Dearly Devoted Dexter

Written by Jeff Lindsay

Narrated by Jeff Lindsay

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Life is tough for “the first serial killer who unabashedly solicits our love” (Entertainment Weekly)—the character that inspired the latest Showtime hit series Dexter: Resurrection.

“Morbidly funny.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

It’s not easy being the world’s only serial killer with a conscience, especially when you work for the Miami police. To avoid suspicion, Dexter Morgan’s had to slip deep into his disguise: spending time with his girlfriend and her kids, slowly becoming the world’s first serial killing couch potato.

Then a particularly nasty psychopath starts cutting a trail through Miami—a killer whose twisted techniques leave even Dexter speechless. When his sister Deborah, a tough-as-nails cop, is drawn into the case, it becomes clear that Dexter will have to come out of hiding and hunt the monster down. Unless, of course, the killer finds him first . . .

Look for all of Jeff Lindsay’s deliciously twisted Dexter novels:
DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER • DEARLY DEVOTED DEXTER • DEXTER IN THE DARK • DEXTER BY DESIGN • DEXTER IS DELICIOUS • DOUBLE DEXTER • DEXTER’S FINAL CUT • DEXTER IS DEAD

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 27, 2012
• ISBN: 9780449012345

Jeff Lindsay

Jeff Lindsay is the New York Times bestselling author of the Dexter novels, which debuted in 2004 with Darkly Dreaming Dexter. They are the basis of the hit Showtime and CBS series Dexter. He lives in South Florida with his family. Find out more at www.dexter-books.com or follow him on Twitter @dexterjeff

[bnielsen_30 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dexter Morgan er ikke i kridthuset hos overbetjent Doakes på 48. Navnlig ikke efter at Doakes overordnede LaGuardia blev myrdet. Dexter har kig på en ejendomsmægler Randy MacGregor, som ret sikkert har myrdet flere børn.

???

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

5★
Diffidently NOT for the squeamish
It's not easy being a serial killer, especially when you absolutely hate blood even though your job is in a crime lab in a police department doing blood analysis. But, hey... somebody has to do it, and these are all folks that absolutely deserved to die...so he's just "helping them out". If you watched the TV show... (and of course I did), I think I even have a few seasons on DVD...then you will feel right at home with the Dexter books. He's been described as a "killer with a conscience"...and it's been said that "It takes a monster to catch a monster." There are 7 of these books and each one will take you back and seat you in front of your TV. You might want to skip the refreshments. If you have a really dark and twisted sense of humor, and like reading about rather dark and twisted vigilantes, then you definitely need to spend some time and make friends with Dexter Morgan. Note: The author, Jeff Lindsay, reads the books on audio.

[mstrust · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The second in the Dexter series, this time the Miami PD and Dexter, our charming psychopath serial killer, are trying to find "Dr. Danco", a nickname that refers to his method of turning ex-Special Ops into vegetables. Sergeant Doakes, the man who hates Dexter the most but can't figure out why, has a history with Dr. Danco and may be on the list of men being hunted. That leaves him with no choice but to work with Dexter.
It seems implausible to say these are fun reads, but Dexter is such a witty guy that they are fun.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Definitely more than a little gross at times, but still good cheeky humor. I'm not sure I like this series, but I definitely don't hate it.

[ennuiprayer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After the death of LaGuerta in Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Dexter finds himself in a different role - the hunted rather than the hunter. Dead on his trails is Sergeant Doakes, whose suspicion of our Dark Defender is now ten-fold. Having to give up his dark duties, Dexter assumes the role of doting boyfriend as he puts on a show for Doakes' amusement. All the while, he bides his time for the moment Doakes is out of his life so he can resume his work on the second half of a murderous pedophile duo.

Opportunity knocks when Dr. Danco comes to town - a madman seeking revenge for a betrayal that happened years ago in El Salvador. Along with a love interest for Deborah by the name of Kyle Chutsky - who served on Special Forces with Doakes and Dr. Danco - Dexter is pushed into working with the very man who'd rather see him dead or behind bars. How can Dexter play Doakes into becoming Dr. Danco's next victim?

While the pace from the first novel seemed quick, with little time to enjoy what was going on, the second book seemed better paced, despite being of similar length. It seemed Jeff Lindsay learned how to create more developed secondary characters rather than the two-dimensional ones featured in the first book. Not to mention the dialogue improved, as well. Though, if the third book starts off with Dexter hunting a child-murderer, I'm going to assume that his creativity on the first kills is limited.

