Dorkgasm Gonzo Is God

Danger! Here there be spoilers!

            Demonic possession; even the mention tingles the nether parts of some people. Demonic possession is one of those time-honored themes that hold a special place in my heart as well as many others. The phrase itself brings to mind the greats, like The Exorcist, Night Of The Demons, Fallen, Frailty, and The Exorcism Of Emily Rose. Yes, sir, demonic possession has its own time and place. However, the newest book of the Dexter series should not be one of them.

            Dexter in the Dark is the third entry in Lindsay’s ongoing series about an avenging angel serial killer who just happens to moonlight as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department. Dexter Morgan has just finished the events of the first two books, and things are looking up. Dexter’s nemesis, Sgt. Albert Doakes, has been put out of commission by the nefarious Dr. Danco (from Dearly Devoted Dexter), he’s about to get married to his girlfriend, Rita, and his job is going swimmingly. Well, it was all wine and roses until one particular crime scene.

            Dexter is called to the local university to inspect a brutal double homicide. Pretty much par for the course for our hero, but when he gets inside, something goes very, very wrong. Dexter’s “Dark Passenger”, the entity that exists in his brain that happens to provide his “guesses” and fuels his dark desires, suddenly goes quiet. This is, of course, very disconcerting. While Dexter tries to coax it back into some semblance of life, more bodies continue to stack up. A little research later, it seems all these corpses are the work of a cult of people who worship an ancient deity named Moloch. A quick Google search for any references of “Moloch” brings up everything from the Wiki site to religious texts. Apparently, Moloch is not to be fucked with. Now, this is where things get a little hazy. Apparently, Moloch can inhabit people who are dealing with painful times and feed off their sorrow. Yes, fans, this is the “Dark Passenger” that rides tandem with our hero. Dexter becomes embroiled in the cult’s happenings and is destined to become a thorn in their collective sides. Unfortunately for Mr. Morgan, however, is the fact that the cult knows about him. More of a problem is the fact that they seem to be enamored with him, and know exactly where to find him. While Dexter endeavors to discover the truth behind his Dark Passenger and the cult who is seemingly at every turn, Rita’s children Cody and Astor are kidnapped. Not to ruin the ending completely, let’s just say that Cody lives up to his promise in past books, Dexter gets hitched, and his Dark Passenger comes roaring back.

            I absolutely love the Dexter series, but this book seems like a little bit of a misstep. Never before has the series dabbled in the supernatural, and this third book breaks all the established rules with gusto I have not seen in a long time. While most of us are scratching our heads in confusion, Dexter continues to carry on, dealing with the idea of demonic possession as one would normally deal with the inclusion of milk to an established grocery list. While the book ends on a note that could bring the series back to its original state in the fourth novel, I can¹t help but think that this was an experiment gone wrong. I hope Mr. Lindsay is not trying to emulate the glut of best sellers by trying to cross-pollinate genres just so he can make a buck. There is a small but extremely rabid fan base out there that devours these books like chocolate, and might not reciprocate the love after this apparently misguided attempt to entice new readers. Overall, this was a good book. Please don’t misunderstand me. I did have fun with it. It reads like a good supernatural whodunit, but one that seems better suited to Dean Koontz. I recommend it, but only with a grain of salt. It got underneath my skin and made me think about the ramifications of demons and their ilk. However, this is not why I read Dexter. I look for a human monster, not one who has the excuse of “The Devil Made Me Do It” and actually means it.