• Dearly Devoted Dexter

  • Dexter, Book 2
  • By: Jeff Lindsay
  • Narrated by: Jeff Lindsay
  • Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,293 ratings)

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Dearly Devoted Dexter  By  cover art

Dearly Devoted Dexter

By: Jeff Lindsay
Narrated by: Jeff Lindsay
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Publisher's summary

He’s a charming monster....
A macabre hero....
A serial killer who only kills bad people....

Dexter Morgan has been under considerable pressure. It’s just not easy being an ethical serial killer - especially while trying to avoid the unshakable suspicions of the dangerous Sergeant Doakes (who believes Dexter is a homicidal maniac... which, of course, he is). In an attempt to throw Doakes off his trail, Dexter has had to slip deep into his foolproof disguise. While not working as a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, he now spends nearly all his time with his cheerful girlfriend, Rita, and her two children, sipping light beer and slowly becoming the world’s first serial couch potato. But how long can Dexter play Kick the Can instead of Slice the Slasher? How long before his Dark Passenger forces him to drop the charade and let his inner monster run free?

In trying times, opportunity knocks. A particularly nasty psychopath is cutting a trail through Miami - a man whose twisted technique leaves even Dexter speechless. As Dexter’s dark appetite is revived, his sister, Deborah (a newly minted, tough-as-nails Miami detective) is drawn headlong into the case. It quickly becomes clear that it will take a monster to catch a monster - but it isn’t until his archnemesis is abducted that Dex can finally throw himself into the search for a new plaything. Unless, of course, his plaything finds him first....

With the incredible wit and freshness that drew widespread acclaim to Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Jeff Lindsay now takes Dexter Morgan to a new level of macabre appeal and gives us one of the most original, colorful narrators in years.

©2005 Jeff Lindsay (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

" Dearly Devoted Dexter is fascinating, entertaining, and brilliant. Let Jeff Lindsay introduce you to the serial killer next door - Dexter (and his Dark Passenger) are the freshest, most terrifying creations you are ever likely to meet... and live to tell about.” ( New York Times best selling author Robert Crais)
“A macabre tour de force... so snappy and smart.” ( The New York Times)

Featured Article: Stephen King’s 20 Best Audiobooks—The Definitive List


Stephen King is one of the most prolific American authors of all time. He has published 61 novels, more than 200 short stories, and six nonfiction books—and he shows no sign of stopping. His most recent novel, The Institute, was published in September of 2019, and we’ve already pre-ordered his novella anthology If It Bleeds, which is set to be released in 2020. With such a large portfolio, choosing one listen to start with can be daunting.

What listeners say about Dearly Devoted Dexter

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another great Dexter story!

I'm really enjoying going through and listening to all of the books in the Dexter series. Having discovered the TV series first, I was a big fan, and this is like rediscovering it all over again, because these are all different stories than the TV show. Fans of Dexter, I recommend you read (or listen to it) the book series that it was based off of!

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Dearly Devoted Dexter

I thought this was a great book! It was not the same as season 2 of Dexter, if you've seen it on TV. I got wrapped up in it quickly and found it hard to stop listening. I'm undecided on Jeff Lindsay's performance, though. I found his need to have a different voice for each character somewhat distracting. I also think that part of my indecision stems from the fact that I was a fan of the show first, and so it's hard to not want to hear Michael C Hall voicing Dexter (but I realize this is a personal hangup).

Anyway- I am really enjoying the Dexter book series as much as the show, and from here I couldn't wait to get book 3!

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

More dexter

This book continues the dexter obsession
I feel awkward laughing about how focused dexter is and his dark passenger
Lindsay is perfect for the narration

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story!!!

I love this series!! Jeff Lindsay is an awesome writer. His performance is phenomenal as well. Ready for the next one!!!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good because it’s wacko different.

But this one suffers from lack of logic.

BACKGROUND:
Dexter is a psycopath. He likes to kill people and feels no guilt. His sister is a cop. Dexter is a great help to his sister investigating killers, because Dexter thinks like them. Dexter’s foster father imprinted upon him a golden rule - never kill the good guys, only bad guys. In that way Dexter is a good guy. (But he does kill and mutilate people in these stories.) There is a TV series which I have not seen.

OPINION:
This is book #2. There is a happy ending for the good guys.

I like the weirdness of Dexter - what goes through his mind. He admires the methods and styles of other killers. But this book was not as good as book #1 because of plot logic. The cops know the name of the killer but can’t find him. The problem is: when there is a lead, and one cop goes to where the killer is, no other cops are helping as back up. So bad things happen. In one case, a cop sets himself up as bait, but then he goes outside alone without backup and of course he gets taken. It was stupid.

Kyle has a list of names the bad guy is after, but he doesn’t give the names to any other cop. When something bad happens to Kyle, the others have nowhere to look. And no one notifies the guys on the list that they are in danger. This lack of logic bothered me.

Dexter was hunting his own private victim, Ryker, a pedophile. When Dexter finally gets him, we don’t see it. I wanted to see the conversation of Dexter catching him, talking to him about his sick deeds hurting children, and then paying for it by suffering and screaming as Dexter sliced him. But no, it was an afterthought in the Epilogue saying Dexter took care of it.

I do have to say the author was good with details about how the killer caught his victims and some of his conversation as he sliced. Actually that was too gory for me. I’ve still got some “ick” feelings about that.

NARRATOR:
Sadly I did not like the author narrating this. He was ok as Dexter, but he’s not good with female voices. It wasn’t as bad as book #1, but only because there was less female dialogue in book #2.

Genre: crime mystery suspense

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lots of Lizard Brain Fun

Jeff Lindsay does a great job of narrating his own book. I will continue to read this series.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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You can enjoy the books & the show

I didn’t know if I was going to like the books since there is a great divergence with book 2. However, i’ve really enjoyed them & just think of the books as an alternate universe to enjoy.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

somewhat disappointed

the writing failed to capture my imagination and the narrator was boring. I liked the show, usually I enjoy the books they are based on more, this was an exception

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Hilarious and Charming

The narrator, Jeff Lindsay, is what really makes this series amazing. His performance with Dexter’s character is what makes it worth it to continue the series. Dexter is witty, charming, and full of hilarious one liners. The series also wouldn’t be the same without Deb. Love it! Will be getting more!!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Dexter Part Deux

What did you love best about Dearly Devoted Dexter?

I miss the series on SHO so much that this is the only way to get my Dexter fix. It works.

What other book might you compare Dearly Devoted Dexter to and why?

I can't imagine comparing it to anything else. Maybe Hannibal.

What about Jeff Lindsay’s performance did you like?

He wasn't bad, but at times he seemed to go flat with no emotion at all.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book held my interest and that is more important to me than an extreme reaction. I think I had those watching the series.

Any additional comments?

I enjoy comparing the books' stories against the series. The differences make the books more interesting to me.

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