Dearly Devoted Dexter

There are certain elements of pop culture that shouldn't take themselves too seriously. The Dexter series is one of those. The books sparkle with a crisp, clean CSI: Miami feel, a whole lot of fun in the sun, and balance the lightness with Dexter playing serial killer under the moon; snappy writing and an insightful, interesting narrator, playful and charming and wry and absorbing in his innocent manner and his dark desires. These were the things that I loved about the first book, and the things that made me very excited to read the second book in the series.

The writing remains engaging, as does Dexter, but Lindsay seems to believe that this second work needed to be more important than the first, needed to say something. There is enough going on behind Dexter's scenes that the murders he “investigates” do not need to impart a lofty sense of ideals, or make anyone further question ethics and morals.