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Dexter #7
Dexter's Final Cut
With 1.7 million copies of the Dexter novels sold, and ever-increasing critical acclaim, Jeff Lindsay returns to his groundbreaking and beloved character with his most entertaining book yet. Get ready for a grisly send-up of Hollywood, and a full dose of dark Dexter wit.
Lights. Camera. Mayhem. You won't find this story on television.
Hollywood gets more than it bargained for when television's hottest star arrives at the Miami Police Department and develops an intense, professional interest in a camera-shy blood spatter analyst named Dexter Morgan.
Mega-star Robert Chase is famous for losing himself in his characters. When he and a group of actors descend on the Miami Police Department for "research," Chase becomes fixated on Dexter Morgan, the blood spatter analyst with a sweet tooth for doughnuts and a seemingly average life. To perfect his role, Chase is obsessed with shadowing Dexter's every move and learning what really makes him tick. There is just one tiny problem . . . Dexter's favorite hobby involves hunting down the worst killers to escape legal justice, and introducing them to his special brand of playtime. It's a secret best kept out of the spotlight and away from the prying eyes of bloated Hollywood egos if Dexter wants to stay out of the electric chair. The last thing he needs is bright lights and the paparazzi. . . but even Dexter isn't immune to the call of fame.
Jeff Lindsay's razor sharp, devilish wit, and immaculate pacing prove that he is in a class of his own, and this new novel is his most masterful creation yet.
Lights. Camera. Mayhem. You won't find this story on television.
Hollywood gets more than it bargained for when television's hottest star arrives at the Miami Police Department and develops an intense, professional interest in a camera-shy blood spatter analyst named Dexter Morgan.
Mega-star Robert Chase is famous for losing himself in his characters. When he and a group of actors descend on the Miami Police Department for "research," Chase becomes fixated on Dexter Morgan, the blood spatter analyst with a sweet tooth for doughnuts and a seemingly average life. To perfect his role, Chase is obsessed with shadowing Dexter's every move and learning what really makes him tick. There is just one tiny problem . . . Dexter's favorite hobby involves hunting down the worst killers to escape legal justice, and introducing them to his special brand of playtime. It's a secret best kept out of the spotlight and away from the prying eyes of bloated Hollywood egos if Dexter wants to stay out of the electric chair. The last thing he needs is bright lights and the paparazzi. . . but even Dexter isn't immune to the call of fame.
Jeff Lindsay's razor sharp, devilish wit, and immaculate pacing prove that he is in a class of his own, and this new novel is his most masterful creation yet.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2013
About the author
Jeff Lindsay
70 books3,981 followersJeff Lindsay lives in Florida with his wife, author Hilary Hemingway, daughter of Leicester Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway's brother.
Lindsay is best known for writing the Dexter series of novels. Several of his earlier published works include his wife as a co-author.
Jeff graduated from Middlebury College, Vermont, in 1975, and Celebration Mime Theatre's Clown School the same year. He received a double MFA, in Directing and Playwriting, from Carnegie-Mellon University, and has written 25 produced plays. He has also worked as a musician, singer, comedian, actor, TV host, improv actor, and dishwasher.
Lindsay is best known for writing the Dexter series of novels. Several of his earlier published works include his wife as a co-author.
Jeff graduated from Middlebury College, Vermont, in 1975, and Celebration Mime Theatre's Clown School the same year. He received a double MFA, in Directing and Playwriting, from Carnegie-Mellon University, and has written 25 produced plays. He has also worked as a musician, singer, comedian, actor, TV host, improv actor, and dishwasher.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,117 reviews
September 20, 2013
This was in my opinion the WORST Dexter book to date for 2 reasons.
I'm gonna warn you right now that I'm about to hit some spoilers small but spoilers just the same.
Ready.......
Ok this book started out fine just like the other Dexter novels. They aren't great books but they are far from bad.
I like the characters, I usually like the storylines. Lindsay seems to take his time with the beginning of the book and then the last third is a fevered rush to end the book as quickly as he can. This is always the case but never as obvious as it was in his 3rd novel.
So when this book got just a few pages from the end I realized I was in for a cliff hanger.
That is one thing I can't abide in a book.
If it's a trilogy or a planned series of finite books fine. Twilight, the Left Behind Books and Hunger games being good examples of that.
However to do it in a series like this is a money grab. The book isn't good enough to warrant a sequel and so by ending it like he did he assured that he will keep us on the hook.
I put it that way because I found the character of Dexter so disgusting in this particular outing that were it not for the cliff hanger I would hang it up for the series completely.
Dexter is a sociopath and a killer so I don't know why I was so shocked and put off by him cheating on Rita but I was.
The callousness of his decision and his detachment from Aster and Cody were just not in the character as he has been described over the last 6 books.
Even though Rita is another mask for Dexter the kids and their "training" is important to him.
It always has been and the idea that he decides he can just leave all of them and for the spotlight no less is just ignorant of the character by the one person who should know him best.
Poor effort from a so so writer.
I'm gonna warn you right now that I'm about to hit some spoilers small but spoilers just the same.
Ready.......
Ok this book started out fine just like the other Dexter novels. They aren't great books but they are far from bad.
I like the characters, I usually like the storylines. Lindsay seems to take his time with the beginning of the book and then the last third is a fevered rush to end the book as quickly as he can. This is always the case but never as obvious as it was in his 3rd novel.
So when this book got just a few pages from the end I realized I was in for a cliff hanger.
That is one thing I can't abide in a book.
If it's a trilogy or a planned series of finite books fine. Twilight, the Left Behind Books and Hunger games being good examples of that.
However to do it in a series like this is a money grab. The book isn't good enough to warrant a sequel and so by ending it like he did he assured that he will keep us on the hook.
I put it that way because I found the character of Dexter so disgusting in this particular outing that were it not for the cliff hanger I would hang it up for the series completely.
Dexter is a sociopath and a killer so I don't know why I was so shocked and put off by him cheating on Rita but I was.
The callousness of his decision and his detachment from Aster and Cody were just not in the character as he has been described over the last 6 books.
Even though Rita is another mask for Dexter the kids and their "training" is important to him.
It always has been and the idea that he decides he can just leave all of them and for the spotlight no less is just ignorant of the character by the one person who should know him best.
Poor effort from a so so writer.
August 23, 2014
OK....What happened??!?!?
This book....*sigh*....Where to start? This will have slight spoilers, nothing definitive given away BUT....well.
First off I have loved this series until this book! Where did it go wrong? I mean come on!
Here are the problems I had with this book....
(1) You CANNOT change a character like that...I mean you take a serial killer and all of a sudden his brain transforms? I mean he never had sympathy/empathy. Now all of a sudden he has feelings????? He lusts, he gets jealous and possessive?? Ummmmm 'kay.
(2) He went from hiding in the shadows, being in the background, because of what he is to all of a sudden wanting to be in the limelight? Yeah....alright....
(3) The first half of this book was about food (with only one body...found at a crime scene...not his kill). All they talked about was he ate this...he's hungry...going to eat that...and on and on.
(4) Then all of sudden he is not very smart...OK?!?!? Since when?
(5) Then most if not all of the characters couldn't form complete sentences...They all took on the personality and demeanor of Rita...why?
(6) Then Astor?? Since when is she like that?.....ahhhh well. Don't know what else to say about that.
(7) Then Deb's character as well as the kids and Rita were not really...there I guess you could say. They didn't make many appearances.
(8) Last but not least....since when have his hunches been wrong? He made several mistakes on the "bad" people in this book that he has never, to my knowledge, made before...
