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Double Dexter (Dexter #6)

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 4,354 ratings · 521 reviews

The dark and witty New York Times bestselling series...

The inspiration for Showtime's critically acclaimed show...

Double Dexter is Jeff Lindsay's completely new, wickedly entertaining novel.

A witness. Such a simple concept - and yet for Dexter Morgan, the perfectly well-disguised monster, the possibility of a witness is unthinkable. But when Dexter is on a very private, ve...more

Hardcover, 1st Edition, 337 pages

Published October 18th 2011 by Doubleday (first published October 11th 2011)

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Jun 06, 2012 Marvin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

After six novels and six seasons, it might be nice to compare where Dexter is as related to its two media universes. I should say there are spoilers for those who never read or seen Dexter (but no spoilers for Double Dexter) but anyone who has not read or seen Dexter and is reading this review of the sixth novel deserves to be spoiled.

So here we are with the various characters that make up DexterLand.

Lt. Guerta: TV - alive and kicking as one of the major characters
BOOK - Murdered by Dexter's br...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Rhiannon Ryder rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oh Dexter! Let me count the ways I love you. First off, you are so slick and hopeless at the same time, I adore the messes you get into. Secondly, if you have to have side kicks to your story then who better than your potty mouth sister, difficult stepchildren and flighty but lovely wife? Thirdly you are a funny, funny man, twisted, but funny. Fourthly, your stance on criminals, now who can argue with that? Fifthly you're a club scout participant, who doesn't love a serial killer cub scout? Reas...more Oh Dexter! Let me count the ways I love you. First off, you are so slick and hopeless at the same time, I adore the messes you get into. Secondly, if you have to have side kicks to your story then who better than your potty mouth sister, difficult stepchildren and flighty but lovely wife? Thirdly you are a funny, funny man, twisted, but funny. Fourthly, your stance on criminals, now who can argue with that? Fifthly you're a club scout participant, who doesn't love a serial killer cub scout? Reason the sixth- Double Dexter, my highly anticipated, yearly fall treat!

It's a killers dream life, great job, fantastic family and time for deadly visits on the side, what could be better? That is until Dexter is caught in the act by some unknown observer. Life quickly spirals into fits of worry and *gasp* emotion, while Dexter fusses over who his mystery follower could be and if he's safe. Meanwhile life goes on as crimes continue as per usual in Miami, and Rita worries about the size of their house and if they should up size. But Dexter's shadow is wittier than expected, and between Rita, work and the kids it seems like Daddy Dexter has both gotten a little soft, and might have finally met his match.

This might have been my favorite Dexter book yet. I love what a tailspin family life has Dexter in. If he's not trying to work out all of Rita's cryptic subtext and nonsensical conversations, he's mooning over Lily Anne or trying to tame angsty tween Astor. Meanwhile Brian is also still popping by for Friday family dinners and Debs is quite confusingly depending on her partner for a change. Clearly Dexter is no match to simple, every day family life.

And funny! Yea Gods I was chortling the whole way through this latest Dexter Dramody. The Cub scout Wilderness Weekend had me in tears and the hubby was quite sick of my case of the giggles by bedtime. But so help me, the Cub scout leaders tirade on the deadly creatures of the great outdoors coupled with Dexter and Cody's death by mosquito is enough to make me die laughing all over again just thinking about it.

Insert the race to the finish, competition between Dexter and his shadow and this book was 100% a page turning, laugh out loud winner. As a pure bonus of joy the story trundles down to Key West and staggers smack into the middle of Hemingway Days, which was all the more enjoyable knowing that author Jeff Lindsay's wife is Hemingway's niece. Oh and did I mention there's a shark too? No? Well I suppose you'll just have to read Double Dexter for yourself then.
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Nov 19, 2011 Wendy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: zombie-apocalypse, found-randomly-at-work, because-i-can-t-not-read-the-sequal

Ok, Ok...it was better than I expected. Still, a good 50 pages can be cut out with all the inner monologue, ruminations of sweat, traffic and food. But I suppose those things make Dexter Dexter.

I still don't like the story line involving the kids. Especially Astor. It just doesn't fit.

But the Brian storyline ... He's just in her for a few suspicious glimpses.

** slight spoilers, ye be warned **

Why do I torture myself? Why am I reading another Dexter book after I swore them off more than a year...more Ok, Ok...it was better than I expected. Still, a good 50 pages can be cut out with all the inner monologue, ruminations of sweat, traffic and food. But I suppose those things make Dexter Dexter.

I still don't like the story line involving the kids. Especially Astor. It just doesn't fit.

But the Brian storyline ... He's just in her for a few suspicious glimpses.

** slight spoilers, ye be warned **

Why do I torture myself? Why am I reading another Dexter book after I swore them off more than a year ago?

Because I wanted to make sure I was right, and not just in some mood when I decided I didn't like these books.

Sure enough, there are just some really, really annoying things about Dexter in print as opposed to Dexter on screen. I LOVE the show ... why do I loathe the books? Usually, I can separate the two and just deal with it.

I'm trying to imagine if I had never seen a Dexter episode, would I feel as much loathing as I do for the books? Meh, I'll never know. Actually, yes, I think I would because the author has a tendency to wax eloquent about something for 3 paragraphs. Then BANG, he'll slip in a significant detail in the middle of a paragraph. Like, 3 words that are really important, and for someone like me who reads fast, maybe skips things occasionally or reads ahead, you miss that tidbit then are completely lost again in endless descriptions of food, clouds and sweat.

I skipped Dexter #5, and frankly there is nothing in my head that distinguishes anything whatsoever about the first 4 books. They are all so similar in plotting, pace and details that I would be hard pressed to recall any of it.

