Dexter Is Delicious

December 20, 2010
Authors are often poor narrators of their work—happily this is not the case with Jeff Lindsay, who brings a perfect performance to the narration of his latest novel starring Dexter, the charismatic, sociopathic serial killer. Life for Dexter has taken a major turn. He is now the father of a new baby daughter, Lily Anne, and this extraordinary event has him putting away his knives and duct tape and vowing to extinguish the dark murderous flame that has flared inside him for so long. But some vows are easier kept than others, and when he becomes involved in the investigation of a possible cult of cannibals, it's just possible that he will be drawn back to being the dark Dexter of old. Lindsay's wry reading proves that he knows Dexter and his world better than anyone. With a clear, controlled voice, he pulls the listener into the story, keeping the tone light even when describing the grisliest scenes, but he's more than capable of conveying danger and suspense. With material that alternates dizzyingly between the disturbing and humorous, listeners will cringe and chuckle from beginning to end. A Doubleday hardcover.

August 1, 2010

Fatherly affection, empathy, guilt—could everyone's favorite law-enforcement sociopath (Dexter by Design, 2009, etc.) be turning soft?

As he gawps at his newborn daughter Lily Anne, Dexter Morgan feels a rush of unfamiliar feelings and familiarly satirical thoughts about how sappy this all is—that is before he's snatched away from the hospital by a hurry call from Sgt. Deborah Morgan, his adopted sister. Ransom Everglades student Samantha Aldovar has disappeared, leaving behind only an enormous blood spatter that Dexter soon establishes isn't even her type. While Dexter and Debs sweat to figure out whether the crime scene points to kidnapping or murder, other complications sprout up. The Miami-Dade PD can't ask Tyler Spanos, Samantha's best bud, about her whereabouts because she's gone missing too. In fact, as a grisly discovery in the Everglades soon confirms, Tyler's been killed and eaten at a hideous private barbecue—presumably by the self-styled Vlad, né Robert Acosta, the spoiled son of untouchable county commissioner Joe Acosta, and the rest of the cannibal crew who assemble at that exclusive South Beach club, Fang. What can Dexter do to make Miami safe once more for normal killers like himself? And, saddled as he now is with a sense that he's "Dexter 2.0," made over by a sincere desire to stay on the straight and narrow, will he have the gumption to do it?

Have no fear: All those tender feelings don't keep Dexter from breaking into a walk-in refrigerator, attacking a pirate ship and preventing Debs from turning into a late-night snack. Ghoulish fun for like-minded souls.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from August 1, 2010

Dark and demented Dexter becomes a doting daddy in Lindsay's latest (after Dexter by Design), another outstanding effort about everyone's favorite serial killer. Dexter is celebrating the birth of Lily Anne, his first child, and dealing with feeling as though he is almost human, and his need to hurt bad people having almost disappeared. Order is restored somewhat when a couple of teenage girls go missing, and Dex is drawn into a case involving murder and cannibalism. He has to help his sister Deborah with the case while dealing on the home front not only with his new daughter but also with the suspicious reappearance of his brother and fellow killer, Brian. Lindsay deftly handles Dexter's apparent transition toward becoming more human and prevents the book from being weighed down or dull. VERDICT With the Showtime series continuing to receive rave reviews, more readers than ever will be drawn to this series. And with this one they will not be disappointed. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/10.]--Craig Shufelt, Fort McMurray P.L., Alta.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2010
There are two Dexter Morgans, the one you see on television (in the hit series Dexter) and the one Lindsay writes about in his books. Theyre sort of the same guy but not really: the TV Dexter feels like a fictional version of the real Dexter from the books. In his fifth novel, Lindsay paints Dexter, who works as a blood-spatter expert for the Miami Police Department, into a corner. Hes got a new baby, a beautiful little girl, and he really, really wants to live like a normal human, to leave his Dark Passenger behind and stop all this murder stuff (in case youre a newbie, he only kills other killers, people who have evaded justice). But when he catches a case involving missing girls, vampirism, and cannibalism, he has a rough time keeping his homicidal urges in check. The novel, as usual, straddles the fine line between drama and satire, and as usual, its Dexters battle with his inner demons, his struggle to put a human face on his monstrous self, that takes center stage. Faithful readers will note that their favorite homicidal monster has made some real progress on that front: Lindsay has inched the character a teensy bit closer to normality. (But not too close: that would take all the fun out of it.) Recommend this one highly to fans of both the novels and the television series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)