So disappointed in this book.
This book....
First off I have loved this series until this book! Where did it go wrong? I mean come on!
Here are the problems I had with this book....
(1) You CANNOT change a character like that...I mean you take a serial killer and all of a sudden his brain transforms? I mean he never had sympathy/empathy. Now all of a sudden he has feelings????? He lusts, he gets jealous and possessive?? Ummmmm 'kay.
(2) He went from hiding in the shadows, being in the background, because of what he is to all of a sudden wanting to be in the limelight? Yeah....alright....
(3) The first half of this book was about food (with only one body...found at a crime scene...not his kill). All they talked about was he ate this...he's hungry...going to eat that...and on and on.
(4) Then all of sudden he is not very smart...OK?!?!? Since when?
(5) Then most if not all of the characters couldn't form complete sentences...They all took on the personality and demeanor of Rita...why?
(6) Then Astor?? Since when is she like that?.....ahhhh well. Don't know what else to say about that.
(7) Then Deb's character as well as the kids and Rita were not really...there I guess you could say. They didn't make many appearances.
(8) Last but not least....since when have his hunches been wrong? He made several mistakes on the "bad" people in this book that he has never, to my knowledge, made before...
So disappointed in this book.
January 4, 2014
Pre-Read Thoughts: New Dexter makes me all warm and fuzzy. Can't wait.
Post-Read Thoughts: ... ugh.
Post-Read Thoughts: ... ugh.
October 24, 2013
Is this the last Dexter? Well, it is for me. I've read all of the series from the beginning and enjoyed it. I live in south Florida, so Lindsay's trenchant observations on our politics, drivers, and cultural idiosyncrasies are very entertaining. That is why I'm unable to grasp what the author intended with this book. If, indeed, this is the end for Dexter, then it seems to me that Jeff Lindsay extended a middle finger to his readers. It's as if he tired of the series and wrote a sloppy ending as quickly as he could.
August 1, 2019
‘’Death is the mother of beauty.’’
I know what you are all thinking ‘’Whaaat 3 Dexter books in less than a year and she will also buy book 6 before the end of the year? Is she insane?’’…. 2 more books. Yeet yeet bitch.
I always thought that this was the last book because it was called Final Cut but then Dexter Is Dead came out and I was confused. Yes I finally read the summary and now I get it. I have like 1 braincell okay.
‘’He liked me. He really liked me.’’
“Liked you, liked you?” Magnus buried his grin in the cat’s fur. “Sorry. Are we twelve now?
Same energy?
Dexter’s dumb ass was thinking that boi was gay when it was extremely obvious that he is a pedo. The moment he interacted with the kids I was like ‘pedophile’. Am I supposed to believe that he couldn’t figure it out? To be completely honest, he is braindead in this book.
This should have been Dexter the moment… oh fuck I forgot his name….Robert talked to Ashtor:
Dexter feels a lot of things now… cool I guess. That is the reason why I lowkey hated the show after they introduced Hannah. I’m fine... Fucking Hannah, garbage bitch... I just hope the ending isn’t as bad as the tv show’s.
I know what you are all thinking ‘’Whaaat 3 Dexter books in less than a year and she will also buy book 6 before the end of the year? Is she insane?’’…. 2 more books. Yeet yeet bitch.
I always thought that this was the last book because it was called Final Cut but then Dexter Is Dead came out and I was confused. Yes I finally read the summary and now I get it. I have like 1 braincell okay.
‘’He liked me. He really liked me.’’
Same energy?
Dexter’s dumb ass was thinking that boi was gay when it was extremely obvious that he is a pedo. The moment he interacted with the kids I was like ‘pedophile’. Am I supposed to believe that he couldn’t figure it out? To be completely honest, he is braindead in this book.
Dexter feels a lot of things now… cool I guess. That is the reason why I lowkey hated the show after they introduced Hannah. I’m fine... Fucking Hannah, garbage bitch... I just hope the ending isn’t as bad as the tv show’s.
October 2, 2013
This is second worst book in the series "Dexter in the Dark" (#3) being worst. Main characters change for no reason whatsoever.
Dexter and Debra are tasked with showing two actors (actress in Debra's case) what police work is in preparing them for role in TV series. As mutilated bodies of women start appearing in Miami things take a nasty turn and Dexter ends up being a bodyguard to said actress.
And here is where main flaw of the book starts. Dexter just doesn't act like his usual self. Rather than being detached and cold person we know he starts acting like a shoolboy with a crush. And then this is taken to the extreme. We see a lot of daydreaming with absolutly no basis in reality instead of his usual darker internal monologues.
Without spoiling things let me just say Rita is about the only person who acts as before.
Bad, bad book that ends with a cliffhanger. I just hope next one will improve entire plot.
Dexter and Debra are tasked with showing two actors (actress in Debra's case) what police work is in preparing them for role in TV series. As mutilated bodies of women start appearing in Miami things take a nasty turn and Dexter ends up being a bodyguard to said actress.
And here is where main flaw of the book starts. Dexter just doesn't act like his usual self. Rather than being detached and cold person we know he starts acting like a shoolboy with a crush. And then this is taken to the extreme. We see a lot of daydreaming with absolutly no basis in reality instead of his usual darker internal monologues.
Without spoiling things let me just say Rita is about the only person who acts as before.
Bad, bad book that ends with a cliffhanger. I just hope next one will improve entire plot.
September 29, 2013
Mild spoilers concerning Dexter and one character. I didn't finish so I can't spoil that much.
Oh how far our unlikely hero has fallen. Is Dexter dense? The thought crossed my mind as he has been caught in the act in the last book and caught on camera in a different book.
Dexter and Deb are forced by Capt Matthews to babysit these 2 actors who will playing a cop and forensic guy in a tv show being filmed in Miami. That's a bit ridiculous, but I swallowed it. I even dealt with Dexter going dopy over the beautiful actress and being tongue-tied when he first meets her, but as the novel progresses he's forced to guard her (no spoilers) and inwardly fawns over her beauty and the hollywood glamour that he experiences while being in her company.
Since when is Dexter so shallow or enchanted by a woman's beauty. Rita and the kids are described in a increasing barrage of statements about how Rita is annoying and getting lines around her mouth and eyes. How annoying family life is and on and on. Is Dexter thinking of leaving his family disguise. Maybe, he certainly seems fed up and seems to barely tolerate Rita and the kids.
I had to tap out when Dexter eventually sleeps with this woman and then lays in bed thinking about how she might feel about him and what it all means and how he wants to do it again. Are you kidding me?! Earlier in the book, he killed someone in broad daylight on her behalf. This just isn't the Dexter I knew and loved. I guess it's ridiculous to be upset about his cheating on Rita since he's a serial killer, but I just never expected him to care about things like this. I'm so disgusted I don't think I will ever finish. I also read that it ends in a cliffhanger and sense it took so long for this book to come out, I'm not sure I can deal with that either.
On a bright note, Lindsay's writing is still darkly amusing and witty. I love the way he uses language... syncopation and such.
Oh how far our unlikely hero has fallen. Is Dexter dense? The thought crossed my mind as he has been caught in the act in the last book and caught on camera in a different book.
Dexter and Deb are forced by Capt Matthews to babysit these 2 actors who will playing a cop and forensic guy in a tv show being filmed in Miami. That's a bit ridiculous, but I swallowed it. I even dealt with Dexter going dopy over the beautiful actress and being tongue-tied when he first meets her, but as the novel progresses he's forced to guard her (no spoilers) and inwardly fawns over her beauty and the hollywood glamour that he experiences while being in her company.
