Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

From the Publisher
Dexter Morgan has been under considerable pressure. In trying to avoid the deep suspicions of the dangerous Sergeant Doakes-who believes Dexter is a homicidal maniac (which, of course, he is)-Dexter has had to slip further into his foolproof domestic disguise. While not working as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, he now spends nearly all his time with his girlfriend, Rita, and her two children. 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 of family life and let his inner monster run free?

In trying times, opportunity knocks. A particularly nasty psychopath is cutting a trail through Miami-a man who "slices and dices and leaves vegetables behind." Dexter's dark appetite is revived, but it's not until his nemesis, Sergeant Doakes, is abducted that Dex can finally throw himself headlong into the search for a new plaything. Unless, of course, his plaything finds him first . . .

With the incredible wit and freshness that made his first Dexter novel a bestseller, Jeff Lindsay brings back one of the most original, colorful narrators in years, and signals the arrival of a superb new series.

My Comments:
These books are my guilty pleasure to be sure. They are full of irony (a serial killer who only kills other serial killers) and character. Dexter calls himself "a well-designed artificial human" who manages to get through life pretending to emote in ways he feels uncapable. He considers himself a monster through and through. But I see a white knight in there somewhere...

This is the second in the series, and I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first. It's a bit more gruesome. The beginning really grabs you and the ending makes the sometimes fairly lackluster middle worth it! I shouldn't say lackluster, because honestly, I didn't want to put the book down. But I felt Dexter's frustration as his Dark Passenger was kept at bay.

Keep It Or Pass It On?
Hubby wants to read it (we adore the Showtime series) and then I'm passing it on to a friend.