--- product_id: 1234837 title: "Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Dexter Series)" price: "NZ$29" currency: NZD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/1234837-darkly-dreaming-dexter-dexter-series store_origin: NZ region: New Zealand --- # Bestselling thriller #23,223 Authentic blood spatter expert plot Complex vigilante justice code Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Dexter Series) **Price:** NZ$29 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 🩸 Step inside the mind of America’s most captivating serial killer—where justice wears a darker shade. ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Dexter Series) - **How much does it cost?** NZ$29 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/1234837-darkly-dreaming-dexter-dexter-series) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Join a Cult Following:** Over 7,400 rave reviews and counting—don’t miss out on this cultural phenomenon. - • **Dive into Dexter’s Dual Life:** Explore the chilling mind of a charming serial killer with a strict moral code. - • **Dark Comedy Meets Crime Thriller:** A macabre tour-de-force blending suspense with sharp wit. - • **Inspired the Hit Showtime Series:** Experience the original story behind Dexter: Resurrection and beyond. - • **Unravel a Unique Antihero’s Code:** Follow Dexter’s strict rules as he targets only the truly guilty. ## Overview Darkly Dreaming Dexter is the bestselling novel that launched the iconic Dexter series, introducing readers to Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst with a deadly secret: he’s a vigilante serial killer who targets only those who escape justice. Blending dark comedy, suspense, and a complex antihero narrative, this book inspired the hit Showtime series and has captivated over 7,400 readers with its unique take on morality and justice. ## Description NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The “dark comedy with a creative twist” ( Miami Herald ) that introduced America’s favorite serial killer—the character that inspired the latest Showtime hit series Dexter: Resurrection. “A macabre tour-de-force.”— The New York Times Book Review 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 immensely likeable: 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. Look for all of Jeff Lindsay’s deliciously twisted Dexter novels: DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER • DEARLY DEVOTED DEXTER • DEXTER IN THE DARK • DEXTER BY DESIGN • DEXTER IS DELICIOUS • DOUBLE DEXTER • DEXTER’S FINAL CUT • DEXTER IS DEAD Review: Awesome book - I love this book. I have watched the show and decided to read the book. I read the entire book within 3 days. I couldn't put it down. Review: Sociopath With A Cause... - Jeff Lindsay isn't the first author to try and allow the bad guy to be the hero, but like his predecessors, you have to admire his boldness. While the Showtime series' first season attempts to keep Dexter as the hero by not allowing you to focus soley on him, but on the complex maze of relationships in his life, Lindsay makes no such attempt. In fact, it is this distinction that I find the most fascinating, and certainly remarkable; the fact that Dexter seems even more loveable in his more exposed and vulnerable state. Shocking, really, and it almost makes me feel ashamed. Dexter, of course, does not fit the typical perception of a "serial killer", as you might expect. Linsday allows his readers the freedom to let Dexter be our vicarious vigilante. Dexter's noble mission is to clean up society by being the instrument of justice to those who have escaped the justice of our legal system. He does it by killing and dismembering them, of course, but he only will kill murderers, and preferably those who have killed innocent children or women. Hence, since child killers who aren't brought to justice are perhaps the lowest dreggs of society, anyone who cleans that up has to be a good guy, right? I've been thinking about this whole Dexter thing for some time, and something odd occurred to me. Dexter's basic MO (vigalante killer) isn't exactly new. Ever heard of the Punisher? If you discount their methods, the Punisher's glaring antisocial killing tendencies would seem to make their characters quite similar. A lot of comic books like the dark hero, the hero that wants to clean the "scum" from the streets, wants to act as a vigilante, uses any means necessary, and is, at times, not above killing. Dexter fits that mold perfectly. Let's look at his comic book traits. 1) He has an "alter ego." You know Bruce Banner and Hulk. Well, you've got Dexter Morgan, and well, just plain old Dexter. There is the Dexter who pretends to be human, with a job as a blood spatter specialist, and you have Dexter the serial killer. Even his alter ego has a justice seeking air about it, like many super heroes. 2) He has a "secret lair." This is a bit of stretch, but bear with me. Dexter has a collection of slides in his apartment. If you watch the first season of Dexter, he kept in the AC. In this book, he keeps it in the bookcase. Still, a place where he can peruse private things that other people don't know about, and it keeps his identity secret. 