DEXTER IN THE DARK

Dexter Morgan is busy planning his wedding to Rita to complete his nice guy disguise. But when a student is found burnt, molested and headless - seemingly sacrificed to an ancient god - and Dex is brought in as forensic analyst to help investigate, he realises he could be dealing with someone a whole lot more sinister than he is. Soon it seems the dark passenger in Dexter's head has gone into hiding. And when something creeps out your friendly neighbourhood serial killer, you know it's serious...

As Halpern and Dexter are stalked by death, it looks like it's getting personal - especially as Dex now has a family to protect. Gradually, Dexter realises his stepchildren might share his extracurricular interest in death. Could he help them target their bloodlust, just as he steers his own? But to do that, Dex must cope with a certain mutilated sergeant from his past and, more importantly, stay alive...

This is the third book in the Dexter Series and I absolutely loved it! Seriously, I got so caught up in the story that when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about getting back to it.

After Dexter's accidental-engagement with Rita, he's moved in with her and the kids. She's busy spending every minute talking about the upcoming wedding, and he's more than happy to pretend he's excited and even help plan a few details... as long as he can continue his night games. And he's got himself the perfect target.

Everything's going great in Dexter's Dark life. Until he attends a double homicide that is so ghastly it horrifies his Dark Passenger. All of a sudden, he's all alone while trying to help Deborah solve this case and getting himself involved with a nasty, and very expensive caterer. While he's dealing with all of this, Dexter is also playing the role of educational dad to Astor and Cody, who are a little too impatient to skip the theory and get to the practical part of being little monsters.

The crime in this book is another horrible one, but what I liked about it was that it introduced a whole new element to the Dexter arc by dealing with an ancient god. This also took me on an awesome ride through his ups and downs as he struggles to come to terms with being just human. Honestly, it was a blast to watch him react to real emotions, rather than having to pretend. I kept hoping his Dark Passenger would return because it was painful to see how much Dexter had to struggle.

Dexter in the Dark is another brilliant installment to this fascinating series that just keeps getting better and better. I seriously LOVE it and am totally addicted. I also loved that the Dark Passenger was taken to a whole new level.

Dexter in the Dark, September 2009, ISBN 0752881604, Orion Fiction Paperback