I mean, I just totally didn't realize that BRIAN was still around ... the ICE TRUCK KILLER ... Ok, I am totally confusing the show with the books, but yep, I totally missed the part in the BOOK that Brian got away. And now he's back for who knows what reason. And DOAKES is still around. I knew he was still alive, but he's still in the books as this suspicious, angry, walking Mr. Potato Head.

I'm going to give this 100 more pages before I give up. (less)

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Jan 17, 2012 Alisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries, funny-fiction, thrillers

I'm Doubly Despondent to Discourse about this, but the beginning 3 -4 pages of this book are so Despairingly Dreadful that if this had been my first Dexter novel I would have stopped reading and never picked up another. Here's the first couple of lines:

"Of course there are clouds. They take over the sky and hide that pulsing swollen moon that is clearing its throat above them."

Clearing its throat? Seriously? And it only gets worse from there. It is the most floridly purple few pages I have eve...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Sadaf rated it 4 of 5 stars

Whenver people ask me whether the book is better or the tv series, I say that it has its own charm. The books are very different from the series, and the plot and character development that happens in books, would be quite impossible on the TV show.
Double Dexter is the 6th book in this series written author Jeff Lindsay, and I would say it is very well done. In this series, he has displayed the kind of consistency that Rowling showed in the Harry Potter series.
As the 6th book begins, we know t...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Kristin Shafel Omiccioli rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, mystery-thriller

My husband and I enjoy the Dexter TV series, and we had a long drive for Thanksgiving last week, so we borrowed the audiobook Double Dexter from the library thinking it would be something we'd both like. I'm glad the Dexter book world deviates from the TV show some, to spice things up from what we know in that world, but I think this probably isn't the best Dexter book to start with, if you're seriously interested in the series. I hated to give it just a 2-star rating on Goodreads, but that's wh...more My husband and I enjoy the Dexter TV series, and we had a long drive for Thanksgiving last week, so we borrowed the audiobook Double Dexter from the library thinking it would be something we'd both like. I'm glad the Dexter book world deviates from the TV show some, to spice things up from what we know in that world, but I think this probably isn't the best Dexter book to start with, if you're seriously interested in the series. I hated to give it just a 2-star rating on Goodreads, but that's where I am with it: it was okay.

The plot was decent, with enough surprise twists to keep the story interesting, and captivating on audio for a long drive. It was fun to learn about characters we already knew (from TV) in this alternate universe. The version we listened to featured the author reading. Jeff Lindsay's voice has that same calm, smooth, dark depth that the actor who plays Dexter on TV has—a nice touch for those familiar with the show.

Unfortunately, it is just impossible to stop with the comparisons to the show, especially since I have no experience with the previous books in the series. Noticeably, characters long dead on the show are alive in the books, characters know more or less about Dexter than they do in the show, major characters on the show are very minor characters here and vice versa, and personalities are starkly different. Rita plays a large part in Double Dexter and might possibly be the most annoying literary character I have ever encountered. I was disappointed in general with the portrayals of women in this book—either annoying bitchy nags, expected to be submissive and in the kitchen, over-aggressive caricatures... each was one-dimensional, it seemed, and tired old stereotypes are exaggerated. Characters I really like on the show—Masuoka and Batista—are merely bit parts here.

Dexter is meaner in this book than in the show, less sympathetic a character. I had trouble with his frequent mentions of "not being human" or not feeling human emotions, when so clearly his baby daughter strongly affects him, and he panics at the threat of a witness to his murderous actions, and displays shock and personal offense in certain situations. It just didn't ring true to me. I really, REALLY didn't like his near-constant obsession with Rita's cooking... namely his complaining that she wasn't cooking him dinner regularly anymore, that she didn't have a meal ready for him when he got home, etc. Seriously? I hope this was supposed to be a device to show that routine was important to Dexter and any deviation throws him off badly, but this just came off as ignorant, misogynistic whining.

Again the plot is pretty good, and generally meets expectations for Dexter fans. The numerous scenes between Dexter and Rita arguing, banal family scenes, and his seemingly endless internal musings detracted from the quality of the story. A stronger editing hand was needed—there is no reason this audiobook had to be 12.5 hours long. More attention to the mystery and suspense, and more descriptive, in-the-moment killings would have made this a much better book for me.(less)

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Nov 07, 2012 Tasha Robinson rated it 2 of 5 stars

I keep reading the Dexter books, much as I previously kept watching the Dexter TV show, because the inherent idea has so much potential, and the character is, at his best-drawn, very interesting. And unlike some of the fans, I actually enjoyed it when the book series took a weird fantasy turn and we found out that Dexter's "Dark Passenger" — the internal awareness and hunger that makes him a serial-killing predator—was a literal presence, a fragment of an ancient god. That said, the books can be...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller

I enjoyed this book more than some of the others. Dexter's personality seemed more realistic to me, someone witnessing a crime made sense (I mean, come on, it's about time). There are issues, but I pick up a book like Dexter knowing full well it isn't going to be perfect. They are always wrapped up just a little too nicely and the dark passenger parts always annoy me (clouds, really?). But, where would the fun be in a book like this if Dexter didn't have unlikely adversaries and didn't eventuall...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Mark Wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a mixed bag for me. I picked it up, read two chapters, gave up. Lather, rinse repeat; for six months.

I think that I had two main problems which initially prevented me from getting into and enjoying Double Dexter.

Firstly, the previous two books in the series had let me down a little. They'd lost something that had been present in the first two and is consistent throughout the TV series. Dark humour? Irrevrence? Teeth.

Weirdly-written narratives and histories from the viewpoint of the...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Richard rated it 3 of 5 stars

The metaphorical meanderings get awfully thick, as does the occasional dives into broad comedy, overtly farcical dialogue and frequent reliance on rote simplifications rather than actual character development. But no matter, I must give props to any author who dares write a longer run on sentence than I and despite this series lurid subject matter, was probably never intended to be anything more than a comic book come to life anyway; Dexter is still deviously delightful!

