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JEFF LINDSAY is the New York Times bestselling author of Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Dearly Devoted Dexter, and Dexter in the Dark. His novels are the basis of the hit Showtime and CBS series, Dexter. He lives in South Florida with his family.

This fourth entry in the Dexter series (after Dexter in the Dark) provides more of what our favorite killer's fans expect—plenty of descriptive gore, a clever murderer to match wits with Dexter, and abundant doses of dark humor. When his police-officer sister is stabbed during the course of a homicide investigation into corpses being posed artistically around Miami, Dexter's desire to protect his family—surprisingly—kicks in. But while Dexter hunts for his latest nemesis, the killer also turns the tables on our hero and goes on the offensive, leading to an inevitable clash. Dexter is funnier than ever, and the interactions he has with both his sister and the suspicious Sergeant Doakes offer plenty of opportunities for the humor to shine through. VERDICT The story is pretty simple, and there are no real surprises, but that doesn't make Lindsay's latest any less enjoyable. This will no doubt be another best seller, and with good reason. Fans of both the books and the Showtime TV series will eat it up.—Craig Shufelt, Fort McMurray P.L., A.B.

Lindsay doesn't always maintain the balance between farce and something more serious in his fourth thriller to feature Dexter Morgan (after Dexter in the Dark). As fans of the hit Showtime TV series know, Dexter is a blood-splatter analyst for the Miami PD as well as a serial killer who targets killers who've evaded justice. When two eviscerated corpses turn up on a beach, Dexter investigates, as does his sister, Deborah, a sergeant with his department, who suffers serious injury after she's stabbed by a suspect, Alex Doncevic. Convinced Deborah's assailant is the person also responsible for the bodies on the beach, Dexter eliminates Doncevic, only to find that he's taken an innocent life. To Dexter's further dismay, someone begins posting videos of Doncevic's murder on YouTube. While the darkly witty Lindsay deserves credit for continuing to make imaginative use of his original concept, a contrived resolution disappoints. (Sept.)