Since when is Dexter so shallow or enchanted by a woman's beauty. Rita and the kids are described in a increasing barrage of statements about how Rita is annoying and getting lines around her mouth and eyes. How annoying family life is and on and on. Is Dexter thinking of leaving his family disguise. Maybe, he certainly seems fed up and seems to barely tolerate Rita and the kids.
I had to tap out when Dexter eventually sleeps with this woman and then lays in bed thinking about how she might feel about him and what it all means and how he wants to do it again. Are you kidding me?! Earlier in the book, he killed someone in broad daylight on her behalf. This just isn't the Dexter I knew and loved. I guess it's ridiculous to be upset about his cheating on Rita since he's a serial killer, but I just never expected him to care about things like this. I'm so disgusted I don't think I will ever finish. I also read that it ends in a cliffhanger and sense it took so long for this book to come out, I'm not sure I can deal with that either.
On a bright note, Lindsay's writing is still darkly amusing and witty. I love the way he uses language... syncopation and such.
August 24, 2013
Book Info: Genre: Thriller/Police Procedural
Reading Level: Adult
Book Available: September 17, 2013 in hardcover, Kindle, Audible and Audio CD editions
Recommended for: twisted people
Trigger Warnings: murder
My Thoughts: Ah, welcome back Dexter's brain. I figured out why Double Dexter bothered me so much. A clever villain is all well and good and helps keep the tension up, but a stupid Dexter is annoying. And Double Dexter featured a Dexter that was not bringing his A game. Fortunately he was back in full form in this latest adventure.
I have a very bad habit with paper books, and that is I tend to go read the last page to find out how things end up. Of course, most Dexter books have sort of an epilogue, where the denouement happens several pages before the ending, but... I don't think that's quite the case here. Oh, the horrors! He decided that one of the differences between the show and the series needed to be done away with, so … he did away with it. What? No, I'm not going to tell you! That would be a spoiler!
The scene with Renny Boudreaux made me laugh for ages. I think it's because Renny is just so forward with Dexter and it throws Dexter for a loop, then he gives such a hilarious response, “The day is still young.” Seriously? Ha!
Anyway, I really hope it won't be too long until the next book in this series, because Dexter is deep in the outhouse with the normal results of such a place right up to his ears at the end of this book. I have no idea how he will go past this point. For that matter, where were Cody and Lily Anne at the end of the book? Brian is not mentioned once, either. The book is very good, but a definite downer of an ending, so I hope that Lindsay doesn't keep us waiting too long to find out what happens next... because it can not end that way. Don't miss this latest book in the series if you're a fan.
Series Information: Dexter Morgan series
Book 1: Darkly Dreaming Dexter, review linked here
Book 2: Dearly Devoted Dexter, review linked here
Book 3: Dexter in the Dark, review linked here
Book 4: Dexter by Design, review linked here
Book 5: Dexter is Delicious, review linked here
Book 6: Double Dexter, review linked here
Book 7: Dexter's Final Cut
Disclosure: I received an ARC copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: Hollywood gets more than it bargained for when television's hottest star arrives at the Miami Police Department and develops an intense, professional interest in a camera-shy blood spatter analyst named Dexter Morgan.
Mega-star Robert Chase is famous for losing himself in his characters. When he and a group of actors descend on the Miami Police Department for 'research', Chase becomes fixated on Dexter Morgan, the blood spatter analyst with a sweet tooth for doughnuts and a seemingly average life. To perfect his role, Chase is obsessed with shadowing Dexter's every move and learning what really makes him tick. There is just one tiny problem . . . Dexter's favorite hobby involves hunting down the worst killers to escape legal justice, and introducing them to his special brand of playtime. It's a secret best kept out of the spotlight and away from the prying eyes of bloated Hollywood egos if Dexter wants to stay out of the electric chair. The last thing he needs is bright lights and the paparazzi . . . but even Dexter isn't immune to the call of fame.
Reading Level: Adult
Book Available: September 17, 2013 in hardcover, Kindle, Audible and Audio CD editions
Recommended for: twisted people
Trigger Warnings: murder
My Thoughts: Ah, welcome back Dexter's brain. I figured out why Double Dexter bothered me so much. A clever villain is all well and good and helps keep the tension up, but a stupid Dexter is annoying. And Double Dexter featured a Dexter that was not bringing his A game. Fortunately he was back in full form in this latest adventure.
I have a very bad habit with paper books, and that is I tend to go read the last page to find out how things end up. Of course, most Dexter books have sort of an epilogue, where the denouement happens several pages before the ending, but... I don't think that's quite the case here. Oh, the horrors! He decided that one of the differences between the show and the series needed to be done away with, so … he did away with it. What? No, I'm not going to tell you! That would be a spoiler!
The scene with Renny Boudreaux made me laugh for ages. I think it's because Renny is just so forward with Dexter and it throws Dexter for a loop, then he gives such a hilarious response, “The day is still young.” Seriously? Ha!
Anyway, I really hope it won't be too long until the next book in this series, because Dexter is deep in the outhouse with the normal results of such a place right up to his ears at the end of this book. I have no idea how he will go past this point. For that matter, where were Cody and Lily Anne at the end of the book? Brian is not mentioned once, either. The book is very good, but a definite downer of an ending, so I hope that Lindsay doesn't keep us waiting too long to find out what happens next... because it can not end that way. Don't miss this latest book in the series if you're a fan.
Series Information: Dexter Morgan series
Book 1: Darkly Dreaming Dexter, review linked here
Book 2: Dearly Devoted Dexter, review linked here
Book 3: Dexter in the Dark, review linked here
Book 4: Dexter by Design, review linked here
Book 5: Dexter is Delicious, review linked here
Book 6: Double Dexter, review linked here
Book 7: Dexter's Final Cut
Disclosure: I received an ARC copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: Hollywood gets more than it bargained for when television's hottest star arrives at the Miami Police Department and develops an intense, professional interest in a camera-shy blood spatter analyst named Dexter Morgan.
Mega-star Robert Chase is famous for losing himself in his characters. When he and a group of actors descend on the Miami Police Department for 'research', Chase becomes fixated on Dexter Morgan, the blood spatter analyst with a sweet tooth for doughnuts and a seemingly average life. To perfect his role, Chase is obsessed with shadowing Dexter's every move and learning what really makes him tick. There is just one tiny problem . . . Dexter's favorite hobby involves hunting down the worst killers to escape legal justice, and introducing them to his special brand of playtime. It's a secret best kept out of the spotlight and away from the prying eyes of bloated Hollywood egos if Dexter wants to stay out of the electric chair. The last thing he needs is bright lights and the paparazzi . . . but even Dexter isn't immune to the call of fame.
October 21, 2020
Um, I don't know how I feel about this series at this point, if I ever did. I don't know why I keep getting the new ones when they do come out. Is it a misshapen loyalty to the TV show that I adore. Or the beautiful covers; it is certainly not the content. There are few worthy moments but they are just that, moments. Maybe it's my understanding of a character, an elusive figure that I love and look for albeit in all the wrong places, like its own source material. Despite its many flaws and in spite of its lack of substance and any kind of real depth I did enjoy this latest offering. I'd say this was the funniest entry in the Dexter series, undeniably there were some laugh-aloud moments. One, in particular, amused me where Lindsay in self-deprecating humor made fun of himself. After that unfortunately all the fun ended. So while this book was fine the protagonist remained as clueless and moronic as ever bordering almost on being special but not special. Preferring to Forrest Gumped his way around the books' plots, such as they are. Something happened during the reading of this book; I realized Jeff Lindsay just isn't a good writer, no matter if his wife's name happened to be Hemingway but then again there is only one Hemingway and his wife is definitely not it.