I thought Lindsay’s last...more The metaphorical meanderings get awfully thick, as does the occasional dives into broad comedy, overtly farcical dialogue and frequent reliance on rote simplifications rather than actual character development. But no matter, I must give props to any author who dares write a longer run on sentence than I and despite this series lurid subject matter, was probably never intended to be anything more than a comic book come to life anyway; Dexter is still deviously delightful!

I thought Lindsay’s last book, “Dexter Is Delicious,” was a serious misstep but “Double Dexter” is mostly back on track. Thankfully, Lindsay has put aside his more outlandish plot points and brought the saga a bit more back to Earth. And without all those too-weird trappings like voodoo spells and the loss of the Dark Passenger and groups of cannibalistic vampire wannabes, Dexter is at his best just reveling in his Dexterness. His Miami milieu is already dangerously distinct and the recurring cast is frequently filled with fascinating freaks.

In fact, it’s Dexter’s “normal” home life that is often these books hilarious highlights. Flustered wife Rita is endlessly endearing and her befuddled behavior is as good an explanation as any for her failure at acknowledging her husband’s horrifying hobby. Dexter’s affection for his and Rita’s newborn baby Lily Anne is touchingly sweet and hints that Dexter may possess more hidden humanity than he claims. And Rita’s two young children are the greatest grim invention of pre-teen pessimism since ‘The Addams Family’s’ Wednesday and Pugsley. Inflicted with backgrounds almost as despairingly dark as Dexter’s, they never fail to offer glum and gloomy insight on the proceedings and crystal clear child-eyed commentary on their often senseless superiors. They may very well be “little monsters” in the making but never fail to match devilish Dexter himself in audacious originality.

So my plea to Jeff Lindsay is thus: don’t make future installments more extravagantly exotic but rather more down-to-Earth domestic. Dexter’s inhuman inability to step out of the dark are ceaselessly entertaining in their own right and don’t require any eerie embellishment. If anything, take him even more out of his element and place him in even more mundane activities; you’re never going to get a more jarring juxtaposition than Dexter’s inner demons (literally!) trying to make sense of everyday uneventful events such as the cub scouts or a Key West vacation, so just let Dexter be Dexter. And when that gloriously gratifying saga has run its course and decrepit Dexter is too old to pick up the hunting knife any longer, give Cody and Astor their own spin off. In the unconventional world of a serial killer we can finally believe in, it really is that satanically simple.
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Jun 19, 2012 Resa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Now, I’ve been a fan of Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter series for a long time, one of the few who probably likes the books more than the t.v. show, but Double Dexter did not live up to my expectations. I’m getting a little disappointed with Lindsay. While his last book, Dexter is Delicious, was very creative Dexter in the Dark and this newest book have been far from what I’ve come to expect from Lindsay.

Dexter has been convincingly continuing his normal-life with his normal family and perfect in every wa...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Cassie-la rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads

REVIEW ALSO ON: http://bibliomantics.com/2011/12/17/d......

This novel opens with the normal dark humor and hysterical inner monologue one would expect from a Dexter book. Specifically, it starts with the murder of Puffalump the clown who is a double threat. A clown AND a pedophile Coulrophobia sufferers rejoice, one less clown in the world.

Like the show, each book follows an overarching plot. In this novel, the police are trying to find a suspect who bludgeons police officers to death with a ham...more REVIEW ALSO ON: http://bibliomantics.com/2011/12/17/d......

This novel opens with the normal dark humor and hysterical inner monologue one would expect from a Dexter book. Specifically, it starts with the murder of Puffalump the clown who is a double threat. A clown AND a pedophile Coulrophobia sufferers rejoice, one less clown in the world.

Like the show, each book follows an overarching plot. In this novel, the police are trying to find a suspect who bludgeons police officers to death with a hammer, and Dexter is on the hunt for his copycat killer, who saw him at play and wants to obsessively become just like him. And who wouldn’t? He’s charming, has a sense of humor, and minus the murderous tendencies he’s pretty damn sexy.

His home life is in just as much turmoil as his work life and personal life. Rita is constantly getting drunk, angry, and nonsensical. As in the other books she seems unable to finish a coherent though or sentence, which I found to be incredibly frustrating. Due to Dexter’s constant disappearances, she’s convinced he’s cheating on her and instead of confronting him she turns into a lush and forces her family to house hunt for days on end. Crazy much?

Dear book!Rita, get your shit together! Do what is right for your family. Stop getting drunk and crying and talk to your husband. Being a lush doesn’t solve problems. Also, while you’re at it, stop marrying horrible men. First you marry an abusive drug addict and then you go for the deranged murderer. He’s a nice guy and all, but he kind of kills people.

There’s not much to say in terms of plot or any deep philosophical meaning to be found in the pages of a Dexter book. They’re fun, Dexter questions his morality a lot, but it’s still a crime, mystery-esque novel, and to give away too much of the plot would give away all the enjoyment. So instead, I leave you with my favorite lines from everyone’s favorite serial-killer. Sweeney Todd is a close second, but he’s not nearly as funny.

“Why should I let anything stand in the way of life, liberty, and the pursuit of vivisection?”

“‘Brian and I were just talking,’ she said, probably to reassure me that they had not been performing amateur brain surgery on the neighbors.”

"Because I had to keep both hands on the steering wheel, I couldn’t really turn around and strangle him… But Mario babbled on, apparently without noticing that everyone else in the car wanted him dead.”

“If only an endangered species of eagle would attack me and claw out my eyeballs, my Wilderness Adventure would be complete.”

