Dexter in the Dark    by Jeff Lindsay Order:  USA  Can Doubleday, 2007 (2007) Hardcover, e-Book Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Dexter Morgan has a dark shadow that lives inside him. Dexter does unimaginable things to people whom he feels are deserving of having unimaginable things done to them, pedophilia being a particular bone of contention. The oddest thing about him is that he was drawn to police work as a blood spatter expert. His Dark Passenger seems to be okay with this line of work. Dexter rather likes having this alter ego as a part of his makeup. As the day approaches for his marriage to Rita, Dexter realizes that Rita's two children, Cody and Astor, also have Dark Passengers of their own. They had a drug raddled scumbag of a birth father who quite literally destroyed the chances of his children growing up to live normal lives. Dexter also realizes that he is becoming quite fond of the little terrors who are aware of their own dark sides as well as his own. As if impending marriage weren't terrifying enough, Dexter is certain that he is being followed. By the dark side. His own Dark Passenger seems to have fled and he is alone for the first time in his life. Not a happy thought. Cody and Astor are demanding that he teach them all of his dark tricks. And he still has to perform his policeman's duties. Dexter is a very likable psychopath whose justifications for his dark deeds, heaven help us, make sense. His handling of his Dark Passenger is fraught with peril as he slices and dices his way through the populace of a university town. He's frightened by whatever is dogging his footsteps. Who wouldn't be when even a Dark Passenger is scared off by this elusive shadow? Dexter is a very complex character who has not come to terms with the life he is living. He seems to let it take him where he needs to go at any given moment. On the surface he projects confidence in who he is and what he is doing. Deep below his surface, he questions who he is and why he has been picked to follow where the Dark Passenger wants him to go. Is being a serial killer what fate had in store for him or did he blunder into it without realizing? And why the lure to police work? Dexter in the Dark is the second in this strangely gripping series. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews