Dexter: Books vs. Series
Developed by James Manos Jr., Dexter (2006) begins with an adaptation of Jeff Lindsay’s Darkly Dreaming Dexter before taking its own direction. Michael C. Hall plays a Miami blood-spatter analyst who secretly kills murderers.
From Books Adapted
Which books each season covers
Only season one comes from the books
The Showtime series bases its first season on Darkly Dreaming Dexter, changes the ending, and then goes its own way for the other seven seasons.
| Season | From the books |
|---|---|
| 1 | Darkly Dreaming Dexter (book 1), loosely |
| 2 to 8 | New stories written for the show |
| A guide, not an exact match: shows move scenes and storylines between books and seasons. | |
The other seven books, from Dearly Devoted Dexter to Dexter Is Dead, tell a story of their own that the show never used. Dexter: New Blood, Dexter: Original Sin and Dexter: Resurrection are separate shows that came later.
What changed from the book
Contains spoilersTap to show
The first book ends differently
Season one ends with Dexter killing his brother, Brian. In Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Brian gets away.
Lindsay got blamed for an ending he didn't write
The show ended in 2013. Lindsay's last book, Dexter Is Dead, came out in 2015 with an ending of his own. He had nothing to do with the TV finale, but in a 2015 interview he said people still complained to him about it.
The books, in order
Details
- Author
- Jeff Lindsay
- Year
- 2004
- Pages
- 304
- Audiobook length
- 7 hr 51 min
- Narrator
- Jeff Lindsay
- Series
- Dexter, book 1
Dexter Morgan studies blood evidence for the Miami police and secretly kills people he believes deserve it, following rules taught by his adoptive father. A series of dismembered bodies drained of blood captures his admiration rather than his disgust. As his detective sister Deborah seeks his help, Dexter’s fascination with the killer becomes alarmingly personal, reaching into memories and impulses he cannot fully explain.
Details
- Author
- Jeff Lindsay
- Year
- 2005
- Pages
- 304
- Audiobook length
- 8 hr 24 min
- Narrator
- Jeff Lindsay
- Series
- Dexter, book 2
Sergeant Doakes keeps such a close watch on Dexter Morgan that evenings with Rita and her children become his safest cover, leaving little opportunity to hunt. Then a mutilated man is discovered alive, and Doakes recognizes a connection to his own past. Drawn into the investigation with his sister Deborah, Dexter must work alongside the colleague most likely to expose him.
Details
- Author
- Jeff Lindsay
- Year
- 2007
- Pages
- 302
- Audiobook length
- 10 hr 28 min
- Narrator
- Jeff Lindsay
- Series
- Dexter, book 3
A university crime scene frightens away the inner presence Dexter calls his Dark Passenger, leaving him without the instincts he relies on to understand other killers. While preparing to marry Rita, he searches for an explanation for the silence inside his head. The investigation draws him toward ritual murder and a threat that seems to know more about his murderous companion than he does.
Details
- Author
- Jeff Lindsay
- Year
- 2009
- Pages
- 304
- Audiobook length
- 9 hr 57 min
- Narrator
- Jeff Lindsay
- Series
- Dexter, book 4
Back in Miami after his Paris honeymoon, Dexter encounters corpses arranged as public displays, with messages aimed at the city’s tourist trade. His sister Deborah needs his help investigating them, even as her knowledge of his own killings strains their relationship. Dexter pursues a private solution alongside the police inquiry, putting the domestic cover he has just formalized at risk.
Details
- Author
- Jeff Lindsay
- Year
- 2010
- Pages
- 440
- Audiobook length
- 11 hr 19 min
- Narrator
- Jeff Lindsay
- Series
- Dexter, book 5
Holding his newborn daughter, Dexter feels an attachment he cannot dismiss as part of his disguise and decides to give up killing. Deborah’s investigation into a missing teenager pulls him away from home and toward people whose interest in human blood extends to eating flesh. As his brother Brian reappears and takes an interest in the family, Dexter struggles to keep his new resolve intact.
Details
- Author
- Jeff Lindsay
- Year
- 2011
- Pages
- 337
- Audiobook length
- 12 hr 32 min
- Narrator
- Jeff Lindsay
- Series
- Dexter, book 6
Someone witnesses Dexter at work on a victim and escapes before he can identify them. Soon he is being watched and manipulated by a stranger who knows his secret and begins using his methods. With Miami detectives also facing a series of brutal attacks, Dexter has to investigate a threat to his own life while remaining convincing as one of the people trying to solve the crimes.
Details
- Author
- Jeff Lindsay
- Year
- 2013
- Pages
- 368
- Audiobook length
- 14 hr 23 min
- Narrator
- Jeff Lindsay
- Series
- Dexter, book 7
Actors preparing for a police drama arrive in Miami to shadow Dexter and Deborah, turning their working days into research for television. Dexter resents the scrutiny until actress Jackie Forrest offers him a glimpse of a life far removed from his suburban routine. When murdered women begin to resemble Jackie, protecting her brings him closer to both the production and a danger he cannot treat as make-believe.
Details
- Author
- Jeff Lindsay
- Year
- 2015
- Pages
- 286
- Audiobook length
- 11 hr 56 min
- Narrator
- Jeff Lindsay
- Series
- Dexter, book 8
Dexter sits in jail accused of crimes he did not commit, abandoned by Deborah and unable to rely on the police colleagues who once protected his respectable identity. His brother Brian offers legal help, but accepting it brings Dexter into the path of a drug cartel. With his family life already shattered, he must find a way to clear the accusations without exposing the killings he actually committed.
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