If you have yet to read a Dexter, the above is why you NEED to.(less)

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May 22, 2012 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, sony-e-reader

I still am caught up in Dexter's life, cheering for him to get out of whatever mess his murderous hobby got him into - but I'm not sure that this is a place I really want to be anymore. Dexter was new and different when I first started reading - I was fascinated and amazed that I could feel empathy for a psychopathic murderer. The writing was hilarious and I could not wait to find out where this was going. Now that I'm on book six, I hate to say that I'm not sure that it's going anywhere. This b...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Donovan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller

I love a good anti-hero...and Dexter serves it up beautifully. This series is simply written and drops a lot of the polish you will often see in other thrillers. Instead, it replaces it with a certain tongue-in-cheek cheesy quality that gives such a dark series a breath of fresh air.
If you like a thriller then you'll find this is one series that you'll fly through.
It's gripping, it's funny, it's a soap opera all wrapped up in a soft doughy package about a psychotic killer.

Plot ***Spoilers***
This...more I love a good anti-hero...and Dexter serves it up beautifully. This series is simply written and drops a lot of the polish you will often see in other thrillers. Instead, it replaces it with a certain tongue-in-cheek cheesy quality that gives such a dark series a breath of fresh air.
If you like a thriller then you'll find this is one series that you'll fly through.
It's gripping, it's funny, it's a soap opera all wrapped up in a soft doughy package about a psychotic killer.

Plot ***Spoilers***
This book starts out with Dexter's Dear Dark Passenger at play with some unsuspecting pedophile. During the course of Dexter's dismemberment, he hears a noise, and turns, seeing a shadow watching him. The shadow runs away, hops into an old beat up Honda, and drives off. Dexter is disturbed. He searches for the vehicle. Meanwhile, an undercover cop of no significance is found in the front seat of his car, every bone in his body broken. Deb in her usual way begs Dexter to solve the case for her. Dexter, at this point, is unable to help. There is a taco wrapper found near the body. Another cop of no renown is found in front of a fountain near the water. He is also significantly pulverized. Rita, in the interim, has started drinking wine and is suspicious of Dexter heading out every night. He says he is running, when in actuality, he is searching for the person who witnessed his playtime. Dexter has also been contacted through a blog by the person who witness him. The Shadow, as Dexter calls him, tells Dexter that he knows who he is, and he will be killed in a horrible fashion soon enough. Debra, on what will certainly turn out to be a first, actually catches the cop killer, and arrests him. Later, Camilla Figg, an unimportant background character that works with Dexter in Miami Metro, and has a bit more than an obsessive crush on our Darkly Dashing Deviant, is murdered in a fashion similar to the police officers. This is the Shadow, trying to set up Dexter, which he admits to in his blog to Dexter. Dexter is the prime suspect, and Rita accuses him of sleeping with her. This is the reason behind her drinking, and she wants a bigger house. Dexter asks his brother Brian to intervene, and Brian, unbeknownst to him, kills the wrong man. Eventually, the Shadow follows Dexter to Key West, where he proceeds to kill another cop and leave him in Dexter's suite. The Shadow takes Astor and Cody to an island to set a trap for Dexter. But amazingly, Dexter gets to the island first and confronts the Shadow. The Shadow runs with Astor in his arms onto a boat and sets off with Dexter managing to barely get on the boat as well. A fight ensues and Astor and Dexter eventually subdue the Shadow, tossing him overboard where he is eaten by a shark. Deb meets Dexter back in Key West, and everything is set to order.(less)

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Apr 05, 2012 Abby rated it 5 of 5 stars

