In his work as a Miami crime scene investigator, Dexter Morgan is accustomed to seeing evil deeds. . . particularly because, on occasion, he commits them himself. But Dexter's happy existence is turned upside down when he is called to an unusually disturbing crime scene at the university campus. Dexter's Dark Passenger mastermind of his homicidal prowess immediately senses something chillingly recognizable and goes into hiding. Dexter is alone for the first time in his life, and he realizes he's being hunted by a truly sinister adversary. Meanwhile he's planning a wedding and trying to learn how to be a stepfather to his fiancé's two kids who might just have dark tendencies themselves. Macabre, ironic, and wonderfully entertaining, Dexter in the Dark goes deeper into the psyche of one of the freshest protagonists in recent fiction.

In Lindsay's third novel to feature endearing Miami cop and serial killer Dexter Morgan (after 2005's Darkly Devoted Dexter), the Dark Passenger, the voice inside Dexter's head that from time to time drives him to the Theme Park of the Unthinkable, inexplicably disappears while Morgan is investigating a gruesome double murder on the University of Miami campus. The crime scene, at which two co-eds were ritualistically burned and beheaded, gives even the human vivisection–loving vigilante the creeps. As the burned and beheaded body count continues to mount, Morgan realizes that the force behind the killings is something even more evil than his Dark Passenger. Though the macabre wit that powered the first two installments of this delightfully dark series (also a hit on TV's Showtime) is still evident, this third entry takes a decidedly deep introspective turn as Dexter is forced to contemplate not only life without his enigmatic companion but also who—or what—he truly is. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Jeff Lindsay has created a fascinating antihero in Dexter, now the star of a popular Showtime television series. Critics were relieved to find that Dexter’s small-screen success has had no effect on Lindsay’s fast-paced plotting, absorbing characters, and delicious black humor. Dexter in the Dark, the third in the series, is longer than its predecessors, which allows Lindsay to delve deeper into Dexter’s psyche. Some critics were pleased, while others felt that Dexter’s longwinded self-analyses detracted from the storyline. According to the Denver Post, "readers who have not yet met Dexter can enjoy reading the latest without starting at the beginning." Returning admirers of this original, offbeat series will be happy to know that a fourth installment is in the works.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.