3) He has a "tragic history." We all know from Dexter season one that Dexter's mother was killed in a shipping container along with some other people. In this book, we learn that Dexter's father was killed in it too, along with Dectective LaGuerta. Well, the first book, coming back to visit that haunting site of that tragic event is a typical comic book idea of coming full circle. 4) He had a "wise mentor." Harry Morgan, cop, adoptive father, inventor of a code of conduct for Dexter Morgan. No one has shaped Dexter's life like Harry, and even if the book does less to emphasize that than the Showtime series, it is obviously a huge factor in what Dexter has become. Having the fact that Dexter's adoptive mother and adoptive father have both died is very very very typical comic book hero family history. 5) He has a "side kick." Another stretch, but many comic book heroes have that faithful friend, or informant, or contact, or even spouse on which they can rely on always. Dexter's adoptive sister Deb fits this bill nicely. She is trying to make it as a cop, and needs to rely on Dexter's keen "intuition" about serial killers. But they play the family angle for all it is worth, like many comic books. 6) He has a "super power." This dark passenger, or the thing that drives Dexter to kill is an extremely powerful motivator which allows Dexter to focus tremendous energy and effort into doing his vigilante thing extrordinarily well. 7) He has a weakness. No quotes on that one. Yeah, the dark passenger is it's own weakness, like Kryptonite, sometimes creating the need to kill so strongly that it jeopardizes Dexter's safety. 8) He serves some sort of justice. Sure, Dexter kills because he likes it, but he will only kill those who "deserve it" based on a very strict set of rules. These rules are based on the idea of justice. 9) He holds to a set of morals. Well, who doesn't, but most super heroes have a code of conduct that sets them apart from folks who don't. Dexter has a code of conduct that goes beyond who he kills. What am I saying by all this? I realize that these points don't necessarily mean anything. You could make these statements about a lot of protagonists, and that doesn't degrade the characters. Even though I think Dexter would make a great comic book doesn't mean I don't think Dexter isn't good literature as is. All I am trying to say is that to me, this character seems to be somewhat inspired by comic books, and I think that is why he makes such a good hero. He has so many heroic traits. Yet in the end, he is a messed up sicko; a sociopath with a cause, but a sociopath nonetheless. I still feel a certain "dirty" feeling reading these books, like I've been doing something that I shouldn't have been doing. Overall, it is a good experience, but it feels like continued exposure is just not healthy. I am going to skip the reading Lindsay for a while, and perhaps return to him later. I don't like being in Dexter's head for that long... Recommended. ## Features - Fiction ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #23,223 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #196 in TV, Movie & Game Tie-In Fiction #858 in Police Procedurals (Books) #868 in Suspense Thrillers | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 7,463 Reviews | ## Images ![Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Dexter Series) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81mNZ+0BEaL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Awesome book *by K***C on April 24, 2026* I love this book. I have watched the show and decided to read the book. I read the entire book within 3 days. I couldn't put it down. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sociopath With A Cause... *by B***F on February 28, 2010* Jeff Lindsay isn't the first author to try and allow the bad guy to be the hero, but like his predecessors, you have to admire his boldness. While the Showtime series' first season attempts to keep Dexter as the hero by not allowing you to focus soley on him, but on the complex maze of relationships in his life, Lindsay makes no such attempt. In fact, it is this distinction that I find the most fascinating, and certainly remarkable; the fact that Dexter seems even more loveable in his more exposed and vulnerable state. Shocking, really, and it almost makes me feel ashamed. Dexter, of course, does not fit the typical perception of a "serial killer", as you might expect. Linsday allows his readers the freedom to let Dexter be our vicarious vigilante. Dexter's noble mission is to clean up society by being the instrument of justice to those who have escaped the justice of our legal system. He does it by killing and dismembering them, of course, but he only will kill murderers, and preferably those who have killed innocent children or women. Hence, since child killers who aren't brought to justice are perhaps the lowest dreggs of society, anyone who cleans that up has to be a good guy, right? I've been thinking about this whole Dexter thing for some time, and something odd occurred to me. Dexter's basic MO (vigalante killer) isn't exactly new. Ever heard of the Punisher? If you discount their methods, the Punisher's glaring antisocial killing tendencies would seem to make their characters quite similar. A lot of comic books like the dark hero, the hero that wants to clean the "scum" from the streets, wants to act as a vigilante, uses any means necessary, and is, at times, not above killing. Dexter fits that mold perfectly. Let's look at his comic book traits. 