Darkly Dreaming Dexter: A Novel: 1 - Softcover

Meet Dexter Morgan, the chief protagonist of Darkly Dreaming Dexter. He's a highly respected lab technician specialising in blood spatter for the Miami Dade Police Department. He's a handsome, though reluctant, ladies' man. He's polite, says all the right things, and rarely draws attention to himself. He's also a sociopathic serial killer whose "Dark Passenger" drives him to commit the occasional dismemberment. Mind you, Dexter's the good guy in this story.

Adopted at the age of four after an unnamed tragedy left him orphaned, Dexter's learned, with help from his pragmatic policeman father, to channel his "gift", killing only those who deal in death themselves. But when a new serial killer starts working in Miami, staging elaborately grisly scenes that are, to Dexter, an obvious attempt at communication from one monster to another, the eponymous protagonist finds himself at a loss. Should he help his policewoman sister Deborah earn a promotion to the Homicide desk by finding the fiend? Or should he locate this new killer himself, so he can express his admiration for the other's "art"? Or is it possible that psycho Dexter himself, admittedly not the most balanced of fellows, is finally going completely insane and committing these messy crimes himself?

Despite his penchant for vivisection, it's hard not to like Dexter as his coldly logical personality struggles to emulate emotions he doesn't feel and to keep up his appearance as a caring, unremarkable human being. Debut author Jeff Lindsay's plot is tense and absorbing, but it's the voice of Dexter and his reactions to the other characters that make this one of the most original and highly recommended serial killer stories in a very long time. --Benjamin Reese, Amazon.com

"A macabre tour-de-force." --The New York Times Book Review"A dark comedy with a creative twist."--The Miami Herald"Dark and devious. . . . . Daring and unexpectedly comedic." --USA Today"Maybe the first serial killer who unabashedly solicits our love." --Entertainment Weekly"With chills like these, you can skip the air-conditioning." --Time"One of the most likeable vigilante serial killers in recent thriller literature." --The New Yorker"Demonology has a dastardly new darling." --The New York Times "Just when you think (hope?) that the tired and rarely credible device of the serial killer next door has hit a wall, along comes a writer like Jeff Lindsay to prove you wrong. . . . So enjoyable." --Chicago Tribune"Mordantly funny." --The New York Post"A fresh, inventive slice of crime fiction that turns the axis of good and evil . . . upside down. A psychological thriller in the best sense of the genre." --The Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)"A memorable debut with a hero who really ought to be in a mental institution, but is too much fun to lock up." --The Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)"Dexter's captivating, first-person account is a genuinely exciting read." --Time Out (NY)"This ghoulish, fascinating tale . . . will grip readers and make a lasting impression." --The Philadelphia Inquirer"Entertaining. . . . Dexter is a fascinating character, though he's not the kind of guy you'd like to invite to dinner." --Chicago Sun-Times"Fun, terrifically fresh. . . . It's thrilling to watch Dexter struggle between everyday vanilla reality and the compelling, kaleidoscopic thrall of his own bloody fantasies." --Linda Marotta, Fangoria"Totally captivating. . . . Totally original. The characters are beautifully drawn, particularly Dexter, who is tremendously likeable, his hobby not withstanding." --The St. Petersburg Times (FL)"Lindsay gets high marks for originality, atmosphere, vibrant action scenes and having the brass to write this in the first place." --Tulsa World"Jeff Lindsay sure does it right with Darkly Dreaming Dexter." --Cleveland Plain Dealer"Newcomer Jeff Lindsay has created a unique hero. . . . Intriguing." --Mystery Scene"In creating a singularly unique killer, Lindsay also manages to create a few sleepless nights for the reader." --Anniston Star (Anniston, AL)