The only disagreeable aspect featured in both novels so far is Dexter's inability to kill the main bad guy. In Darkly Dreaming Dexter, he let's his murderous brother get away; in Dearly Devoted Dexter, Dr. Danco - spoiler alert! - is gun down by Deborah. Once again, I think the series has spoiled my ability to allow Dexter to do these things. But isn't that, essentially, who he is? The guy who takes out the bad guys?

[jrg1316 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't even know what to say about this one. The killer here is sick beyond anything I've ever imagined. Makes me wonder how Mr. Lindsay comes up with this stuff!

I will say that even though the novel is pretty graphic, there is some very good humor in it. There were a few times I laughed out loud. Overall, a very enjoyable book.

[bekkil1977 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Doakes is following Dexter pretty hard, so Dexter is spending a lot of time with Rita and her kids, Astor and Cody, in order to look like an average guy. He hasn't been able to let his Dark Passenger come out to play, and he's getting cranky. Then a killer shows up in Miami, a really nasty guy: he cuts pieces off his victims, basically leaving them alive but with their minds completely gone (he sets up a mirror so they can watch him butchering them--yikes). Former Black Ops Kyle Chutsky shows up from Washington to help out, as he is apparently familiar with the killer, whom they have dubbed "Dr. Danco". Deb and Kyle start dating, and she's livid when Danco grabs Kyle and begs Dexter to help get him back. Meanwhile, Dexter accidentally proposes to Rita, and Masuka throws him an epic bachelor party and Danco takes advantage of the opportunity to kidnap Doakes. Dexter finds Kyle and is able to rescue him before *too* much damage was done, but Doakes wasn't as lucky.

[drled_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Synopsis: Dexter is a serial killer, but he only kills people who deserve it, those who the justice system can't catch or can't prosecute. In this book, another killer is loose in his city and kidnaps his sister's boyfriend.
Review: If you are squeamish, these books aren't for you. The descriptions of torture are quite vivid.

[tonifgmamtc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this one better than the first. Dexter is growing on me. I'm certain I'll end up watching the show. The biggest thing that bugs me is his sister. She is always bitching, and every other word is GD. Ms. Potty Mouth needs a valium. I'm interested to see where his connection with his girlfriend's kids is headed. I suspected something was up with them. The details of gore in this one gave me chills, and I totally love the way his abnormal mind works. I will be continuing the series.

[juva_3 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This time, our favorite serial killer is facing a new enemy - Doakes. The suspicion he has long harbored for Dexter has blossomed into obsession. Now he follows Dexter everywhere making it impossible for our antihero to stalk his prey. But when a nefarious doctor begins to dismember some of Doakes' old special forces buddies, the hunter becomes the hunted. Now Doakes must rely on Dexter and Debra if they have any hope of catching this brutal killer.

Wow, the plot of this book is out and out unbelievable. When this insane killer begins cutting all the limbs off people, some mysterious guy turns up from Washington and just takes over the whole investigation. His plan? Hard to say, as he literally questions none of the witnesses and instead begins banging Debra almost instantly. I mean... professionalism?

And Debra is maybe bipolar? Why does she start banging this mysterious stranger? No explanation given. He's in town for literally five days before being abducted and their relations commence perhaps eight hours into his tenure. He begins eye-humping her at the police briefing. Gross. Then Deb just about pisses her pants with indignation when her new boyfriend buys drugs as a cover to investigate some shady people and get information. Like, that's totally allowed, cops do that stuff all the time. What's the problem? But at the same time she has no problem with the fact that her brother is an active serial killer. Huh?

Anyways, the most insane part is that Doakes and Dexter put together this plan to catch the murderous doctor and rescue Debra's new squeeze. But... they don't involve the Miami police at all? Like... why? Why does this all have to be secret? Apparently, the doctor was mixed up in some weird secret military operation and "the goverments" don't want anyone to know about it. Okay? But the police can't help to capture someone? Whatever.

Then, when Dexter saves Kyle, he doesn't go to the hospital even though he's missing multiple limbs. Like, he just downs a fifth of whiskey and keeps on solving the case. Okay. Sure. And what is this mysterious government operative's super clever plan to capture this limb-collector? He's going to make Dexter do it. Yup. He literally says, "You'll just have to think of something." Like, what exactly is this detective's training? How did he get this job? He just goes from town to town making low-level CSIs solve crimes for him? So much nonsense.

