''Double Dexter'' is the sixth novel written by Jeff Lindsay, and the sixth book in the ''Dexter'' book series about

Dexter Morgan {{More citations needed, date=August 2016 {{Infobox character , color = red , name = Dexter Morgan , series = Dexter , image = Dexter Morgan.jpg , image_size = 200px , caption = Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan , first = Novels:''Darkly D ...

, 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,

spots a witness who flees in a battered

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

. He begins to spend his evenings hunting for the car. His wife Rita, suspecting an affair, starts drinking wine. Meanwhile,

Deborah According to the Book of Judges, Deborah ( he, דְּבוֹרָה, ''Dəḇōrā'', "bee") was a prophetess of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel and the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. Many scholars c ...

manages to solve a series of ritualistic murders targeting

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

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 an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to f ...

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 A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

. 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 A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term ''hacker'' has become associated in popu ...

, 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 ''Prime Suspect'' is a British police procedural television drama series devised by Lynda La Plante. It stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, ...

. 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 Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word m ...

to do so, only for Brian to mistakenly kill the real Doug Crowley. Dexter takes his family on a trip to

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...

, 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 Cody may refer to: People *Cody (given name) * Cody (surname) *Cody (wrestler), a ring name of Cody Runnels Places Canada * Cody, British Columbia United States *Cody, Florida *Cody (Duluth), Minnesota *Cody, Missouri *Cody, Nebraska *Cody, Wyo ...

Garden Key Dry Tortugas National Park is a national park located about west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. The park preserves Fort Jefferson and the seven Dry Tortugas islands, the westernmost and most isolated of the Florida Keys. The archipelago's ...

. 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.

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. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

'' 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) 2011 American novels American crime novels American thriller novels Doubleday (publisher) books Orion Books books