Most people know the benevolent serial killer Dexter Morgan from the hit TV series Dexter, starring Michael C. Hall. However, author Jeff Lindsay has been crafting his unique lead character for over a decade. His newest effort, Dexter is Delicious, showcases the blood spatter analyst in a much different light, that of a potential victim. Potentially capitalizing on the public’s recent obsession with vampires, werewolves and zombies, Lindsay constructs a tale of grisly intrigue that centers around a group of partygoers that have cannibalistic tendencies.

Lindsay’s writing style is always laced with alliteration focusing on Dexter’s name and internal thoughts with this Dark Passenger, and this tenet remains. However, Dexter is placed in much different settings this time, from a perverted, sadistic rave to an unexpectedly racy scene trapped in a trailer in the Everglades, to a final psychopathic barbeque aboard a boat. Dexter is out of place in these scenarios, and the reader is infected with his uncomfortable surroundings and powerlessness.

Like Lindsay’s previous four novels, this is not a book for the faint of heart. However, if you can get past the grisly descriptions of crime scenes, murders, Dexter’s sister Deb’s foul language and the idea that you may in fact be rooting for a serial killer by the end. You’ll find an excellent crime/mystery novel that leaves you smiling and horrified.