[kayla.krantz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dexter and Doakes, constantly going head to head...until they must work together to solve the recent case of deranged Dr. Danco. Person by person, he's working on a list to wreak his revenge on the people that wronged him during the war. Doakes is on that list, and in an unlikely event, Dexter is the one that he must rely on to save him.

[bravenewbks · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I didn't like this as much as the first one. I am a little intrigued by the suggestion that Cody and Astor are going to be little mini-Dexters with homicidal tendencies, so I'll be looking forward to seeing how that develops in later books. Otherwise, I don't have much to say about this one-- it was creepy but not terribly compelling.

[michael_rose-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Poor, poor Doakes. You'd have been better off to suffer the fate of your televised counter part. What happened to you was just plain cruel, even for you, "motha fucka".

[mhanlon_19 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I felt like I was back in the television series.
The over-the-top hokeyness of Dexter's internal monologue might go so wrong, the cuteness just a little too cloying for someone who calls himself a monster, but Lindsay manages to pull it off and make my own Dark Passenger (who is a reader, and gets murderously outraged if it senses the writer pulling a fast one) settle down and accept it. For each of the two books of the Dexter series I've read I've had moments where I pause at a certain point (usually one of the many alliterative descriptions of Deadly Dexter), but every single time I've thrown Jeff Lindsay the benefit of the doubt and kept on going. I don't know if it's the folksy dialogue Dexter keeps up with the reader or the fact that Michael C. Hall did such a great job bringing him to life for the screen, but you forgive the little idiosyncrasies because, well, Dexter's kind of a charming monster, and hell sometimes repeat himself as he tries to work out just how a human might react to his situation.
Repetition aside, the book just roars along. I think reading too many of these in quick succession might wear down the patience of your Dark Reader, but grabbing one from the shelf every few months seems to be working, so far, and I've loved revisiting with everyone's favorite serial killer and provider of donuts.

[heartsstarspll · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved how in depth we got to see Dexter's relationship with Rita's kids. Dexter says that he is not human, but the way he is with the kids tell me that he is more human than a lot of "normal" people. He treasures kids, and often kills child predators, I respect that completely. I say if you are going to kill people you might as well put it to good use, for the greater good! (Not that I condone murder... but I do respect what Dexter does, even if it's only a channel to feed his Passenger)

*spoilers*

I loved the storyline for this book, I would have liked to see it in the show! And I like how Doakes was "dealt" with, even more so than on the show. I also liked how the kids were revealed to be like Dexter, I didn't see that in the show at all, maybe that was too controversial even for Showtime. But as soon as Cody stab that fish and then Rita asking him and Astor about the neighbors missing dog, I could see where it was going. I was surprised *I* saw it before Dexter did! I was freaking out, worried that Deb was going to die when they got into that accident when they were chasing that freaky doctor guy!

I would definitely recommend this book for fans of Dexter, the show, and fans of the first book.

[christineellei · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Once again visiting with our favorite nice guy/serial killer Dexter Morgan. In this installment Dexter finds himself the lone investigator on the trail of a disgruntled torture specialist who is playing a deadly, and reverse game of “Hangman”. Instead of adding body parts he likes to remove them. Sounds like it is right up Dexter’s alley until it involves his sister. Then the game becomes a little less amusing.

I like Mr. Lindsay’s portrayal of Dexter as the empty shell with the sarcastic way of looking at the world around him. This one had me saying “ewww, ewww, ewww” out loud at some parts. Always a sign of a good book?

[kr_patterson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is nearly perfect, if you're not put off by bad language and serial killers, that is. The author does many things very well: pacing, characters, humor. There is only one small part at the end that I wonder how, exactly, we readers were supposed to feel about that. It was almost enough for me to take it down to four stars, but no. I think the author sometimes tries too hard to keep Dexter's characterization as being somebody without feeling. I don't feel like it breaks character to occasionally show something in him that proves that he does feel, that he is human. Because he is, whether he thinks he is or not. In fact, things like that would perfect his character for me. It needs at least a hint of polarity. Yin and Yang and all that. And sometimes it does. I love those moments when he might, almost, feel something.

[jimocracy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I very much enjoyed this story and I really like Dexter! I can't wait to read the next one!

[piersanti-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Well-written, but the bad guy was just too evil, so I had to read a more pleasant and care-free YA book right after this one.

[gopfolk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another good book. This is definitely not what I would call world class literature but I enjoyed the book completely and will read more from the series.

