Jeff Lindsay is a hoot --- no other term quite fits. "Talented" and
"original" would be accurate, but not adequate. There are many
writers capable of creating a maniacal serial killer; Thomas Harris
and Patricia Highsmith even made their respective creations
credible anti-heroes. Lindsay, and his newly minted series of
Dexter Morgan novels (of which the recently published DEARLY
DEVOTED DEXTER is but the second), takes things a step further,
however. Dexter has all the urges of his dark-souled peers, and yet
he is able to channel them into a constructive endeavor, one that
contemporaneously culls his competition and protects the flock. And
talk about putting the fox in charge of guarding the henhouse.
Dexter is a blood splatter analyst for the Miami-Dade County Police
Department. He accordingly has an inside track when it comes to
learning of a new murderer on the street --- one who can be a new
victim.

Dexter is both appalled and thrilled when a new murderer, nicknamed
Dr. Danco, begins working the street. While possessing a grudging
admiration for Danco's work, Dexter nonetheless is compelled to
take him off the board. But there's more than bloodlust motivating
Dexter. Dexter has a foster sister, Deborah, who happens to be a
newly appointed Miami homicide detective and is dating a federal
agent named Kyle Chatsky. When Chatsky is selected as Danco's next
victim, it is up to Dexter to save the day, and Deborah's
boyfriend.

Ah, but every great hero (if we want to stretch the definition of
that term) has an adversary who is of equal, if not greater,
talent, and Dexter is no exception. In his case, it is the
redoubtable Sergeant Doakes of the Miami Police Department.
Doakes's instincts tell him that Dexter is a murderer himself and
has devoted his career to catching him in the act, thus forcing
Dexter to hide in plain sight with his girlfriend Rita and her
children. Dexter's bloodlust is growing, though, and he needs the
release that only a cold-blooded murder can bring. He is therefore
drawn into a game of cat-and-mouse with Doakes, as each man waits
for the other to make a move.

Meanwhile, Danco is still at large and Chatsky is in danger. And as
for Dexter and Rita --- well, the unexpected happens. And no one is
more surprised than Dexter.

DEARLY DEVOTED DEXTER, as with its predecessor DARKLY DREAMING
DEXTER, is a multileveled novel filled with grim humor and dark
characterization, riding on a finely articulated story that
excites, stimulates, and entertains. This is a series that,
depending on the whim of its creator, has the steam to run for
decades. Jump on board now.