It eventually dawned on me that book Dexter is nothing at all like his TV counterpart. I don't expect them to be the same but Lindsay's Dexter goes out of his way to be stupid and that makes me wonder; does Lindsay believe his fans (or rather Dexter's fans ) to be that gullible or is he the one who is insufficient and inadequate. I could see that the book series's Dexter isn't sharp, intelligent, witty, suave, resourceful, quick, everything basically the show Dexter is. There in the books, I noticed a sense of urgency that is missing that the show most expertly displayed, dwelt on handled, and executed with panache. Let's not even talk about the silver mask that Our Dumb Dexter wears (which one you Decide that I am talking about, the book one or the show one) is nothing beyond battered uninspiring and nothing as cool as the killuniform the show Dexter uses, but even that atrocity was missing in this volume.
The level of stupidity shown by the series Dexter in this book is almost beyond belief. Unlike the show Dexter who actually uses his brains, a smart detective works to figure things and killers out, book one just relay on pure magic and even with that ability he couldn't figure out who the killer was. I liked Jackie a lot when I thought she was the killer. Early on, I figured out that the killer was a pervert but I didn't figure out that the pervert was the killer. So yeah, that did surprise me.
Oddly enough I would still like to finish this series, only one book is left. Maybe just out of some misplaced nostalgia for the superior show I wanna read the last offering.
Final words: the whole Dexter's malcontent turning point I thought was a running joke that Lindsay was bludgeoning me with, but instead too late I realized he was quite serious. Well, yes every man has that one desire that one weakness that one dream that he harbors in his bosom. Apparently in this book fame and money is Dexter's. What the actual fuck. How ridiculous that is do you not realize. That was degrading for sundry reasons. See, in spite of being an unappreciated monster that gets rid of the killers, Dexter in essence is a superhero and as we mere mortals understand it, superheroes don't give a hoot about money or fame. In that Lindsay had failed us. For Dexter inherently should shun any sort of public life. A difference that the show's Dexter understood and didn't fail to his brittle end, which was abysmal but at least that Dexter remained true to who he was. Yet somehow Lindsay couldn't remain true to what he created.
update: Dexter is Dead is out. I'll be checking that out soon enough.
April 4, 2019
Time of DNF: 57%
Don't think it doesn't disappoint me greatly, but it is what it is. I don't know if this was written after the television series started or what, and I don't care enough to investigate it--this was reading for pleasure--but Dexter's Final Cut spends less time on Dexter and more about the cult of celebrity. There is more time devoted to driving in Miami traffic than on Dark Passenger, which as a book about a serial killer is pretty sad. And yeah, not interesting in getting into a debate about whether LA or Miami has it worse.
Seriously, considering this book is about a serial killer it has a lack of stabby-stabby. Having stopped just after Dexter's kill I can say that it sucked. It was slapdash and broke all the rules, Harry's code. There is a process and aesthetic Dexter employed in the beginning that is gone. In fact, the most critical and defining aspect of his kills and what defines his psychosis was ignored--and that infuriated me.
This wasn't Dexter. This was half-assed.
So, I'm stopping, not going to attempt to read the final book in the series either. Because at this point, in my mind I can maintain the ideal of Dexter. Funny, I'm even angrier and more disappointed after writing this review.
Vaya con dios, Dexter!
My conscience was clean--most mythical objects are--but I felt a small twinge of unease anyway.
Don't think it doesn't disappoint me greatly, but it is what it is. I don't know if this was written after the television series started or what, and I don't care enough to investigate it--this was reading for pleasure--but Dexter's Final Cut spends less time on Dexter and more about the cult of celebrity. There is more time devoted to driving in Miami traffic than on Dark Passenger, which as a book about a serial killer is pretty sad. And yeah, not interesting in getting into a debate about whether LA or Miami has it worse.
Seriously, considering this book is about a serial killer it has a lack of stabby-stabby. Having stopped just after Dexter's kill I can say that it sucked. It was slapdash and broke all the rules, Harry's code. There is a process and aesthetic Dexter employed in the beginning that is gone. In fact, the most critical and defining aspect of his kills and what defines his psychosis was ignored--and that infuriated me.
This wasn't Dexter. This was half-assed.
So, I'm stopping, not going to attempt to read the final book in the series either. Because at this point, in my mind I can maintain the ideal of Dexter. Funny, I'm even angrier and more disappointed after writing this review.
Vaya con dios, Dexter!
December 4, 2013
i am so looking forward to reading this-read all 6 so far and watched all 6 series-big fan.
Well finished book ,cliffhanger,there better be another mr lindsay as that was an ending and a half.Very good as always.
Well finished book ,cliffhanger,there better be another mr lindsay as that was an ending and a half.Very good as always.
March 3, 2016
Well, it was very funny. And the bad guy(s) aren't that easy to spot straight away.
But Dexter got quite wrapped up in himself and stardom for most of the book... I rather say he deserved the ending he got, which I did not like.
As I did not like ending, I therefore require it the Mr Lindsay write a final 8th novel. Redeem him, somehow, Mr Lindsay. Please, please, I beg of you, sir. I have always loved myself some Dexter and his naughty but just ways and as things stand, I simply cannot.
But Dexter got quite wrapped up in himself and stardom for most of the book... I rather say he deserved the ending he got, which I did not like.
As I did not like ending, I therefore require it the Mr Lindsay write a final 8th novel. Redeem him, somehow, Mr Lindsay. Please, please, I beg of you, sir. I have always loved myself some Dexter and his naughty but just ways and as things stand, I simply cannot.
August 18, 2013
Hold on to your blood spatters, folks! Dexter Morgan — forensic specialist by day, serial killer by night — is about to become a TV star!
Well, sort of. It goes without saying that Dexter already is an actor; indeed, our favorite serial killer has been successfully masquerading as a human for his entire adult life. He learned very early on that no one could know that his body was home to a Dark Passenger, and so he has been guarded and careful about what he says and does, and living for those bright and bloody moments when he can release his true self upon the truly deserving.
But now, thanks to his Department’s overeager desire to help out the Big Ticket Network, his role is going to be replicated on a cop show they’re currently filming. Which means that he now gets to be shadowed on the job by a real actor, so that the man can see what a forensic technician does on the job.
And that might not be so bad — maybe even a little flattering to the average person. But Dexter is not the average person, and really does not need to have some washed-up, has-been, boorish actor a half-step behind him, aping his mannerisms and little tics. He does not need to be forced into socializing with him, or enduring his small talk about Dexter’s wife and children, or putting up with his ongoing feud with his co-star, who’s currently in the process of shadowing Dexter’s sister, Deborah.
Of course, things get interesting when a case requiring his unique skills appears: a horribly-mutilated woman is found in a dumpster, complete with a signature wound that could indicate a serial killer. Things get even more interesting when it turns out that other, similar killings have been found wherever the actress about to become Deborah has worked. And they get a lot more interesting when Dexter takes it upon himself to guard that actress at night, at her hotel, and things begin to happen between them that he wasn’t exactly expecting…
Before long, Dexter gets hopelessly entangled in the lifestyles of the rich and famous, and he and Deborah have to guard several new secrets between them. But as things become more complicated, and it becomes clear to Dexter that what’s in front of the camera isn’t the only fiction at play, his dark certainty gives way to honest confusion.
Can Dexter solve this case in his own unique and bloody manner without the actor trying to become him realizing what’s going on? Or is this going to truly be his final cut?
One of the great things about the books in this series is that Dexter’s inhumanity works both ways. He can see and sense things that we cannot, given the nasty, black thing he’s got riding around inside of him. But at the same time we, as the audience, can see things coming that he remains blissfully unaware of until it’s too late.
Lindsay knows how to work this both to comedic and horrific effect in Final Cut, as the little mistakes that Dexter makes come back to haunt him with a vengeance. All we can do is groan and wonder why he didn’t see this coming, only to remember that he really couldn’t, which makes the book’s genuinely shocking ending all the more tragic.
(It also seems to be something of a response to “Dexter,” on Showtime, which is now in its final season. One gets the sense that the author spent some time on the set, dealing with the surreal nature of life behind the camera, and wrote some of the scenes, characters, and situations with that in mind.)
A darkly comedic hunt for the truth amongst battered corpses and film cameras, Dexter’s Final Cut is a worthy addition to an already-excellent series, and is certain to make long-time fans jump and clamor for the next installment as soon as possible.
Well, sort of. It goes without saying that Dexter already is an actor; indeed, our favorite serial killer has been successfully masquerading as a human for his entire adult life. He learned very early on that no one could know that his body was home to a Dark Passenger, and so he has been guarded and careful about what he says and does, and living for those bright and bloody moments when he can release his true self upon the truly deserving.
But now, thanks to his Department’s overeager desire to help out the Big Ticket Network, his role is going to be replicated on a cop show they’re currently filming. Which means that he now gets to be shadowed on the job by a real actor, so that the man can see what a forensic technician does on the job.
And that might not be so bad — maybe even a little flattering to the average person. But Dexter is not the average person, and really does not need to have some washed-up, has-been, boorish actor a half-step behind him, aping his mannerisms and little tics. He does not need to be forced into socializing with him, or enduring his small talk about Dexter’s wife and children, or putting up with his ongoing feud with his co-star, who’s currently in the process of shadowing Dexter’s sister, Deborah.
Of course, things get interesting when a case requiring his unique skills appears: a horribly-mutilated woman is found in a dumpster, complete with a signature wound that could indicate a serial killer. Things get even more interesting when it turns out that other, similar killings have been found wherever the actress about to become Deborah has worked. And they get a lot more interesting when Dexter takes it upon himself to guard that actress at night, at her hotel, and things begin to happen between them that he wasn’t exactly expecting…
Before long, Dexter gets hopelessly entangled in the lifestyles of the rich and famous, and he and Deborah have to guard several new secrets between them. But as things become more complicated, and it becomes clear to Dexter that what’s in front of the camera isn’t the only fiction at play, his dark certainty gives way to honest confusion.
Can Dexter solve this case in his own unique and bloody manner without the actor trying to become him realizing what’s going on? Or is this going to truly be his final cut?
One of the great things about the books in this series is that Dexter’s inhumanity works both ways. He can see and sense things that we cannot, given the nasty, black thing he’s got riding around inside of him. But at the same time we, as the audience, can see things coming that he remains blissfully unaware of until it’s too late.
Lindsay knows how to work this both to comedic and horrific effect in Final Cut, as the little mistakes that Dexter makes come back to haunt him with a vengeance. All we can do is groan and wonder why he didn’t see this coming, only to remember that he really couldn’t, which makes the book’s genuinely shocking ending all the more tragic.
(It also seems to be something of a response to “Dexter,” on Showtime, which is now in its final season. One gets the sense that the author spent some time on the set, dealing with the surreal nature of life behind the camera, and wrote some of the scenes, characters, and situations with that in mind.)
A darkly comedic hunt for the truth amongst battered corpses and film cameras, Dexter’s Final Cut is a worthy addition to an already-excellent series, and is certain to make long-time fans jump and clamor for the next installment as soon as possible.
October 20, 2013
Three and a half stars. I would have given this book four and a half stars if the identity of the killer hadn't been obvious from the beginning.
Things I enjoy about this and the whole Dexter series:
* I really like Jeff Lindsay's writing style; his descriptions are vivid without being tediously over-descriptive.
* I love Dexter's personality; he is such a charming psychopath. Lindsay does not diminish this character he has built by suddenly giving him 'feelings'. Even his attractions to some other characters/lifestyles are totally egocentric.
* The premise of the series is original and can be thrilling.
* Rita. Dexter's reasons for being with her are in keeping with his personality.
* Dexter's relationship with the two 'guest stars'. Even though you may not like some of the events that happen, you'll find Dexter's reactions ring true once more.
* The ending. Can't wait for the next installment after that conclusion!
Things I dislike:
* Deborah! Ick, ick, ick. She is a cartoon cutout with a foul mouth!
* Cody and Astor. They also appear to be place holders in a novel stuffed with interesting characters.
All in all, I recommend this book for fans of the books and those who enjoy the twisted psychological thriller.
Things I enjoy about this and the whole Dexter series:
* I really like Jeff Lindsay's writing style; his descriptions are vivid without being tediously over-descriptive.
* I love Dexter's personality; he is such a charming psychopath. Lindsay does not diminish this character he has built by suddenly giving him 'feelings'. Even his attractions to some other characters/lifestyles are totally egocentric.
* The premise of the series is original and can be thrilling.
* Rita. Dexter's reasons for being with her are in keeping with his personality.
* Dexter's relationship with the two 'guest stars'. Even though you may not like some of the events that happen, you'll find Dexter's reactions ring true once more.
* The ending. Can't wait for the next installment after that conclusion!
Things I dislike:
* Deborah! Ick, ick, ick. She is a cartoon cutout with a foul mouth!
* Cody and Astor. They also appear to be place holders in a novel stuffed with interesting characters.
All in all, I recommend this book for fans of the books and those who enjoy the twisted psychological thriller.
January 3, 2014
This Dexter read like a version of the Showtime series: not the Dexter that Mr. Lindsay created, but the Dexter on TV, the one "based on the books by...", or, as the cover states, that "...inspired the SHOWTIME hit."
Very out-of-character moments (I'm being nice here)that led to a very unsatisfying end. Like some others, making the ending a cliff hanger is not the way to go so late in a series. It feels desperate.
It felt like a lot of padding in places, which I've never really felt in the previous outings. I will read the next (most likely last) book, just to see how Dexter fares out of all this mess.
If you enjoyed the first two books, and stayed along for the others, give this a try. If this is your first shot at a Dexter book, do not start here.
Very out-of-character moments (I'm being nice here)that led to a very unsatisfying end. Like some others, making the ending a cliff hanger is not the way to go so late in a series. It feels desperate.
It felt like a lot of padding in places, which I've never really felt in the previous outings. I will read the next (most likely last) book, just to see how Dexter fares out of all this mess.
If you enjoyed the first two books, and stayed along for the others, give this a try. If this is your first shot at a Dexter book, do not start here.
October 3, 2013
Don't get me wrong. Jeff Lindsay is a solid, imaginative writer who can keep me glued to the page like few others. But I am getting real tired of Darling Dear Dexter and his increasingly polarizing, patronizing personality that turns him from interesting sociopath to infuriating douchebag who happens to occasionally kill folks. Also, it seemed like Dexter was holding the idiot ball a lot of the time; I was spotting plot twists so many chapters before our Daring Dexter even got a clue something was up. Can we make the next book all about Deb, please? I like Deb a lot more than Dexter nowadays.
September 9, 2013
The last 3 Dexter novels feel as thought the main character has become a caricature of himself. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but the plot line was a bit hard to swallow. The ending, while believable, felt like it was trying to tie the book characters into their Showtime doppelgangers and did so in a particularly ham-handed way.