[figre · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fiction is replete with examples of anti-heroes where, in spite of our better judgment, we find ourselves rooting for a less-than-desirable individual. The Godfather's Michael Corleone, Alex in Clockwork Orange, Ignatius in A Confederacy of Dunces, and as things are turning out, just about anyone in Game of Thrones (I'm only on book three – no spoilers please). Dexter is starting to add his persona to that august group. (In fact, I just saw him included in one list of the top 10 anti-heroes.)

I have no problem with anti-heroes, and I had no problem with Dexter's particular type as I read the first book in the series. In case you didn't know (spoiler alert – but not really a big one – this may be the worst kept secret of all time), Dexter is a serial murderer. But, he is not really a bad guy because he has learned to channel his urges in a positive way – he only kills other serial murderers.

In the first novel, Lindsay did a good job playing this psychologically disturbed person against the everyday backdrop of a personal life and job with the (irony alert) police department. I bought into the premise, and I bought into the fact that, in spite of how disturbing the character of Dexter is, I can sympathize with his actions and his motives.

But now we get to the second novel in the series and I am becoming a little more concerned. We still have Dexter doing his thing – finding the bad guys and eradicating them in his own special way. But this novel digs a little more deeply into Dexter's psychology. Yes, this was all evident in the first book; yes, we learned that Dexter did not connect with human emotions and feelings. And we saw how that fit in with the person he felt forced to become. But this installment really drives that home.

That exploration in and of itself would not be a real problem. However, Dexter is beginning to involve more people in the charade that is his life.

It is one thing to watch his demented approach to life as it impacts criminals and an impersonal general public. It was a little more disturbing to see the impact on his sister (starting to get just a little more personal.) But now he is becoming involved with other private parties – including children. And it is disturbing to watch the facade he has built trap him and others into that false existence. And this also leads us to understand that there is a wider and wider range of disturbed individuals in the world.

Maybe this is really where Lindsay intends to go – not just an interesting concept but a commentary about the people that are around us. If so, then this is a much more profound series than I ever imagined. However, until that has proven to be the case, I find myself increasingly disturbed with the series and what it makes me feel – disturbed enough that Lindsay has only one more book to make his case.

Yes, I will keep reading the series, but it is on a short hook.

[wispywillow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Not fabulous literature, no, but sometimes you just need a break and read something for the pure entertainment of it :)

[katyas_26 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Book Info: Genre: Thriller/Police Procedural
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: twisted people
Trigger Warnings: murder, torture, vivisection

My Thoughts: This book opens with a scene that plays on our expectations of Dexter... and then turns them on their ear. I just love that! This book is filled with scenes like that, scenes that turn our expectations against us and make us look at things from a slightly different perspective.

Watching Dexter's complete confusion over how to deal with Rita is always hilarious. However, I always wondered why no one ever mentioned that the ring was actually Kyle's and that Dexter would need to somehow retrieve it for him. That wasn't the only comment in the book that didn't really make sense. There is a scene toward the end where Dexter thinks to himself about the three remaining potential victims being unaware, and includes Acosta among them, although Acosta not only was aware but had fled. I was a bit surprised something like that would make it through the final editing process. However, these are very minor things, and with all the busyness, I'm sure a lot of people would not even noticed these minor, questionable situations.

I remember back when I first read this book I was so excited to see where the series was going with the children. I still find this a really interesting idea, and was disappointed when the TV series did not include this. I suppose involving the children was just too much and not nearly “sexy” enough, but to me I much prefer the direction the story is going in the books over what I saw in the first four seasons of the TV show.

If you have a really dark and twisted sense of humor, and like reading about rather dark and twisted vigilantes, then you definitely need to spend some time with Dexter Morgan.

Series Information: Dexter Morgan series
Book 1: Darkly Dreaming Dexter, review linked here
Book 2: Dearly Devoted Dexter
Book 3: Dexter in the Dark
Book 4: Dexter by Design
Book 5: Dexter is Delicious
Book 6: Double Dexter
Book 7: Dexter's Final Cut

Disclosure: I purchased this book for myself. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Dexter Morgan has been under considerable pressure. It's just not easy being an ethical serial killer—especially while trying to avoid the unshakable suspicions of the dangerous Sergeant Doakes (who believes Dexter is a homicidal maniac... which, of course, he is). In an attempt to throw Doakes off his trail, Dexter has had to slip deep into his foolproof disguise. While not working as a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, he now spends nearly all his time with his cheerful girlfriend, Rita, and her two children, sipping light beer and slowly becoming the world's first serial couch potato. But how long can Dexter play Kick the Can instead of Slice the Slasher? How long before his Dark Passenger forces him to drop the charade and let his inner monster run free?

