Dearly Devoted Dexter

Forensic blood-spatter analyst Dexter Morgan is a nice guy who enjoys his job, but what he'd rather be doing is killing people. In this follow-up to 2001's Darkly Dreaming Dexter , Dexter is kept from his games of "slice the slasher" (he kills only murderers and pedophiles) by a suspicious Sergeant Doakes. Luckily for listeners, Dexter still finds a way to engage in his grim specialty when a fiendish "doctor" comes to town and leaves his victims brutally butchered, yet alive and crippled. Landrum, who is also an accomplished songwriter, hits all the right notes in this superb audio production, flawlessly matching the sarcastic and sinister tones of the novel. At times lighthearted and good-natured, Landrum's first-person narration of Dexter truly makes the character come alive. His transitions between character voices are perfectly consistent—he handles cocky men, grizzled veterans, tough female cops and demure women with equal flair, including a wonderfully quirky and disturbing voice for the novel's villain. Dexter is the most darkly charming and compelling serial killer since Hannibal Lecter, and this production is a sure-fire candidate for audiobook of the year. Simultaneous release with the Doubleday hardcover (Reviews, May 23). (July)