Dexter is a sociopath, but the last three books seem more fascinated with trying to find "deserving" people to kill - i.e. those that fit the "Harry code" - and asking us to believe that those closest to him (Rita, Deborah) don't ask/see the obvious clues about why suspects disappear. This series has traveled far off the rails since Dexter in the Dark, perhaps it is time to retire the character and start something else.
Dexter is a sociopath, but the last three books seem more fascinated with trying to find "deserving" people to kill - i.e. those that fit the "Harry code" - and asking us to believe that those closest to him (Rita, Deborah) don't ask/see the obvious clues about why suspects disappear. This series has traveled far off the rails since Dexter in the Dark, perhaps it is time to retire the character and start something else.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2016
i'm just thankful that audiobooks have a 2x speed option so i didn't have to listen to this for very long.
March 4, 2019
Dexter va llegando a su fin... y cada vez es menos Dexter.
Si bien este libro empezaba algo mejor, con una serie de asesinatos bastante 'fuera de lo normal'... sigue la tónica de tener a un Dexter cada vez más humano, menos Dexter, menos oscuro. No llego a acostumbrarme (por culpa de la serie de televisión, claro) que a Dexter no le guste la sangre y que se dedique más a comer que a impartir justicia (en este libro incluso se dedica más a retozar en la cama en compañía, con otro tipo de juegos 💕)...
Que esté deseando leer el último por terminar ya de una vez más que por saber que va a pasar dice muy poco a favor de la saga. One to go!!!
Si bien este libro empezaba algo mejor, con una serie de asesinatos bastante 'fuera de lo normal'... sigue la tónica de tener a un Dexter cada vez más humano, menos Dexter, menos oscuro. No llego a acostumbrarme (por culpa de la serie de televisión, claro) que a Dexter no le guste la sangre y que se dedique más a comer que a impartir justicia (en este libro incluso se dedica más a retozar en la cama en compañía, con otro tipo de juegos 💕)...
Que esté deseando leer el último por terminar ya de una vez más que por saber que va a pasar dice muy poco a favor de la saga. One to go!!!
March 10, 2021
I’m not really sure where this author is going with this series, but it’s becoming annoying as all hell. I keep asking myself why I keep reading these novels, because it seems to me that the author just doesn’t care for writing them anymore, or is bored. It’s only my stubborn curiosity that keeps me coming back, mainly to find out the broad strokes of what happened next. And this time, just like last time, I’m disappointed. Only more so, now.
Dexter is a sociopath and a killer so I don't know why the author would make him so very infatuated with the hot, younger starlet, and feel so much lust, jealousy and possessiveness for her when he never before felt emotions at all.
Also I was put off by him describing Rita so awfully, when comparing her to his new starlet girlfriend. Seriously it was gross the way he kept putting her looks down:
-Pale, sagging, raised relief map of some desert. (Describing Rita’s face). 54%, chap. 20
-I had a great number of important things to do yet, and I did not want to look like a pallid, walking raisin while I did them. (Again, describing Rita). 54% chap. 20
-But I didn’t; all I really felt was teeth grinding annoyance at the ordeal by jargon, and faint repugnance into sudden old age. (Again, describing Rita). 54% chap. 2
-He had taken away the only thing I’d had, that felt like feeling. My only ever stab at happiness. And for that, he could not possibly suffer enough. 86% chap 34
-And if I left a mess big enough to lead the cops straight to me, that was fine too. There was nothing left in this world but dumb suffering. And whether I endured it in prison or on the sofa with Rita, it was all the same to me. 86% chap 34
The callousness of his decision and his detachment from Aster and Cody, and lily anne were just not in the character as he has been described over the last 6 books. In fact, Dexter had been completely enamored with the baby for some time. Now in this book, she gets a chin scratch and an awkward hug, and that’s it? And Dexter never calls home to check on them? What gives?
Even though Rita is another mask for Dexter, the kids and their "training" is important to him. He hasn’t done anything with them in at least a couple of books. Doesn’t he care about them, anymore?
Suddenly, he wants to be an actor, and be in the limelight, after hiding in the shadows for so long? That’s not the same person at all.
Again, Dexter is not very smart, and cannot see things that should have been seen in the beginning of the novel, right away. What is dumbing him down? Why is the author writing him like this?
Idk what’s up with Astor, but she has had this AWFUL attitude for about two books. At first I’d thought that she was emulating Sargent Deb, because she had such a huge case of hero worship. Now I think there is something seriously wrong with her. And no one gets her any help! Doesn’t this child need as much attention as Cody...?
At the end of the novel, in the last scene, where were Cody and Lily Anne? There were no mention of them, and it was like they were forgotten completely. It was dark, too, so you know the day care as closed. No phone calls from them, either. What’s up with that?
Deb’s insistence that her own brother has lost all control, and is going around killing everyone is grating, annoying, and I think ridiculous. I wish it would stop.
Anyway, the author projected where this novel was going in the storyline from a mile away, yet again. And the fact that in the end of this novel, the author was telling us what was going to happen to Dexter in the next novel before it even happened, and that’s not a good sign. I don’t think every one of these novels (or any!) should always be H.E.A., but Jesus, this is ridiculous. I would think with the witnesses there are to everything that happened throughout this novel, that the entire police force wouldn’t be blaming him for everything, yet again.... this is getting old, dude.
2.5 stars, and not recommended.
Dexter is a sociopath and a killer so I don't know why the author would make him so very infatuated with the hot, younger starlet, and feel so much lust, jealousy and possessiveness for her when he never before felt emotions at all.
Also I was put off by him describing Rita so awfully, when comparing her to his new starlet girlfriend. Seriously it was gross the way he kept putting her looks down:
-Pale, sagging, raised relief map of some desert. (Describing Rita’s face). 54%, chap. 20
-I had a great number of important things to do yet, and I did not want to look like a pallid, walking raisin while I did them. (Again, describing Rita). 54% chap. 20
-But I didn’t; all I really felt was teeth grinding annoyance at the ordeal by jargon, and faint repugnance into sudden old age. (Again, describing Rita). 54% chap. 2
-He had taken away the only thing I’d had, that felt like feeling. My only ever stab at happiness. And for that, he could not possibly suffer enough. 86% chap 34
-And if I left a mess big enough to lead the cops straight to me, that was fine too. There was nothing left in this world but dumb suffering. And whether I endured it in prison or on the sofa with Rita, it was all the same to me. 86% chap 34
The callousness of his decision and his detachment from Aster and Cody, and lily anne were just not in the character as he has been described over the last 6 books. In fact, Dexter had been completely enamored with the baby for some time. Now in this book, she gets a chin scratch and an awkward hug, and that’s it? And Dexter never calls home to check on them? What gives?
Even though Rita is another mask for Dexter, the kids and their "training" is important to him. He hasn’t done anything with them in at least a couple of books. Doesn’t he care about them, anymore?
Suddenly, he wants to be an actor, and be in the limelight, after hiding in the shadows for so long? That’s not the same person at all.
Again, Dexter is not very smart, and cannot see things that should have been seen in the beginning of the novel, right away. What is dumbing him down? Why is the author writing him like this?
Idk what’s up with Astor, but she has had this AWFUL attitude for about two books. At first I’d thought that she was emulating Sargent Deb, because she had such a huge case of hero worship. Now I think there is something seriously wrong with her. And no one gets her any help! Doesn’t this child need as much attention as Cody...?
At the end of the novel, in the last scene, where were Cody and Lily Anne? There were no mention of them, and it was like they were forgotten completely. It was dark, too, so you know the day care as closed. No phone calls from them, either. What’s up with that?
Deb’s insistence that her own brother has lost all control, and is going around killing everyone is grating, annoying, and I think ridiculous. I wish it would stop.
Anyway, the author projected where this novel was going in the storyline from a mile away, yet again. And the fact that in the end of this novel, the author was telling us what was going to happen to Dexter in the next novel before it even happened, and that’s not a good sign. I don’t think every one of these novels (or any!) should always be H.E.A., but Jesus, this is ridiculous. I would think with the witnesses there are to everything that happened throughout this novel, that the entire police force wouldn’t be blaming him for everything, yet again.... this is getting old, dude.
2.5 stars, and not recommended.
September 28, 2013
SPOILERS AHEAD:
.
.
.
So the reason I gave it 2 stars is because I really enjoy his prose and crisp writing. If it weren't for that this book would get 1 star or lower if possible. First of all: almost everything that happens could have just as easily happened to a regular person (in other words, not a serial killer) and most of the events would have transpired the same. What does he do with his serial killing mojo? Kills Patrick, which seemed a moot point when all was said and done, and he "suspects" Renny (a part that received 0 closure btw) and that was it.
The rest of the time its just Dexter falling into traps and making bad decisions. It was like watching Meet the Parents, except Dexters Final Cut doesn't end happily. In fact, it barely ends at all. Is this the last book? The title seems to imply that it is, but does that mean that Dexter has survived all these trials and tribulations just so that he could be brought down by a couple actors/actresses? That was his one weakness? Rich people?
If there is another book after this I will change my rating to 3 stars, because at least that doesn't mean that Dexter goes down because of some stupid fling with an actress.
Okay, wretched story mechanics aside, I'm going to try and talk about some positive things. The parts where we slip into the "we" and get to be Dexter and his Dark Passenger are great. The writing is funny to the point where the author made me laugh out loud at points. The story is compelling and I obviously didn't expect to give the book that bad of a rating until the very last page. I WANT to like this book! It WAS fun, up until the slap in the face ending.
Since I am a glutton for punishment I will continue to read them if Lindsay continues to write them. I will continue like I continued after the weird Dark Passenger mythology thing, like I continued after the last book where the villain gets eaten by frickn shark, I will continue to the bitter end because I want these books to finally be good.
Maybe he should get a Co-author. And he killed Rita. I love Rita.
.
.
.
So the reason I gave it 2 stars is because I really enjoy his prose and crisp writing. If it weren't for that this book would get 1 star or lower if possible. First of all: almost everything that happens could have just as easily happened to a regular person (in other words, not a serial killer) and most of the events would have transpired the same. What does he do with his serial killing mojo? Kills Patrick, which seemed a moot point when all was said and done, and he "suspects" Renny (a part that received 0 closure btw) and that was it.
The rest of the time its just Dexter falling into traps and making bad decisions. It was like watching Meet the Parents, except Dexters Final Cut doesn't end happily. In fact, it barely ends at all. Is this the last book? The title seems to imply that it is, but does that mean that Dexter has survived all these trials and tribulations just so that he could be brought down by a couple actors/actresses? That was his one weakness? Rich people?
If there is another book after this I will change my rating to 3 stars, because at least that doesn't mean that Dexter goes down because of some stupid fling with an actress.
Okay, wretched story mechanics aside, I'm going to try and talk about some positive things. The parts where we slip into the "we" and get to be Dexter and his Dark Passenger are great. The writing is funny to the point where the author made me laugh out loud at points. The story is compelling and I obviously didn't expect to give the book that bad of a rating until the very last page. I WANT to like this book! It WAS fun, up until the slap in the face ending.
Since I am a glutton for punishment I will continue to read them if Lindsay continues to write them. I will continue like I continued after the weird Dark Passenger mythology thing, like I continued after the last book where the villain gets eaten by frickn shark, I will continue to the bitter end because I want these books to finally be good.
Maybe he should get a Co-author. And he killed Rita. I love Rita.
October 14, 2013
I've been keeping up with Dexter ever since the tv show began, but since I've always been a book nut, I always need to pull up the authors who started it. It's never a chicken or the egg question, but in this instance, I did start with the tv show first, and after a few seasons, needed my fix and so started the books.
I personally love how I can get a completely different story out of Dexter in an alternate universe kind of way between the two. If I didn't like how things happened in one, then I could always rely on the other. I have always enjoyed the bona fide supernatural aspect of the dark passenger in the books, and really loved how he was grooming his stepchildren along his path. I can only assume that we will come back to that in the next novel, because as a character, Dexter has slid from those ways in this novel. As a set-up for a cliffhanger, this novel did wonderfully, timed wonderfully with the end of the tv series, and it has the appearance of stopping Dexter in his tracks.
As a reader, I wanted a little more of a conclusion, but I'm just going to have to wait and see if the next book comes out soon, because if it doesn't, I might be very very angry. Kinda like I was with the ending of the tv series. I want to love the book very much, because not only the writing is good, but I've grown to love the characters so much. There's the caveat, tho. I want to love it, but something drastic is going to have to happen or I might stop. It's kinda a big cliffhanger, after all. If we wait six months and a new one comes out, then everything is fine with the world. My faith is restored and I can go on enjoying Dexter for years to come. :)
I personally love how I can get a completely different story out of Dexter in an alternate universe kind of way between the two. If I didn't like how things happened in one, then I could always rely on the other. I have always enjoyed the bona fide supernatural aspect of the dark passenger in the books, and really loved how he was grooming his stepchildren along his path. I can only assume that we will come back to that in the next novel, because as a character, Dexter has slid from those ways in this novel. As a set-up for a cliffhanger, this novel did wonderfully, timed wonderfully with the end of the tv series, and it has the appearance of stopping Dexter in his tracks.
As a reader, I wanted a little more of a conclusion, but I'm just going to have to wait and see if the next book comes out soon, because if it doesn't, I might be very very angry. Kinda like I was with the ending of the tv series. I want to love the book very much, because not only the writing is good, but I've grown to love the characters so much. There's the caveat, tho. I want to love it, but something drastic is going to have to happen or I might stop. It's kinda a big cliffhanger, after all. If we wait six months and a new one comes out, then everything is fine with the world. My faith is restored and I can go on enjoying Dexter for years to come. :)
May 27, 2022
Just checked out the other reviews to find out that people seemingly hate this one? The one I just willingly gave 5 stars to (I believe a first for this series).
Spoilers?
Spoilers...
I find it really funny/odd that people are SEVEN books into a series and they are upset that a psychopathic fifty-seven-time serial killer is also willing to cheat on his wife? A wife that he has, for the last seven books, (starting as a girlfriend) stated was just a wonderful cover that helped him avoid suspicion. Not to mention that he has stated over and over that he can not feel human emotion...
This is not to knock everyone else’s opinions, but as readers our liking of Dexter is our projection of him. He is a serial killer, he is a bad person, a psychopath. His humor and wit help us enjoy and continue reading, but that is not to say it makes him GOOD. I feel that his love of being admired while with Jackie Forrest and getting wrapped up in the glamour and relative fame fits perfectly into the mindset of a killer who keeps drops of blood as trophies.
Just my thoughts
Spoilers?
Spoilers...
I find it really funny/odd that people are SEVEN books into a series and they are upset that a psychopathic fifty-seven-time serial killer is also willing to cheat on his wife? A wife that he has, for the last seven books, (starting as a girlfriend) stated was just a wonderful cover that helped him avoid suspicion. Not to mention that he has stated over and over that he can not feel human emotion...