My summary of the book
***SPOILER ALERT! I SUMMARIZE THE ENTIRE BOOK***
Double Dexter is another novel in Jeff Lindsay’s series about a vigilante serial killer named Dexter Morgan. Dexter is a “good” serial killer. He only kills murders/child molesters that find a loophole in the justice system and are either never caught, or released because of mistakes made by the police (such as not having a warrant), even though guilt is obvious.
This novel is about a witness. While Dexter is offing a child mol...more My summary of the book
***SPOILER ALERT! I SUMMARIZE THE ENTIRE BOOK***
Double Dexter is another novel in Jeff Lindsay’s series about a vigilante serial killer named Dexter Morgan. Dexter is a “good” serial killer. He only kills murders/child molesters that find a loophole in the justice system and are either never caught, or released because of mistakes made by the police (such as not having a warrant), even though guilt is obvious.
This novel is about a witness. While Dexter is offing a child molester/killer, he is seen. At first, Dexter is afraid that the witness will call the police, so he does a quick clean-up and gets out as quickly as he can. The murder is never reported. (Dexter would know: he works for the Miami-Dade police department as a blood-spatter analyst.)
After Dexter helps his sister Deborah solve a murder (Death by hammer. A very nasty thing), he circles the Blogosphere as the real brains behind the case. The witness is an avid blogger, and when he sees the picture of Dexter, he starts sending him threatening emails. (It was never revealed exactly how the witness acquired Dexter’s email address. These things are often private unless you give them out yourself. If you ask me, this is a significant plot-hole)
Somehow, Dexter finds out where the witness lives, but when he goes to check it out, he is spotted by the witness. When Dexter goes back that night to kill him (the only rule in Dexter’s code that is more important than only killing the guilty is “don’t get caught”), he finds that the witness has killed his wife in the way that Dexter killed the child molester/killer, and that there are sirens wailing in the distance. The witness’ plan to frame Dexter doesn’t work, however, and Dexter gets away.
A few days later, when Dexter has calmed down a bit, his co-worker Camilla Figg turns up dead in a parked car. She had been hammered to death. Suspicion quickly falls on Dexter, as it is discovered that Camilla has HUNDREDS of pictures of him all around her house. The detective on the case seems to believe that Dexter and Camilla were having an affair, and that Camilla was about to tell Dexter’s wife.
Dexter soon realizes that this in another plot (by the witness: Bernie Elan) to frame him. Dexter is able to convince his wife and his sister that that Camilla had a crush on him, though now it seems more like an obsession, and that he never spoke more than 20 words to her in his entire life.
Dexter takes his step-son, Cody to his Boy Scout camping weekend, where he meets the assistant Boy Scout Leader, Doug Crowley; A man whom he considers to be “strange”.
When everyone’s getting ready to go home, Dexter realized that Doug’s car sounds like something he’s heard before… The sound of Bernie Elan’s Car backfiring when he escaped the scene of his wife’s murder. He soon realizes that Doug Crowley is Bernie Elan.
When Dexter goes home, he finds Doug Crowley’s address, and goes out to kill him. When he pulls out of his driveway and starts driving toward the freeway, he notices he is being followed. Sure enough, when he pulls into a gas station, Sergeant Doakes pulls in behind him. To avoid awkward questions, he tells Doakes that he was looking to but some antihistamine for the poison ivy rash that he had acquired on the Boy Scout camping weekend. After he buys the antihistamine, he drives home, followed by Doakes the entire way. When he goes to bed he frets about how he’s going to get rid of Crowley. When he wakes, it dawns on him. HIS BROTHER BRIAN!
So he calls Brian and arranges to meet in a coffee shop, afraid his calls are being monitored. At the coffee shop, Dexter tells Brian about his dilemma and, Brian agrees to help.
When Dexter gets home, Rita declares that they are going to Key West to an auction, where they will buy a new house. Dexter books a hotel and packs the family up, and they go to Key West, leaving Brian behind to kill Crowley. Brian does kill Doug Crowley: The REAL one. After being in Key West a few days, Rita goes to the auction, leaving Dexter to take the kids to an aquarium where they will get to feed the sharks. When they go to the hotel room to get ready, they find Detective Hood dead.
Of course suspicion falls on Dexter. After all, it was Detective Hood that was leading the case against him. While Dexter is being questioned by the police, Crowley shows up at the police station and takes the kids. (Cody had recognized him as his Boy Scout leader.) Dexter, of course, is frantic at this news. He checks his e-mail for a clue from Crowley, and that’s what he finds. He realizes that Crowley had taken his children to the Dry Tortuga Islands, where he plans to kill them if Dexter doesn’t show up.
Dexter makes it to the boat just in time to watch it leave with Crowley and the kids. A man at the dock tells Dexter that he can catch a plane and be there in forty-five minutes rather than the three hours that the boat takes.
Dexter goes to the airport and spends $1,500 on bribes to take a plane to the island. When he arrives, he devises a plan to catch Crowley. Of course, his plans don’t work out, but he ends up saving the day anyway.(less)

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Jan 27, 2012 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

As with the previous Dexter books, I find myself asking this—if Dexter is so successful at his ‘secret hobby,’ why is it that someone is always on to him? The charming alliteration once again extends beyond the title and becomes irritating, as does the entire droning mantra about the full moon and the urges it stirs within the unlikely hero. The details of the cases are ho-hum, as with any so-so murder mysteries and once again, the only point of originality stems from the narrative of the book c...more As with the previous Dexter books, I find myself asking this—if Dexter is so successful at his ‘secret hobby,’ why is it that someone is always on to him? The charming alliteration once again extends beyond the title and becomes irritating, as does the entire droning mantra about the full moon and the urges it stirs within the unlikely hero. The details of the cases are ho-hum, as with any so-so murder mysteries and once again, the only point of originality stems from the narrative of the book coming from the killer and not the investigating detective. Lindsay contradicts himself continuously, presenting situations that are “unfathomable” and “have never happened before,” only to call to the reader’s mind the exact same situation that arose in the previous book. Techniques that worked to assist Dexter in previous cases would work just as well in this book, yet no explanation is provided as to why they are not attempted this go round. Completely implausible scenarios present themselves once again, like the fact that Dexter is publicly accused of adultery and murder, yet the Boy Scouts fail to object to his chaperoning a camping trip less than two days later and before his name is cleared. Finally, in this, the sixth book in the series, Dexter’s sister is able to solve a case without his assistance, providing long-awaited corroboration to claims throughout the previous five books that she is a “smart cop” and a “good detective.” In real life, dear Debra would never have passed the sergeants exam. Dexter’s rival meets his end in far too predictable a manner and as in all previous Dexter books, he who knows Dexter’s dark secret meets a convenient and untimely end. Such great potential—the story of a killer of killers—but such disappointing results. I can only hope the screenwriters for the television show I’ve heard so much about do a better job filling in the gaping holes in Lindsay’s unfortunate storytelling. Points for decent dialogue, gradual character development, and Lindsay’s wry sense of humor. (less)

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Jan 17, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was probably more of a 2 and 1/2 stars for me, and for a Dexter novel that’s saying something. I've loved Dexter from the beginning but sadly this book was so off. I think Dexter has been off since Jeff Lindsay married him off and gave him a baby seriously you don't domesticate the psycho killer. I've become gradually more disappointed in the series since the marriage and the baby but this one took the cake for disappointing. Dexter is usually so much more interesting than this, it was like...more This was probably more of a 2 and 1/2 stars for me, and for a Dexter novel that’s saying something. I've loved Dexter from the beginning but sadly this book was so off. I think Dexter has been off since Jeff Lindsay married him off and gave him a baby seriously you don't domesticate the psycho killer. I've become gradually more disappointed in the series since the marriage and the baby but this one took the cake for disappointing. Dexter is usually so much more interesting than this, it was like reading a knock off novel.

