Darkly Dreaming Dexter – Jeff Lindsay

I just finished reading the first book in the Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay.  I have been dying to read this book ever since I became hooked on the tv series.  I am pleased to say it did not let me down.  The characters were nicely fleshed out, the story developed gracefully and I love psycho killer Dexter just as much in the book as I do on the show.  It was a great pleasure to pick up the book and feel like I was meeting old friends because the characters and their actions were so familiar.

The other great thing about this book is it checks off another one on the Killer Thriller Challenge and I didn’t even realize it was on the list until I looked it over the not that long ago.  I can’t wait to read the next one!!! Luckily, it is sitting on the shelf, just begging to be cracked open.

This book is part of my personal library.

Update on the Killer Thriller Reading Challenge

I have now read book 7 and 8 on the list. They are:  And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie and The Shining by Stephen King.  I can’t really say I took to either of them.  The Agatha Christie book was just not for me, and the end of it was so lame, and far-fetched I couldn’t believe anyone actually goes out of their way to read her  books.  At least I can say I have read it and add it to my list.

The Shining, which I was thoroughly expecting to be engrossed in really did not grab my attention.  It was a great book.  Probably Stephen Kings best, certainly a melding of what he does best – horror and psychological thriller.  Considering that I once was a die-hard King fan I was very surprised not be a big fan of this one.  I just wasn’t and I was amazed at how dated it was.  I know all writers are of their time and have to use their current time and place as a reference point but this book just felt past its prime.

I do remember that I loved the movie, I may have to watch it again.

I am about to start reading Truman Capote’s In Cold  Blood.  This one I have read before and it is a chilling account of a true story.  I think this one will definitely be worth rereading.

Both books were borrowed from the library.

The Hound of the Baskervilles – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles is number 10 on NPR’s 100 Best Killer Thrillers list.  What I want to know is why?  I hated it!  I was bored and uninterested the whole way through, thank goodness it is a really, really short book.  Even though it is less than 200 pages, and I thoroughly expected to finish it in a day, it took me nearly 3.  I could not stay with it, in fact I almost put it down and just skipped it completely.  In all the years that I have been reading with abandon I have never been interested in reading a Sherlock Holmes mystery.  And, no, it is not because it is a classic, I have read plenty of classics and have loved many of them.  It was just thoroughly bland.  I know there must be many people who would not agree with me , this is indicated by its place on the list.  Oh, well, I can say I have read it, and now I know I will never read another.

I am now on my 3rd from the list and hope to write about that one here soon too.

Book borrowed from the library.

The Lost Symbol – Dan Brown

I really was not going to read this book.  I thought Angels and Demons was OK, I didn’t really like The Davinci Code and I didn’t think I would like this one too much.  I eyed it in the bookstores and at Costco but always left it behind.  But, when I saw it on the New Releases shelf at the library I decided to give it a try.

Well, for me this one was the best of the 3 I really think that
Dan Brown got it totally write with this one.  I am also overwhelmed by the amount of research he must do before he actually writes his novels. I am certainly glad I picked it up.  The story was very interesting and because of my recent reading also very relevant.  I recently finished reading The 5000 Year Leap, a book about the Founding Fathers, their religious beliefs and their ties to the Masons so I found the storyline in
The Lost Symbol very interesting since the information from the non-fiction book was so clear in my head.

I am happy it was better than I thought it would be and look forward to the next one.

Book borrowed from the library.