This is not to knock everyone else’s opinions, but as readers our liking of Dexter is our projection of him. He is a serial killer, he is a bad person, a psychopath. His humor and wit help us enjoy and continue reading, but that is not to say it makes him GOOD. I feel that his love of being admired while with Jackie Forrest and getting wrapped up in the glamour and relative fame fits perfectly into the mindset of a killer who keeps drops of blood as trophies.
Just my thoughts
April 5, 2023
2.5/5☆~ CW: homophobia, ableism, derogatory slurs, blood, death, pedophilia, sexual assault mentioned, adultery, sexism
unsure if it's me that's changed in the past few years since I started the series or if the books have just gone downhill as they continue but oof, not great.
unsure if it's me that's changed in the past few years since I started the series or if the books have just gone downhill as they continue but oof, not great.
July 26, 2017
Отвратителен, експлозивен, красив, напрегнат финал! :) Веднага почвам следващата - нямам търпение да разбера какъв е ендшпилът...
October 7, 2013
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you I signed up for a giveaway and somehow won this book! It was extremely satisfying to open my front door and find it on my porch, direct from the marketing department of Doubleday. The only catch is that I have to review it "wherever [I] do my social networking." So here goes. I have to tell you I was born to have free books sent to me for nothing on the condition that I read them and tell people what I think.
I adore Dexter. I love TV Dexter, I love novel Dexter, I love the fat, chuckling moon and the snicker of cold steel in the silver-red moonlight. So I was expecting to love Dexter's Final Cut and for the most part I really, really did. I adore Deb only slightly less than Dexter and she is in fine form in this book, too. As is usual for me reading Jeff Lindsay, I laughed out loud several times, was amused throuought and found no typos. I was a bit disappointed to see Dexter unexpectedly feeling things very much like feelings, but I persevered and was rewarded. Sort of. To say I was actually relieved to see one of Dexter's children endangered, because I knew it would pull him back into Dear Dark Dexterland, sounds very mercenary and awful, but it's so much better. Without advertently spoiling the big twist at the end, I very much hope that this is not Dexter's final adventure. I really very much need to know what happens next. If you love Dexter, too, you'll like this book.
I feel conflicted about recommending Dexter to anyone who doesn't already love him. I don't want you to like Dexter because that would make him (and by extension me) less unique. However, I have to admit that Jeff Lindsay is one hell of a writer and if you give these books a chance you will probably like them very much.
I adore Dexter. I love TV Dexter, I love novel Dexter, I love the fat, chuckling moon and the snicker of cold steel in the silver-red moonlight. So I was expecting to love Dexter's Final Cut and for the most part I really, really did. I adore Deb only slightly less than Dexter and she is in fine form in this book, too. As is usual for me reading Jeff Lindsay, I laughed out loud several times, was amused throuought and found no typos. I was a bit disappointed to see Dexter unexpectedly feeling things very much like feelings, but I persevered and was rewarded. Sort of. To say I was actually relieved to see one of Dexter's children endangered, because I knew it would pull him back into Dear Dark Dexterland, sounds very mercenary and awful, but it's so much better. Without advertently spoiling the big twist at the end, I very much hope that this is not Dexter's final adventure. I really very much need to know what happens next. If you love Dexter, too, you'll like this book.
I feel conflicted about recommending Dexter to anyone who doesn't already love him. I don't want you to like Dexter because that would make him (and by extension me) less unique. However, I have to admit that Jeff Lindsay is one hell of a writer and if you give these books a chance you will probably like them very much.
May 7, 2018
I have been listening to the audio books for this whole series. The author, Jeff Lindsay, has been the narrator for all but one of them. I felt he had come around on the last book, Double Dexter, giving the right voice to characters and bringing out the subtleties of Dexter. On the whole, I'd prefer to hear the author read their own works. But this book was a disaster.
Giving voice to female characters is not something Mr. Lindsay should ever put on his resume. I can forgive the harsh tones Debra's character receives, and even enjoy how he puts the disjointed sentences of Rita into voice. But the cast of characters in this book is just too much for his abilities.
The storyline stays on par for the series with a solid 4 stars. Dexter is just smart enough to be really dumb and still get away with killing a deserving candidate without anyone the wiser. And yet we are left with a messy ending and cliffhanger that must be resolved in the final book of the series.
I just hope the author can finish it all off with a better performance than I heard in this audiobook. My recommendation: read the book for yourself, give the characters your own voice.
Giving voice to female characters is not something Mr. Lindsay should ever put on his resume. I can forgive the harsh tones Debra's character receives, and even enjoy how he puts the disjointed sentences of Rita into voice. But the cast of characters in this book is just too much for his abilities.
The storyline stays on par for the series with a solid 4 stars. Dexter is just smart enough to be really dumb and still get away with killing a deserving candidate without anyone the wiser. And yet we are left with a messy ending and cliffhanger that must be resolved in the final book of the series.
I just hope the author can finish it all off with a better performance than I heard in this audiobook. My recommendation: read the book for yourself, give the characters your own voice.
July 10, 2015
Oh dear, Dexter. Is this really The End? Can you really end your saga in such a...dare I declaim it...daft discharge? Can your devious destruction really end in
While I still enjoyed this book, it was not one of Lindsay's best. In the battle between the best Dexter (book or tv), I have to say that in my opinion, tv Dexter has won. While he might be entirely too soft and cuddly to be anything remotely like a real sociopath, at least the tv's finale was wonderfully done. The only way it could have been any better was if . He earned that. Book Dexter is definitely the genuine sociopath, but oh wow. Where DID those violet eyes come from? Not buying it, Lindsay. Not buying it at all. And while the ending would be good if it were perhaps the penultimate book, it doesn't work as The End. Am I wrong that this is the final book? I hope I am. Dexter wouldn't go out like that!
While I still enjoyed this book, it was not one of Lindsay's best. In the battle between the best Dexter (book or tv), I have to say that in my opinion, tv Dexter has won. While he might be entirely too soft and cuddly to be anything remotely like a real sociopath, at least the tv's finale was wonderfully done. The only way it could have been any better was if . He earned that. Book Dexter is definitely the genuine sociopath, but oh wow. Where DID those violet eyes come from? Not buying it, Lindsay. Not buying it at all. And while the ending would be good if it were perhaps the penultimate book, it doesn't work as The End. Am I wrong that this is the final book? I hope I am. Dexter wouldn't go out like that!
November 3, 2013
I've loved these novels from the beginning and would have continued to do so where it not for the lackluster effort this time out. Mr. Lindsey seems so disenchanted (or just tired) with the whole thing it makes me wonder…. Was he contractually obligated to get his manuscript done before he was ready? I could live with that. But if not, then I find it odd that without reason this particular installment of these otherwise exuberant novels is flatter than day old beer. Dexter is unlike any character to come across in a long time and it’s a pity to have him dispensed with in such an uncaring way. No, our boy is not dead but if in the next (?) book he meets his demise at least let him do so with a bang and not a whimper! I dread the thought of Dexter Deprivation and truly hope another, better, book is in the offing. And who knows, maybe we’ll find out that Dexter’s Final Cut was just a bad dream….
July 2, 2015
The Dexter books are really hit or miss. This one was definitely a miss. Dexter was being a major jerk most of the book and the killer was completely obvious to the reader yet went completely over his head. The one redeeming quality was an ending reminiscent of Season 4 of the TV series. Just one more book to go! Don't let me down, Jeff Lindsay...
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