It even starts off boring with Dexter talking which is usually how it starts but this was just beyond his usual rants. He is ever so patiently waiting for his newest victim to come out and play. The open murder scene happens to be a clown who is a pedophile, which seemed rather out done to me. Dexter who is usually ever so vigilant on keeping himself in the closet is actually outed somewhat during the course of this book. It starts off easy with someone seeing him kill the clown and turns into a cluster fuck of epic proportion when Dexter fails at every attempt to find out who witnessed his playtime.

I’ve come to expect so much more out of Dexter than this. It seemed to me that he was just not on his A game, and that left me screaming at Dexter to wise up and figure it out cause I already had. I hate screaming at books because it never helps but sadly Jeff made me do it on this one. Dexter made one bad mistake after another and he didn’t ever seem to figure it out until the last 50 or so pages. It wouldn’t have been bad except he should have been able to use his skills and work this case so much faster. There was also little talk of the dark passenger and it rarely made an appearance, I question the reason for this.

Not only though do we have Dexter off but we have Deborah who just seems off. I think this book started back up after a gap of about a year between the last too. I’m not 100% sure on that though because I can’t remember how old they said Deb’s kid was but I want to say he was 1. So much has changed with her but we barely get to see it. She has become more aggressive towards Dexter though and I felt like their relationship is kind of damaged now. Her character just didn’t seem as funny either, well neither did Dexter’s but hers was doubly bad.

I’m going to just chalk this up to Jeff needing a filler book to open back up now that Deb’s has a kid too and since life in Dexter’s world has changed so much.
(less)

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Jan 11, 2012 Brit Mandelo rated it 1 of 5 stars

Normally, I find these books to be fun, fast, reads - a bit goofy, but entertaining.

So, where the hell did all of this misogyny come from? Was I reading with half of my brain for the past several books? The answer must be yes. At least, before, I found Astor and Deb to both be well developed and interesting women. This book has Astor transformed into a stereotypical flighty, bitchy teenage girl (there's a memorable scene of her turning into her mother as they try to pack for a trip and throw ide...more Normally, I find these books to be fun, fast, reads - a bit goofy, but entertaining.

So, where the hell did all of this misogyny come from? Was I reading with half of my brain for the past several books? The answer must be yes. At least, before, I found Astor and Deb to both be well developed and interesting women. This book has Astor transformed into a stereotypical flighty, bitchy teenage girl (there's a memorable scene of her turning into her mother as they try to pack for a trip and throw identical hissy-fits about having "nothing to wear"), Deb is "softened" by having had a baby (it says that! it actually says it!) and doesn't spend much time onscreen anyhow, and then there's Rita.

I know she's supposed to be an idiot. I know that. But this book spent half of its pages on making her out to be a stereotype jealous wife and irresponsible mother - and would you like to know how we know this is true as readers?

Well, mainly, because she starts bringing home her work as an accountant and working through dinner - which means she doesn't cook. Yes, readers. Her failure to cook dinner because she has to do her job - mind, Dexter is working late at his and doesn't seem to think he should ever cook - is construed as her failure as a mother and wife. She isn't cooking, so she isn't worth a damn.

Excuse me, what?

There's plenty of other really uncomfortable stuff, like the constant use of the adjective "whorish" to describe the justice system that Dexter doesn't care for, or the fact that women never seem to speak full sentences in this book, or sentences that make sense - seriously, read Camilla or Rita's dialogue, or try to. The plot was serviceable and I enjoyed Dexter's interaction with his brother, but I would like to throw the rest of it at the wall.

It's one thing when a character is a misogynist, which I could totally believe of Dexter, but it's entirely another when I can't find any evidence that the writer thinks this is a bad thing. In fact, this book seems a little John Ringo-esque. Thumbs very down. (less)

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Dec 29, 2011 Anthony Pacifico rated it 4 of 5 stars

America's favorite serial killer (or at least MY favorite serial killer!) is back in a thrilling new novel in the Dexter Series by Jeff Lindsay. I love these books and even though the subject is usually grim, there are so many times I laugh out loud when reading Dexter, mainly because of his observations on the human condition.

Our "hero", Dexter, is a Blood Splatter Analyst for the Miami Police Department. Being on the inside as he is, he has priveleged information to child molesters and murder...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Robert J. Sullivan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Does the latest Dexter book Deliver or Disappoint? Does our Dastardly Dark Delinquent Delight or Drop the ball?

Dexter Morgan, serial killer with a code, is going about his pleasant business of slicing up a murderer who has escaped the law, combining his natural impulses with his late stepfather’s code of who is an acceptable target (this time, a murderous pedophile), when someone walks in on his party. The witness escapes and Dexter is sure he’s headed for the electric chair.

Oddly, nothing happ...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Nora rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've been a fan of the Dexter series since the beginning, though not all of them are, in my opinion, of equal quality. The first two were brilliant, the third was a real letdown, and the two after that were better than Dexter in the Dark, but not as good as Darkly Dreaming Dexter or Dearly Devoted Dexter.

