Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Dexter's Final Cut

I finally was able to read Jeff Lindsay's latest novel, Dexter's Final Cut, the next in the Dexter Morgan series.  Lindsay's series inspired the Dexter Showtime series that ended its run in October 2013.  From what I have read, this book is the final Dexter book, but I am hoping that Jeff Lindsay will write at least one more in the series before he hangs up the Dexter Morgan character.  Dexter Morgan is a blood splatter expert with the Miami-Dade Police Department and a serial killer.  Dexter, however, only kills bad people such as rapists or child molesters who "fall through the cracks" and end up escaping justice.  He has a strict code he follows,  which was given to him by Harry, his policeman step-father.    Dexter does
not function with the ability to empathize with other "humans," so he has spent most of his days studying others around him and trying to fit in.  He is married to Rita, and has one kid with her and two step-kids, Cody and Astor, in whom he sees fleeting images of "Dark Passenger" behavior.  The book opens with a scene in which you finally figure out that Dexter is NOT dead, but acting in a television show.  From there, the book starts over from the beginning and details the events leading up to the television show scene.  Dexter and his sister, Sergeant Deborah Morgan, are chosen to be the folks that several as the "technical advisors" for a forensics television series that is being shot in Miami.  Dexter is delighted when the beautiful actress, Jackie Forrest hires him to be her personal bodyguard after she reveals she has received some stalker-type fan mail and women around Miami that look uncannily like Jackie start dying.  Dexter gets caught up in the high-flying actor lifestyle---will this lead to the end of his life with Rita?  A definite twist at the end involving Astor, truly shakes up the book and the ending is truly topsy-turvy.  I adore Dexter Morgan's character because he truly makes the reader root for him---how bad can he be if he helps rid the world of bad people?  It's a great series that is not easily forgotten.  Jeff Lindsay lives in South Florida with his wife and three daughters and may be contacted at www.Dexter-Books.com, www.facebook.com/jefflindsayauther or at www.doubleday.com.

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