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Dexter in the Dark by Jeffry P. Lindsay — book cover

Dexter in the Dark

by Jeffry P. Lindsay
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Overview

In his work as a Miami crime scene investigator, Dexter Morgan is not unaccustomed to seeing evil deeds…particularly because, on occasion, he commits them himself. Guided by his Dark Passenger (the reptilian voice inside him), he lives his outwardly normal life adhering to one simple rule: he only kills very bad people. But Dexter’s happy existence is turned upside-down when he is called to a particularly disturbing crime scene at the university campus. Dexter’s Dark Passenger immediately senses something it recognizes, something utterly chilling, and the Dark Passenger—mastermind of Dexter’s investigative and homicidal prowess—goes into hiding.

Dexter is alone for the first time in his life, and he realizes he’s being hunted by an adversary more sinister than anything he’s ever faced. Dexter must summon his sharpest investigative powers not only to pursue his enemy, but to locate—and truly understand—his Dark Passenger. It is nothing less than a search for his own dark soul…fueled by a steady supply of cream-filled donuts.

Macabre, ironic, and wonderfully entertaining, DEXTER IN THE DARK goes deeper into the dark psyche of one of the freshest protagonists in recent fiction.

Synopsis

Is evil alive...' Dr Jerry Halpern is trying to find out, studying for his PhD on the subject. Dexter Morgan, meanwhile, has a few wicked things of his own to contend with - not least, planning his wedding to Rita to complete his nice-guy disguise.

But when a student of Halpern's is found burnt, molested and headless - seemingly sacrificed to an ancient god - and Dex is brought in as forensic analyst to help investigate, he realises he could be dealing with someone a whole lot more sinister than he is. Soon it seems the dark passenger in Dexter's head has gone into hiding. And when something creeps out your friendly neighbourhood serial killer, you know it's serious...

As Halpern and Dexter are stalked by death, it looks like it's getting personal - especially as Dex now has a family to protect. Gradually, Dexter realises his stepchildren might share his extra-curricular interest in death. Could he help them target their bloodlust, just as he steers his own? But to do that, Dex must cope with a certain mutilated sergeant from his past, and more importantly...stay alive...

About the Author, Jeffry P. Lindsay

JEFF LINDSAY is the author of Darkly Dreaming Dexter and Dearly Devoted Dexter. He lives in Cape Coral, Florida.

Reviews

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Editorials

Marilyn Stasio

Jeff Lindsay's bad boy is back in Dexter in the Dark, and what a relief it is to find the amiable serial killer unspoiled by his success as the hero of the Showtime TV series he inspired…After toying unmercifully with his pathetic psychopath, Lindsay takes relish in resolving Dexter's existential crisis in his own cruel, perversely funny way.
—The New York Times

Publishers Weekly

In Lindsay's third novel to feature endearing Miami cop and serial killer Dexter Morgan (after 2005's Darkly Devoted Dexter), the Dark Passenger, the voice inside Dexter's head that from time to time drives him to the "Theme Park of the Unthinkable," inexplicably disappears while Morgan is investigating a gruesome double murder on the University of Miami campus. The crime scene, at which two co-eds were ritualistically burned and beheaded, gives even the human vivisection-loving vigilante the creeps. As the burned and beheaded body count continues to mount, Morgan realizes that the force behind the killings is something even more evil than his Dark Passenger. Though the macabre wit that powered the first two installments of this delightfully dark series (also a hit on TV's Showtime) is still evident, this third entry takes a decidedly deep introspective turn as Dexter is forced to contemplate not only life without his enigmatic companion but also who-or what-he truly is. (Sept.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Kirkus Reviews

Dexter Morgan, Miami's favorite vigilante sociopath, battles demons more powerful than even he can imagine. Miami Homicide is baffled by the ritual killings of two coeds who've been decapitated, burned and neatly laid out, their heads replaced by ceramic bulls' heads. On the strength of forensic evidence, Sgt. Deborah Morgan, Dexter's sister, arrests professor Jerry Halpern, who watches from jail as the murders continue-including, most satisfyingly, the monstrous caterer Dexter has booked for his wedding to his girlfriend Rita. The case clearly calls for the special talents of a forensic technician who moonlights as the untroubled executioner of bad guys (Dearly Devoted Dexter, 2005, etc.). This time, though, Dexter is in the dark. The familiar spirit who normally incites him to dastardly deeds has taken fright at something in that first crime scene and abruptly decamped, leaving Dexter unpossessed and alone. It's a spooky feeling when you're no longer haunted by evil spirits because even more evil spirits have driven them out. And it couldn't have happened at a worse time for Dexter, who'd just begun to bond with Rita's children. Astor, nine, and Cody, seven, have all the makings of apprentice serial killers themselves-if only Dexter can keep them safe long enough to teach them the prudence they'll need to survive. Sadly, the struggle between Dexter and his new demons is more portentous than interesting. How you feel about Dexter's third adventure will depend on how invested you are in Dexter.

Book Details

Published
October 3, 2007
Publisher
Gardners Books
Pages
302
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780752885094

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