Might Dexter himself be the culprit? The answer feels a bit contrived, but will surprise most readers, and it's a minor flaw in a gripping, deliciously offbeat novel that announces the arrival of a notable new talent. This puts him in conflict with a dumb but ambitious female homicide detective as well as, soon enough, the killer himself, whose approach to serial killing mirrors Dexter's own, uncomfortably so. Dexter's foster sister is a Miami Vice Squad cop working on the killings, so Dexter decides to help her solve the case. The story opens with Dexter at play, kidnapping and killing a priest who has murdered a number of children, then moves on to the main plot, a series of gruesome killings of prostitutes by an unknown madman. I took pride in being the best-dressed monster in Dade County'). What makes this novel zing, though, is the narration-humorous, self-deprecating, smart and sometimes lyrical, it's a macabre fun ride ('I thought about the nice clothes that I always wore.

But all his life, Dexter has followed the rules set down by his cop foster father (who knew of Dexter's proclivities), to indulge his passion only by slaying other serial killers. Lindsay's premise alone is worthy: narrator Dexter Morgan, a blood-spatter specialist for the Miami cops, is also a serial killer. It's been years since there's been a thriller debut as original as this one by Lindsay, who takes a tired subgenre-the serial-killer novel-and makes it as fresh as dawn. A review with a blue-tinted title indicates a book of unusual commercial interest that hasn't received a starred or boxed review. But no one but Dexter is capable of interpreting that message, least of all Dexter's sister Deb, a cop assigned to the case who's totally unaware of Dexter's extracurricular activities.A starred or boxed review indicates a book of outstanding quality. The killer seems to be sending a message aimed directly at Dexter. Now someone is murdering prostitutes, and disposing of the bodies in a manner remarkably similar to Dexter's MO. His adoptive father, a retired policeman, recognized Dexter's tendencies early on, and encouraged him to channel them into something more socially productive: i.e., killing bad guys like pedophiles.

He's also a sociopath-completely incapable of normal human emotions-and a serial killer. Dexter Morgan is a blood spatter pattern analyst for the Miami police department. Description: This debut novel introduces a charming psychopath worthy of Hannibal Lecter. NICE BOOK! FIRST EDITION WITH MILD SHELF WEAR ON DUSTJACKET & A FEW LIBRARY STAMPS.

Darkly dreaming dexter original cover