Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

After the weird events of the first novel, Dexter is back to doing what he does best- chasing and killing other serial killers while pretending to be a normal human working as a blood spatter expert in the Miami-Dade Police force. But Sergeant Doakes has even more reason to believe that Dexter isn't quite what he seems, and he's been dogging Dexter so hard that Dexter has no opportunity to feed and take care of his Dark Passenger, which is making him antsy.

Luckily for Dexter, another serial killer is operating in Miami, and this one has attracted all the attention of the FBI. A Detective named Kyle Chutsky has arrived from Washington to oversee the investigation, and Dexter's sister Deb begins seeing him and even falling in love with him.

This new serial killer is taking out army vets- specifically ones who took part in the Civil War in San Salvador, and they already know who the killer is, a man who went by the name of Dr. Danco. Here, he's doing the same job he had back then, inspiring terror by cutting off his victim's body parts slowly, one at a time, and allowing his victims to witness their new appearance in a carefully placed full-body mirror. He's able to keep the victims alive for weeks, slowly destroying their appearance and their self-image.

But he inadvertantly provides Dexter with a little help when he takes Doakes as one of his victims. Dexter is gleeful that he is now able to give his Dark Passenger some playtime, but Kyle Chutsky is also one of the victims, and Deb is begging for his help in finding the man she loves before he can be turned into a husk by Dr. Danco. And with Dexter's relationship with his "girlfriend" Rita is kicked to the next level when she goes down on him when he's drunk out of his mind on beer that he's been overdrinking in frustration over Doakes's constant shadowing of his movements, he's going to have more than enough on his plate now.

Can he rescue Chutsky and pretend not to find Doakes, or leave Doakes captive so long that he dies in Dr. Danco's embrace while ensuring the same doesn't happen to Deb's lover? Or will he just ignore the whole mess while pretending to help Deb? And will Dexter be able to explain that the diamond ring she found in Dexter's pocket belonged to Chutsky, and wasn't intended as a marriage proposal?

Another fascinating look at the character of Dexter Morgan. Here, Dexter comes under a lot more pressure than he's ever had before: Rita wants to marry him, and even has a sort of sex with him, which he's been unable to ever do before (the implication being that Dexter doesn't even have enough human emotion in him to get it up). Doakes is pushing him harder than ever, and Deb is clamoring for his help to get her lover and boyfriend, Kyle Chutsky back.

Dexter wants to help Deb, but getting Chutsky back also means getting back Doakes, and he'd honestly rather not do that. And here we get to see that Dexter still does have some emotions once again, as he is all too ready to protect Rita's kids, who seem to be damaged emotionally in the same way that Dexter and his brother Brian are/were.

And yet Dexter manages to overcome the problems arrayed against him and triumph; remaining a serial killer and yet, also somehow a good guy who makes you cheer for his triumphs, even knowing what he is doing would be extremely off-putting in real life. That Jeff Lindsay manages to make Dexter so likeable and admirable despite what he's doing is just incredible, and I can't recommend this series enough. It will twist your head 180 degrees to find out what is possible in fiction. Very Highly Recommended.