This one, in my opinion, returns to the best of Dexter's form. Putting Dexter into a position in which he has to deal with a witness to his dark deeds, someone who is probably as warped as he is...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Paula Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars

He's taken a rest from our TV Screens and is back on our bookshelves, with Book #6 our favourite serial killer and guy next door Dexter Morgan. In Double Dexter , we read as Dexter is not only adjusting to marital status but also father duty with his gorgeous daughter Lily-Anne , Stepfather to Cody and Astor and Uncle status with Deb's son Nicholas. However, it wouldn't be a Dexter novel without the Dark Passenger being let loose and in Double Dexter , he finds himself killing a Paedophile clown...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Jack rated it 3 of 5 stars

This doesn't read like its predecessors, and I think that's to the good; though the lacks the novelty of the first reading experience, it might in some ways be the best of the Dexter books yet . Most of the early books' narration conversational, while this one – though still in the third person –has more of a written narrative feel to it. There are some downsides to that, but I think it's a net plus. And the book didn't seem to be trying as hard in its dispassionate descriptions of brutal murder...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Guillermo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Darkly dreaming, dashingly devious Dexter is back and finding himself in a load of trouble. Someone witnessed him at play and is now making his life hell. Much like Dexter, this Shadow has decided it his moral duty to punish the wicked, copying Dexter's trade step by step. Worse of all, he's not picking up his mess. Instead, he's leaving it in plain sight and pinning evidence of Dexter's dark delights on the scene. This is all the ammunition needed to send Doakes gunning for Dexter's head once a...more Darkly dreaming, dashingly devious Dexter is back and finding himself in a load of trouble. Someone witnessed him at play and is now making his life hell. Much like Dexter, this Shadow has decided it his moral duty to punish the wicked, copying Dexter's trade step by step. Worse of all, he's not picking up his mess. Instead, he's leaving it in plain sight and pinning evidence of Dexter's dark delights on the scene. This is all the ammunition needed to send Doakes gunning for Dexter's head once and for all. But Dexter's not one to give up so easily. Question is, how do you defeat an enemy who's seemingly one step ahead of you?

There are several complaints with Lindsay's Dexter in every novel in the series. From the outlandish paranormal Dark Passenger to the fact that Dexter never carries out the final deed himself. That's not to say the TV series is without its flaws - why is LaGuerta still alive, for instance - but the flaws (in my eyes, anyway) of the novel series always bothers me more. Like Doakes. How is he still around after he's been de-limbed, de-tongued and pretty much a walking spud with hooks for hands? And while Astor and Cody are lovely little monsters, how is it that Astor's going through all the typical growing girl stages while Cody hasn't even aged - still with this three-word sentences? I'm not asking for Shakespeare here, but the kid's gotta come out of his shell sometime.

Without giving too many details away, there are a few things that pulled my strings of annoyance. Rita's suspicions and how quickly they are ratified. The odd coincidence of Camilla Figg's relationship to the plot. Astor's typical teenage girl act, even though she's supposedly a Dexter-in-training (a little too human, isn't it?).

A few nice touches include the fact that Dexter is not following a kindred spirit as his Shadow doesn't trigger any warnings from the Dark Passenger. The idea of someone mimicking Dexter while stalking him is also bold - Dexter's been stalked before Dexter by Design, but this is quite another level. In fact, next to Dr. Danco, Shadow is the sort of bad guy I wouldn't mind seeing adapted on the TV show. Doakes's probable departure also raises my hopes for the future, though not in the way that would've made me smile.(less)

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Oct 26, 2011 M.J. Heiser rated it 4 of 5 stars

Oh, dear heaven. Dexter, you really *aren't* human, are you?

Our favorite vigilante serial killer is back, and this time, he's got a shadow. I'm not talking about a Peter Pan philosophical device; I'm talking about a stalker. The book opens with Dexter at play; he abducts and lets his knives and inner darkness work over a really foul human being. As usual, Jeff Lindsay is at his lyrical-prose best in this passage. He seems so comfortable in the nocturnal menace, in the Savage Garden of Dexter's h...more Oh, dear heaven. Dexter, you really *aren't* human, are you?

Our favorite vigilante serial killer is back, and this time, he's got a shadow. I'm not talking about a Peter Pan philosophical device; I'm talking about a stalker. The book opens with Dexter at play; he abducts and lets his knives and inner darkness work over a really foul human being. As usual, Jeff Lindsay is at his lyrical-prose best in this passage. He seems so comfortable in the nocturnal menace, in the Savage Garden of Dexter's homicidal dream that I sometimes wonder what the man does when he isn't writing these delicious and poisonous things. At any rate, we get to enjoy these delightfully awful things through Dexter's mind, because Jeff uses a brilliant literary device: we're plunged into a sort of second-person present tense scenario, a trick that immediately immerses you in the action.

And then, we're caught.

Dexter's playdate had been observed, and the person who saw everything immediately develops an unhealthy fascination with both Dexter and his world.

I have to start out by explaining why I've only given this four stars. I'm not going to spoil anything, but those of you who know and love Dexter know that he knows his way around the internet. So then, why would Lindsay rely so much on the plot device that someone can threaten and intimidate Dexter through a secret e-mail address? This is Forensics 101: it is almost impossible to have a completely secret e-mail address. Everything can be traced forensically. Even if there was a way to do it, Lindsay should have at least *briefly* explained it. Instead, he plowed ahead with this flimsy premise. It seemed a bit disappointing.

But there was far more to enjoy in this outing than not. Instead of the weird cannibalistic fetish of the last one, we are treated to a Doubting Dexter, a monster who has ALMOST been domesticated. His missteps are due to his connubial distractions. He has allowed himself to become a bit clumsy and slow, fattened up on his wife's good food and the charms of his little family. He's still -- *ahem* -- "sharp" when it comes to his prey, but his reflexes are gunked up when it comes to someone else being the predator. That made for a great foundation for the plot, and had him questioning himself and his commitment to his dark nature. I like it when that happens. A lot.

I'm also going to say that Jeff Lindsay is a fantastic audiobook narrator. I think that authors should self-narrate their audiobooks as often as possible, anyway. :)(less)

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Oct 24, 2011 Benjamin Handelman rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fun continuation of the series. If you have read the previous books there will be little to surprise you in this one, they all hew pretty closely in style and substance to the original novel, and I find that a good thing. Sometimes you just want an enjoyable novel to read, and I can honestly say every one of the Dexter novels has remained fun. There is little I can say about the plot with providing spoilers. Honestly, it doesn't feel like the plot is different from the last few with a killer h...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Angie Holtz rated it 4 of 5 stars

From Lilac Wolf and Stuff

Silly me - I had no idea Dexter was based on a series of books. My husband and I saw most of season one, when it aired on CBS. I don't think it came back because with all the censoring of language and gore, each episode was only 5 minutes long.

