Dearly Devoted Dexter (Dexter, #2)

by Jeff Lindsay

Miami's best-dressed serial killer is back and on the prowl - at least he would be if he could shake off his permanent shadow. Ever since their paths first crossed, Sergeant Doakes hasn't let Dexter Morgan out of his sight. Dexter may well be the Miami PD's blood-spatter analyst, but Sgt. Doakes has a pretty good idea of how Dex likes to spend his free time and he's determined to catch him in the act. Dex hasn't killed in months and is getting twitchy. To throw Doakes off his scent, he's spending more time with Rita, his girlfriend. But no matter how many cosy nights they spend in front of the TV, Doakes is still watching. Then a body turns up, horribly mutilated and barely alive. It's the work of a torturer extraordinaire - a man who abducts his victims and keeps them alive for weeks while he performs his hideous operations. To trap the torturer, Doakes and Dexter will have to work together, if they can trust each other. It's a devil's pact and one of them will have to be the bait...Furiously fast, funny and thrilling, DEARLY DEVOTED DEXTER proves what the critics have been saying: Dexter Morgan is one of the most engaging new characters in contemporary crime fiction.

• ISBN10: 0385511248
• ISBN13: 9780385511247
• Publish Date: 19 July 2005 (first published 1 January 2005)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Doubleday Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 292
• Language: English

Reviews

[thepunktheory]

Well, if you follow my blog, you know that I wasn't too fond of the first installment in the series. However, the show (at least seasons 1-5) were really great, so I decided to give Jeff Lindsay another shot.
To be honest, it simply was a waste of my time. The story was only annoying and irritating. Not irritating in good sense, that makes you think, but simply what-is-the-point-of-all-this irritating. The plot isn't thrilling, no matter how hard Lindsay tries. On several occasion I just wanted to book to be over, instead of wanting to find out whether they catch the bad guy or not.
Jeff Lindsay may have some interesting ideas, that could work out if you wrap them up the right way, but there is one thing he is not: a writer. In my opinion his pieces lack depth. The characters remain somewhat shallow and you basically can't relate with anyone in the entire book. Everybody remains pale. Even Dexter himself doesn't get under your skin at all.
This is also true for the story itself. There is no real depth, no higher sense, there's just nothing.

After regretting that I gave Jeff Lindsay a second chance, I will certainly not read another Dexter book. Not thrilling, not interesting.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

The second book in the Dexter series; Dearly Devoted Dexter sees a shadowy, sadistic silhouette of Sgt. Doakes following Dexter Morgan. While some of the book is featured in the TV show, this is the beginning of the break away. The TV show taking on different stories, which is good for Dexter fans. Now you can read about different adventures of Dexter and actually see the character as intended. Amidst all the chaos, Dexter finds himself accidentally engaged to his girlfriend Rita and begins to have suspicions of Cody (Rita’s youngest child) of sociopathic tendencies that Dexter himself had as a child. Dearly Devoted Dexter is a little weaker than its predecessor but still enjoyable.

[empressbrooke]

As I'd expected to, I quickly devoured the second Dexter novel today while enjoying the long-missed sunshine on my back porch. I'm not quite as delighted with it as I was with book #1. I still laughed a lot, but the narration wasn't quite as whimsical and delightful as before.

However, I'm feeling something I didn't before - interest in where the plot's going. I really liked the surprise surrounding Cody, which is definitely a different angle than the show took. I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing how Dexter handles this. I'm disappointed that there wasn't much said by Deborah regarding her revelation about her brother from book #1, and I'm really hoping that it gets more attention in book #3. This is ripe for exploring, and I'm finding myself hoping the show goes this way, as well.

[ibeforem]

I love Dexter’s narrative voice in this series. The bad guy in this book is especially heinous, and I was surprised at how far Lindsay was willing to go with some of his main characters. I really look forward to the next book! Dexter has some interesting changes coming in his life.

[remo]

Segunda entrega de las aventuras de Dexter, un simpático psicópata asesino en serie que, curiosamente, nos cae bien y es el prota de la novela. En la crítica del primer libro de la serie ya presentamos a los personajes principales de la novela. En esta segunda parte (hay una tercera parte en camino que se publica este verano), un médico asesino vuelve del cautiverio al que le enviaron sus compañeros para vengarse de la manera más cruel que se pueda imaginar. Uno por uno va atacando a sus antiguos camaradas, y Dexter deberá esforzarse para detenerle, pues el novio de su hermana es uno de ellos. En esta nueva entrega Dexter lo tendrá muy difícil para seguirse dedicando a su pequeño hobby, como él lo llama, pues el sargento Doakes, que sospecha algo de él, lo tiene sometido a una vigilancia férrea.

De nuevo, un libro bien escrito y que mantiene el interés. Jeff Lindsay [JL] creó y explota una idea molona, un psicópata que siente la llamada de la sangre pero que ha sabido reconducirla para matar sólo a aquellos que se lo merezcan. Me gusta mucho el planteamiento y me gusta mucho cómo lo desarrolla el autor. Novela negra de calidad.

Mi nota: Muy recomendable.