Synopsis
This debut novel introduces a charming psychopath worthy of Hannibal Lecter. Dexter Morgan is a blood spatter pattern analyst for the Miami police department. He's also a sociopath--completely incapable of normal human emotions--and a serial killer. 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. Now someone is murdering prostitutes, and disposing of the bodies in a manner remarkably similar to Dexter's MO. The killer seems to be sending a message aimed directly at Dexter. 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. Dexter must make a choice: should he help Deb make an arrest...or should he help the killer whose work he so admires?

Details
Publication Date:	2006-09-12
Series:	Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
Edition Description:	Reprint

Size
Length:	288 pages
Height:	8.3 in
Width:	5.3 in
Thickness:	0.8 in
Weight:	8.0 oz

Publisher's Note
Hiding a secret life as an assassin while working as a murder analyst for the Miami police, Dexter Morgan is intrigued by the work of a new serial killer whose style mimics his own and who Morgan realizes is inviting him into a deadly competition. Reprint. 15,000 first printing. (A Showtime series, premiering Fall 2006, starring Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, and others) (Suspense)

Industry Reviews
"A witty, grisly debut...[A] guilty pleasure."
Kirkus (06/01/2004)

"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] gripping, deliciously offbeat novel that announces the arrival of a notable new talent." (starred review)
Publishers Weekly (04/19/2004)

"After finishing this debut novel, readers will have only one thing to say: wow!...[Dexter] makes a fascinating narrator, appealing, articulate, and ghoulish all at the same time....Long after readers finish this gripping novel, they will still be thinking (or dreaming) about Dexter." (starred review)
Booklist - David Pitt (05/15/2004)

"For the last word on serial killers, leave it to the witty narrator of Jeff Lindsay's ghoulish first novel....[T]he real appeal of this macabre tour-de-force is Dexter's sardonic voice, so snappy and smart, and yet so full of self-loathing that we hate ourselves for laughing."
New York Times Book Review - Marilyn Stasio (07/25/2004)

"Dexter Morgan...is one of the most likable vigilante serial killers in recent thriller literature....[H]is quest proves weirdly convincing."
New Yorker (07/26/2004)