Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

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.

Reviewed by empressbrooke on

3 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 18 April, 2009: Finished reading
  • 18 April, 2009: Reviewed