Dexter Books in Order: How to read Jeff Lindsay’s series?

Maybe the most famous fictional serial killer, after Hannibal.

What is the Dexter series about?

Dexter is the creation of American crime novelist Jeff Lindsay, made famous thanks to Showtime television series of the same name, where he is portrayed by Michael C. Hall.

Dexter Morgan is a forensic blood-spatter analyst for the Miami-Dade Police Department by day and a serial killer by night. Convinced the legal system failed to stop murderers, rapists, and other criminals, Dexter takes justice in his own hands, and kills them.

How to read the Dexter Books in Order?

1. Darkly Dreaming Dexter – Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He’s a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him likable: he only kills bad people. And his job as a blood splatter expert for the Miami police department puts him in the perfect position to identify his victims. But when a series of brutal murders bearing a striking similarity to his own style start turning up, Dexter is caught between being flattered and being frightened–of himself or some other fiend.
2. Dearly Devoted Dexter – It’s not easy being a serial killer with a conscience. To avoid suspicion, Dexter’s had to slip deep into his disguise: spending time with his girlfriend and her kids, slowly becoming the world’s first serial killing couch potato. Then, a particularly nasty psychopath starts cutting a trail through Miami – a killer whose twisted techniques leave even Dexter speechless. When his sister Deborah, a tough-as-nails cop, is drawn into the case, it becomes clear that Dexter will have to do come out of hiding and hunt the monster down. Unless, of course, the killer finds him first…
3. Dexter in the Dark – Dexter’s happy existence is turned upside down when he is called to an unusually disturbing crime scene at the university campus. Dexter’s Dark Passenger – the mastermind of his homicidal prowess – immediately senses something chillingly recognizable and goes into hiding. Dexter is alone for the first time in his life, and he realizes he’s being hunted by a truly sinister adversary.

4. Dexter by Design – Married life seems to agree with Dexter Morgan: he’s devoted to his bride, his stomach is full, and his homicidal hobbies are nicely under control. But old habits die hard-and Dexter’s work as a blood spatter analyst never fails to offer new temptations that appeal to his offbeat sense of justice. Not to mention that his Dark Passenger still waits to hunt with him in the moonlight. The discovery of a corpse naturally piques Dexter’s curiosity and Miami’s finest realize they’ve got a terrifying new serial killer on the loose.
5. Dexter Is Delicious – Dexter Morgan is experiencing some major life changes and they’re mostly wrapped up in the eight-pound curiosity that is his newborn daughter. Family bliss is cut short, however, when Dexter is summoned to investigate the disappearance of a seventeen-year-old girl who has been running with a bizarre group of goths who fancy themselves to be vampires. As Dexter gets closer to the truth of what happened to the missing girl, he realizes they are not really vampires so much as cannibals. And most disturbing… these people have decided they would really like to eat Dexter.
6. Double Dexter – Dexter is not pleased to discover that someone is shadowing him, observ­ing him, and copying his methods. Dexter is not one to tol­erate displeasure… in fact, he has a knack for extricating himself from trouble in his own pleasurable way.

7. Dexter’s Final Cut – Hollywood gets more than it bargained for when television’s hottest star Robert Chase arrives at the Miami Police Department and becomes fixated on Dexter Morgan, the blood spatter analyst with a sweet tooth for doughnuts and a seemingly average life. To perfect his role, Chase is obsessed with shadowing Dexter’s every move and learning what really makes him tick. There is just one tiny problem: Dexter’s favorite hobby involves hunting down killers. The last thing he needs is bright lights and the paparazzi, but even Dexter isn’t immune to the call of fame.
8. Dexter is Dead – For the first time, Dexter Morgan’s world has truly collapsed. Dexter is arrested on charges of murder. Now, Dexter faces a murder charge for a crime he did not actually commit. His only chance for freedom lies with his brother, Brian, who has a dark plan to prove Dexter’s innocence. But the stakes are deadly, and the epic showdown that lies in Dexter’s path may lead, once and for all, to his demise.

If you like Dexter, you may also want to see our Serge A. Storm reading order. Don’t hesitate to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to discover more book series.