''Double Dexter'' is the sixth novel written by Jeff Lindsay, and the sixth book in the ''Dexter'' book series about Dexter Morgan, a serial killer who targets serial killers, pedophiles, and other murderers. The book was released on October 18, 2011, and received a universally positive critical reception, praised as the best ''Dexter'' novel so far.

Plot

As he is dismembering a pedophile, Dexter Morgan spots a witness who flees in a battered

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car. He begins to spend his evenings hunting for the car. His wife Rita, suspecting an affair, starts drinking wine. Meanwhile, Deborah manages to solve a series of ritualistic murders targeting

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

cops. The resulting media attention spills over onto Dexter, whose name and picture are publicized for the first time. After recognizing Dexter, the witness e-mails and attempts to

blackmail Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...

him. Dexter studies the witness' blog, finding no clues other than his ex-wife's first initial. Dexter begins to think of his antagonist as the Shadow, after his online moniker. Dexter eventually finds the Honda belonging to Alissa Elan, the Shadow's ex-wife. He returns at night but finds that the Shadow – Bernard Elan – has anticipated his visit, mutilated Alissa in imitation of Dexter's style, and called the police when he arrived. Dexter narrowly escapes. Bernard, a skilled computer hacker, alters relevant databases to indicate that he died two years ago. Later, Dexter's coworker Camilla Figg is found beaten to death, casting doubt on Deborah's arrest. Dexter notices differences from the cop-killings, but Hood, the detective in charge, ignores him. It emerges that Camilla had hundreds of photographs of Dexter, having had an obsessive crush on him. Hood makes Dexter the prime suspect. Another message from Bernard confirms that he killed Camilla. Dexter eventually learns that he is now using the alias Doug Crowley, but cannot kill him because of Hood's surveillance. He asks his brother Brian to do so, only for Brian to mistakenly kill the real Doug Crowley. Dexter takes his family on a trip to

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, where Rita attends an auction of foreclosed houses; Hood and Bernard both follow. Bernard kills Hood and leaves him in Dexter's hotel suite, then takes Astor and Cody to Garden Key. However, Dexter reaches the island first and manages to subdue Bernard with Astor's help. Bernard is tossed overboard and is killed by a shark. After returning from Key West, Dexter breaks into the deceased Hood's apartment and plants evidence on his computer implying he killed Camila, clearing himself of suspicion.

Reception

'' The Telegraph'' said of the book, "Hilariously gruesome finale....All this ought to be gross nonsense but Jeff Lindsay’s cynical wit makes it fly". The ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region, in the United States. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by pare ...

'' called it the best book of the series yet, saying the book "takes a tremendous leap forward as the author utilizes believable storytelling and large doses of dark humor" and "strongest outing as he richly delves into Dexter's very scarred psyche".

References

{{Dexter Dexter (series) books 2011 American novels American crime novels American thriller novels Doubleday (publisher) books Orion Books books