Miami's best-dressed serial killer is back and on the prowl, at least he would be if he could shake off his permanent shadow. Ever since their paths first crossed, Sergeant Doakes hasn't let Dexter Morgan out of his sight. Dexter may well be the Miami PD's blood-spatter analyst, but Sgt. Doakes has a pretty good idea of how Dex likes to spend his free time and he's determined to catch him in the act. Dexter hasn't killed in months and is getting twitchy. To throw Doakes off his scent, he's spending more time with Rita, his girlfriend. But no matter how many cosy nights they spend in front of the TV, Doakes is still parked outside watching the house when Dexter leaves in the morning.Then a body turns up, horribly mutilated and barely alive. It's the work of a torturer extraordinaire - a man who abducts his victims and keeps them alive for weeks while he performs his hideous operations. To trap the torturer, Doakes and Dexter will have to work together, if they can trust each other. It's a devil's pact and one of them will have to be the bait... Furiously fast, funny and thrilling, Dearly Devoted Dexter proves what the critics have been saying: Dexter Morgan is one of the most engaging new characters in contemporary crime fiction.