1) He has an "alter ego." You know Bruce Banner and Hulk. Well, you've got Dexter Morgan, and well, just plain old Dexter. There is the Dexter who pretends to be human, with a job as a blood spatter specialist, and you have Dexter the serial killer. Even his alter ego has a justice seeking air about it, like many super heroes. 2) He has a "secret lair." This is a bit of stretch, but bear with me. Dexter has a collection of slides in his apartment. If you watch the first season of Dexter, he kept in the AC. In this book, he keeps it in the bookcase. Still, a place where he can peruse private things that other people don't know about, and it keeps his identity secret. 3) He has a "tragic history." We all know from Dexter season one that Dexter's mother was killed in a shipping container along with some other people. In this book, we learn that Dexter's father was killed in it too, along with Dectective LaGuerta. Well, the first book, coming back to visit that haunting site of that tragic event is a typical comic book idea of coming full circle. 4) He had a "wise mentor." Harry Morgan, cop, adoptive father, inventor of a code of conduct for Dexter Morgan. No one has shaped Dexter's life like Harry, and even if the book does less to emphasize that than the Showtime series, it is obviously a huge factor in what Dexter has become. Having the fact that Dexter's adoptive mother and adoptive father have both died is very very very typical comic book hero family history. 5) He has a "side kick." Another stretch, but many comic book heroes have that faithful friend, or informant, or contact, or even spouse on which they can rely on always. Dexter's adoptive sister Deb fits this bill nicely. She is trying to make it as a cop, and needs to rely on Dexter's keen "intuition" about serial killers. But they play the family angle for all it is worth, like many comic books. 6) He has a "super power." This dark passenger, or the thing that drives Dexter to kill is an extremely powerful motivator which allows Dexter to focus tremendous energy and effort into doing his vigilante thing extrordinarily well. 7) He has a weakness. No quotes on that one. Yeah, the dark passenger is it's own weakness, like Kryptonite, sometimes creating the need to kill so strongly that it jeopardizes Dexter's safety. 8) He serves some sort of justice. Sure, Dexter kills because he likes it, but he will only kill those who "deserve it" based on a very strict set of rules. These rules are based on the idea of justice. 9) He holds to a set of morals. Well, who doesn't, but most super heroes have a code of conduct that sets them apart from folks who don't. Dexter has a code of conduct that goes beyond who he kills. What am I saying by all this? I realize that these points don't necessarily mean anything. You could make these statements about a lot of protagonists, and that doesn't degrade the characters. Even though I think Dexter would make a great comic book doesn't mean I don't think Dexter isn't good literature as is. All I am trying to say is that to me, this character seems to be somewhat inspired by comic books, and I think that is why he makes such a good hero. He has so many heroic traits. Yet in the end, he is a messed up sicko; a sociopath with a cause, but a sociopath nonetheless. I still feel a certain "dirty" feeling reading these books, like I've been doing something that I shouldn't have been doing. Overall, it is a good experience, but it feels like continued exposure is just not healthy. I am going to skip the reading Lindsay for a while, and perhaps return to him later. I don't like being in Dexter's head for that long... Recommended. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well-written, witty, and enjoyable *by M***E on January 20, 2021* I really enjoyed this first book of the series. So far, I have gone through half of the book series and this is the best offering in terms of plot and how well it is written. The witty remarks of Dexter in the first-person perspective are fantastic and clever and lighten the mood throughout the duration of the story. I do think the TV show's adaption is superior for a few reasons, and this first book is the only one used by the show. My primary gripe against the book version is the rather spiritual aspect of Dexter's condition and the Dark Passenger as opposed to a purely psychological one. I echoed these thoughts to greater effect in my thoughts of book 3, and they are still mild in the first installment, but I feel it detracts from Dexter's state and lessens the accuracy and reality of what he is. Outside of my personal preferences on this matter, I did not want it to end because I appreciated the plot, writing, pace, and perspective so much. Five stars for a well-developed character and story that inspired an also-great show. ## Frequently Bought Together - Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Dearly Devoted Dexter - Dexter in the Dark --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.nz/products/1234837-darkly-dreaming-dexter-dexter-series](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/1234837-darkly-dreaming-dexter-dexter-series) --- *Product available on Desertcart New Zealand* *Store origin: NZ* *Last updated: 2026-07-04*