In trying times, opportunity knocks. A particularly nasty psychopath is cutting a trail through Miami—a man whose twisted technique leaves even Dexter speechless. As Dexter's dark appetite is revived, his sister, Deborah (a newly minted, tough-as-nails Miami detective), is drawn headlong into the case. It quickly becomes clear that it will take a monster to catch a monster—but it isn't until his archnemesis is abducted that Dex can finally throw himself into the search for a new plaything. Unless, of course, his plaything finds him first...

[icedream_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved the first book in this series (Darkly Dreaming Dexter) and I loved this one just as much. For a serial killer, I thought Dexter was a pretty great guy but this book is a lot darker and now I know I sure wouldn't want this guy living in my neighborhood.

[dickmanikowski · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've seen several episodes of Dexter over the years, but this was the first of the novels I've read. And it was far more chilling than the TV show. It won't be the last one I read.

[tahoegirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An easy and enjoyable read. I liked it as much as the first Dexter book.

[gingerbreadman_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It’s been two years since I read the first Dexter book (and I haven’t yet seen a single episode of the TV series, even if the first box is waiting in the DVD cabinet), but there really was no problem getting back in the sociopath saddle with him. Lindsay is very generous with exposition, and – let’s face it – the concept itself is pretty easy to get a hang of.

Here our most anti of anti heroes starts out having trouble. A very adamant Sergeant Doakes is smelling that something isn’t right about that blood splatter analyst, and starts following him everywhere. Troublesome for Dexter for two reasons. He is on the prowl for a pedophile predator, but obviously cannot hunt while being constantly watched by Doakes. And secondly, he is forced to take his act of normality to the next level, spending way more time with his cover-up girlfriend Rita than he would prefer. Indeed, sitting on a sofa and drinking beer is dulling his edges. Luckily for Dexter, focus is pointed elsewhere as a new monster arrives in town – one that is set out to revenge an old betrayal in the most gruesome way imaginable. UN-luckily for Dexter, family loyalty is demanding that he helps out catching this murderous doctor.

I quite enjoy the sick and grisly world of Dexter, but I’m not as thrilled as many others seems to be. There’s just something over-constructed about this whole world, as if Lindsay constantly has to bring out new explanations for the whole thing not to keel over. His version of Miami feels too small somehow, the cast of the books too limited, and there are many logical loopholes that annoy me. ((POSSIBLE SPOILERS HERE))Why is everybody in the old El Salvador team living in Miami? Why is the first body still undiscovered, when hurry was such a factor in the beginning of the book? Would a pedophile really have a CD labeled “NAMBLA promo” in his office? Really, what will keep me with the series is Dexter himself, and his growing relationship with Rita’s kids. ((END SPOILERS.))

Bottom line: in it’s own twisted way, this is entertaining. I have one more Dexter book on my shelves, and I’ll surely read that this year – even with the warning from many that it’s much weaker. After that, we’ll see.

[tonestaple_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not as good as the debut of the series, but still suitable as mind candy. Spent a little too much time with remarks about how badly Dexter wanted to be out and about with his "Dark Passenger" and how much it stressed him to do good things for people instead of be out killing bad guys.

I would never buy these books but I'm happy I can find them at the library.

[es135_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Recently I, along with a few friends, took an eight hour drive to a friends wedding. Although the city is a state capitol, I was surprised at how little there was to do. As you can imagine, the eight hour trip provided many memories for the group that I traveled with, but the destination was less than satisfying. This second novel, an improvement on the first in the Dexter series, is much like this trip. The ending left quite a bit to be desired, but I enjoyed the ride.

[ctmslusc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dexter’s back and this time his chase to catch a child molester is halted by the ever watching Sergeant Doakes lurking in the shadows. Dexter’s world is suddenly spun upside down when a new killer emerges that even surprises Dexter at how horrific a mess he left. Dexter has to deal with the accidental proposal to his girlfriend, Rita, on top of all this. Dexter is cooping with the day-to-day life of hide and seek with Sergeant Doakes when they both realize that this killer is someone darker than they could have imagined.

Two books in and I still love these books. This one is a little bit more intense than the first one, but in achieving that, it falls a little bit short of originality. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, but there wasn’t anything new other than the story. Still the story was a thrill ride in itself. So many things were working against Dexter and yet he still comes out on top. The ending was also pretty mind-blowing. I think this book deserves a four and a half out of five stars.