The cover, with the double blood-covered knives sets the creepy stage. I was actually surprised how creepy Dexter really is. In the series you get the feeling that he really is a decent guy with a serial killing bend. But no, he's...more From Lilac Wolf and Stuff

Silly me - I had no idea Dexter was based on a series of books. My husband and I saw most of season one, when it aired on CBS. I don't think it came back because with all the censoring of language and gore, each episode was only 5 minutes long.

The cover, with the double blood-covered knives sets the creepy stage. I was actually surprised how creepy Dexter really is. In the series you get the feeling that he really is a decent guy with a serial killing bend. But no, he's a psychopath all the way. The only reason he follows the rules is to stay out of jail. The only person he really loves is his daughter. He married his wife basically because it helps him blend in more and she's a great cook. The kids are psycho too, and Dexter is taking them in hand to mold them to be like him. That's what creeps me out - instead of getting them help he is encouraging them. The baby girl is the only one with a chance of growing up normal.

The story is from Dexter's perspective, so it does leave all the other characters slightly 2 dimensional. It works in this case. The point being, Dexter doesn't know how to read other people, remember he's psychopathic?

In the beginning Dexter is "playing" with a guy who dresses up like a clown to prey on children. Dexter does pick people you don't mind him killing. The clown had been taking boys from the park near his hotel/apartment. When he was done with them, he disposed of their bodies nearby in a sewer tunnel. Dexter knew this was a bad egg. He's all set up and working in an abandoned house (isn't the foreclosure crisis grand?) when someone happens in and sees him. The witness leaves so fast that Dexter can't catch him. He then spends most of the book tracking this guy down.

Mostly I enjoyed the story. But if Dexter was really worried about this guy, he would have made it more of a priority to find him. Instead it was a spare time hobby, most nights spent doing nothing more than seeing his family. Although perhaps Rita's erratic behavior was puzzling him. Even though he doesn't get people, there is enough description that we readers can guess what is going on. Trust me, you'll know Rita's problem LONG before Dexter does.

Oh and Dexter's brother makes a comeback. He comes over every Friday for dinner and puts on the charm for Rita. He wants Dexter to join him. I thought Dexter had murdered his brother, but then again I can't really remember and the books and the TV show aren't exactly the same. Honestly I like this book better than the show. I may find Dexter extra creepy but it made for a tense, thrilling story.

So yes, if you like Dexter, then read this book. And as someone who has not read any other Dexter book, you can just pick it up and read it. You might get a little confused when he talks about the rules of Harry. Well when Dexter was little his brother and he witnessed the very brutal murder of their mother (parents?) and were locked up with the mess. Harry, a police officer on the case, adopted Dexter. He saw what Dexter was going to be, and shaped him to only go after bad guys and only after he had proof they were indeed guilty. So Dexter has his outlet but in a useful way...kinda...even Dexter realizes it's wrong he is powerless to stop himself. So I guess if you have to better to go after people who are truly wasting air?(less)

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Oct 11, 2011 Gaja rated it 2 of 5 stars

To be honest, I've only read the first three books in the Dexter series prior to reading this one, which, having read those first three books, I probably never would have read if I hadn't won it in an online giveaway. I don't remember Rita being as IMMENSELY ANNOYING in the first three books as she is in this one. Maybe she lost her ability to complete a sentence/thought somewhere in the fourth and fifth books, I'm not sure. I also remember Dexter having some amount of depth and problem solving...more

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Oct 07, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-series

Dexter's got killing down to a science. As long as he follows the rules, everything will be fine. Until somebody sees him. Now Dexter has to find the witness before he's exposed, but somehow he's always a step behind. Meanwhile, someone's killing police officers, and Deb expects him to use his killer instincts to help her solve the case. If that weren't enough, something's upsetting Rita, but how can Dexter understand her feelings when he doesn't have any?

This is the sixth entry in the Dexter...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobooks, thriller

Oh my god. I hate Rita with a fiery passion. I like TV Rita. I was shocked and saddened when they killed her off.

Book Rita, I want to bludgeon to death myself. She is so freaking annoying. And Jeff, REAL people do not talk like that. Even the most absent minded people can and occasionally do finish at least ONE entire sentence.

This one was narrated by Jeff Lindsay himself... and he did a HORRIBLE job at it. The worst offense was his Astor voice. Apparently he thinks that a preteen girl only spea...more

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About Jeff Lindsay

Jeff Lindsay is the pen name of an American crime writer, Jeffry P. Freundlich, who lives in Cape Coral, Florida with his wife, author Hilary Hemingway, daughter of Leicester Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway's brother.

Lindsay is best known for writing the Dexter series of novels. Many of his earlier published works include his wife as a co-author. Time Blender was written with Michael Dorn. He graduat...more

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“Happily for me, ninety-nine percent of all human life is spent simply repeating the same old actions, speaking the same tired clichés, moving like a zombie through the same steps of the dance we plodded through yesterday and the day before and the day before. It seems horribly dull and pointless-but it really makes a great deal of sense. After all, if you only have to follow the same path every day, you don't need to think at all. Considering how good humans are at any mental process more complicated than chewing, isn't that the best for everybody?” — 9 people liked it

“I sighed; as comforting as it may be to some of us, sarcasm, like youth, is wasted on the young.” — 8 people liked it

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Double Dexter (Dexter #6)

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