Dexter is Delicious

Dexter is Delicious

Dexter Morgan has always lived a happy homicidal life. He keeps his dark urges in check by adhering to one steadfast rule... he only kills very bad people. But now Dexter is experiencing some major life changes and they're mostly wrapped up in the eight-pound curiosity that is his newborn daughter. Family bliss is cut short, however, when Dexter is summoned to investigate the disappearance of a seventeen-year-old girl who has been running with a bizarre group of Goths who fancy themselves to be vampires. As Dex gets closer to the truth of what happened to the missing girl, he realises they are not really vampires so much as cannibals. And - most disturbing - these people have decided they would really like to eat Dexter...

Dexter is wittier than ever in this riotous and gruesome novel. Jeff Lindsay has lots of fun with his wicked creation when he pits Dexter against a coven of cannibals. As macabre as the subject matter is, you can't help but laugh throughout. However, it is the introduction of Dexter's daughter, Lily Ann that provides the real interest in this book, as it allows Lindsay to really sink his teeth into the theme that is at the beating heart of this series - that is, the notion of what it is to be human, and what makes us human. It is both hilarious, and kinda sad, to be in the headspace of Dexter, who knows he is not human, but knows all the moves and reactions that humans act out in certain situations in order to maintain the facade - the facade that keeps the monster, that he knows he is, hidden. With the birth of his daughter, Dexter starts to experience real human emotions, and real human fears. Pinocchio not only bleeds, he feels. This is one meaty book and it offers the reader far more flesh than the TV show can ever hope to. Very tasty stuff.

In addition to his Dexter novels, Jeff Lindsay plays have been performed on the stage in New York and London. Outside of writing, Jeff is a musician and karate enthusiast. He lives in Florida with his family.

Dexter is Delicious
Hachette Australia
Author: Jeff Lindsay
ISBN: 9781409113461
Price: $59.99

Interview with Jeff Lindsay

Question: How did you come up with the idea for the character of Dexter?

Jeff Lindsay: A civic group of business people, something like Rotary, asked me to talk to their lunch meeting -- you know, say something like, "Reading a book are real good!" And I was sitting there, looking at a room filled with realtors, and cheap lawyers, and insurance salesman. They were all milling around shaking hands and passing out their business cards and giving each other horrible fake smiles and talking with food in their mouth -- and the idea just popped into my head that serial murder isn't always a bad thing.....


Question: How much of your inspiration comes from real life and real people?

Jeff Lindsay: Well, I try to research everything... But the basic ideas come to me all alone, and then I try to back them up. For example, I got the idea for Dexter Is Delicious just because I thought the title was funny. And that led to thinking about cannibalism.,. So I did some research and found out that there really are some very active and passionate people-eaters out there, more than you'd think. None of them in the book are based on anybody real, though. They're all made-up characters.


Question: What's the best thing about creating a character like Dexter?

Jeff Lindsay: I get much better seats in restaurants. And I don't have to work for a living any more.


Question: Why did you choose to add vampires into this book?

Jeff Lindsay: I have a daughter who loves the whole Twilight thing. She's crazy about anything with vampires. And so her sister, naturally, hates vampire books and movies and anything to do with all that. And I've noticed a lot of people have similar feelings, one way or another, so I thought it would be fun to put it in. I also discovered that there really are groups of actual vampires - I mean actual people who drink human blood. They say they're very misunderstood.


Question: How do you feel portraying a serial killer as a hero throughout this series?

Jeff Lindsay: I don't portray him as a hero, just a protagonist, a leading character. He does bad things; killing people is not nice. That was the whole point to begin with, to make a wicked character that made you like him -- and then hopefully, ask yourself, "What am I cheering for? Why do I like this guy?"


Question: Why did you choose to bring a family into Dexter's world?

Jeff Lindsay: The whole thing with writing a book -- and especially if it's a series of books -- is to put your characters in situations with conflicts, and then watch how they get out of them. It seemed to me that a serial killer who has a family is going to end up in some scenes with real tension, and quite a few laughs. Like in Delicious, when he's headed out the door to kill somebody, and his wife tells him to take out the dirty diaper bag.