn't stagnate.

While not the best of the Dexter series, "Dexter By Design" is an interesting thriller that pushes his bloodstained anti-hero into some intriguing new dilemmas. Worth reading if you've enjoyed what came before it.

This installment of Dexter is just very very slow. Literally you could read every fourth sentnece and miss nothing. A few good laughs for sure but pretty much the same old jokes - vince with the donuts etc etc. It seems like a shortstory padded to length. Simple police procedure is neglected by all the cops. For example, Dexter goes to interview a witness and is shocked to find he is in a wheelchair, but the reason they were interviewing that witness was because he ahd had a car accident and sued his job. was the wheelchair not mentioned in the file?
Another example internal affairs is investigating a stabbing and never even questions Dexter as to why he had gone to the house.

Everyone loves our deliciously demented killer Dexter. He is so nice yet so lethal, such a schizo. But unfortunately in 'Dexter By Design' we don't get to witness Dexter doing much of his dirty work, nor him listening to that evil voice in his head. Instead Dexter chases, and is chased by, the person who stabbed his sister, a police woman. Yes, the book moves along at a good pace and isn't boring at all. But I wanted Dexter to be the centerpiece of this novel. I wanted him to be the menace, not confused and scared.

Bottom line: certainly palatable for Dexter fans but it's not quite right.

.
Dexter's sister, Deborah, is attacked (again) and spends the whole novel in the hospital. This leads Dexter to kill someone, setting off the central problem of the book.

Unfortunately Dexter has nothing to do with solving this theme.

So instead of interesting anti-hero, he becomes hapless buffoon. Sadly, Dexter doesn't have the humor of Mr. Magoo to make this new role even mildly interesting.

Highlighting Dexter's irrelevancy is the first edition's cover art, which has nothing to do with the story either.

Have half the 5 star reviewers even read this book? I know that I've said that for a lot of books I didn't like, but seriously, before we begin, here's something one of them ACTUALLY said:

"darn do we have to wait another year!!!"

Yes, sweetie, we do. After all, you do realize it takes quite a while to come up with a story and then write and edit it right? (although the first and third things are things I assume Lindsay did NOT do with this book)

Right after the head-bashingly awful "Dexter in the Dark", which is 300 pages of weird demonic posession mumbo-jumbo, one would expect Lindsay to have fixed his mistakes with "Dexter By Desigh". Well I am sorry to report that, unfortunately, he has not done that. Well, OK, he removed the silly Demonic Posession crap, but that does not make it any better.

Instead of going into great detail the plot, here's the problems:

-"Moon". AGAIN.
-There's literally ONE KILL by Yours Truly in this book. You may have already about it in one of the two other one star reviewer's comment, but it's actually worse than both of us are making it out to be
-More and more "I am dead inside" paragraphs
-I get it, Miami Traffic is horrible. STOP MENTIONING IT WHEN SOMEONE GOES NEAR A CAR.
-Rita is still screechy and annoying
-Debra's dialogue is more cuss-filled than ever,
-Lame plot twists. UGH! You'd think he'd make a not so retarded plot twist series after the dumb Demonic Posession mishmash that took up most of Dexter in the Dark, but no, there are really lame twists. This whole book is one big lame plot twist.

In short, the new Dexter book is coming out next year and is Called "Dexter is Delicious". I for sure will read it since I love Dexter. I really don't think the books are bad books, I just think they have problems that NEED fixing if future books are to happen. I would LOVE it if Lindsay watched the amazing TV show and took notes for his next novel. But this book... *rolls eyes*. Lindsay is on his FOURTH BOOK in the series and hasn't evolved anywhere writing wise.