'

Monday 19 October 2009

DEXTER BY DESIGN


Being a blood spatter analyst who hates the sight of blood has always made Dexter's work for the Miami PD tough. But it means he's very neat when it comes to his out-of-hours hobby: murder. Of course, the fact Dexter only kills bad people helps too. Now Dex is facing a disturbing situation. He's used to blood at work and blood when he's out with the dark passenger (the voice that guides him on his deadly outings). But he's not sure what to make of the man who says blood is art. Using bodies as his canvas, someone is out there expressing themselves in the most lethal and painful of ways. If Dexter's to escape the scalpel and avoid becoming the latest exhibit, he needs somewhere to run...and he might just have found the perfect place. With his wedding looming, completing his nice-guy disguise, Dexter's honeymoon might just save his skin.

This is the fourth book in the Dexter Series and like the three before it... I loved it! I constantly find myself cheering for Dexter, and love that fate somehow always manages to get him out of the messy entanglements he gets himself caught up in. How awesome is that? Very awesome. :)

Dexter and Rita are in Paris for their honeymoon. Rita's having a fantastic time, but Dexter's a little bored. But when they visit an alternate-type art performance and witness a horrid act of self-mutilation masquerading as art, at least his holiday ends on a macabre note. And when they get back to Miami, Dexter finds himself in the middle of multiple artistic murders. A very sick individual is killing people in Miami and then displaying the corpses in public places like horrid platters/advertisements for everyone to see.

Partnering up with his sister Deborah, the two slowly narrow down the possibilities. However, when Deborah gets stabbed and ends up seriously injured in the hospital, Dexter decides to take care of the culprit with his own brand of justice. Yet, he didn't count on anyone watching him, and then becomes the target of a very sick killer. Now, Dexter's family's not safe and his biggest secret is at risk of being exposed.

Dexter By Design is the latest - and very awesome - installment of Jeff Lindsay's brilliant Dexter books. It's a rollercoaster ride that takes us outside of Miami and then back again. It focuses on a very bizarre and unusual crime, while still developing Dexter's relationship with his sister, wife, and those few who start to suspect him of wrongdoing.

Also, the dark humour I've grown to love is still in this book - I especially laughed at a very twisted but hilarious jingle written to fit The Brady Bunch theme song. In spite of all the darkness, murder and mayhem going on around Dexter, his voice never falters to be entertaining and logical. Dexter might consider himself to be a monster, but he's so much more complex than that.

I can't stop raving about these books. They've become some of my favourites. Oh, and the last line in this book is outstanding... but had me wishing for more. :)

Dexter By Design, September 2009, ISBN 0752884611, Orion Fiction Paperback

No comments:

Favorites More