DOUBLE DEXTER

An expert at finding truly bad people - murderers who've long escaped justice - Dexter has long been giving them his own special brand of attention. But now someone has seen him in the act. Dexter is being followed, manipulated and mimicked, leading him to realise that no one likes to have a double - especially when his double's goal is to kill him. As he is dismembering a pedophile, Dexter Morgan spots a witness who flees in a battered Honda car. He begins to spend his evenings hunting for the car. His wife Rita, suspecting an affair, starts drinking wine. Meanwhile, Deborah manages to solve a series of ritualistic murders targeting Miami cops. The resulting media attention spills over onto Dexter, whose name and picture are publicized for the first time. After recognizing Dexter, the witness e-mails and attempts to blackmail him. Dexter eventually finds the Honda belonging to Alissa Elan, the Shadow's ex-wife. He returns at night but finds that the Shadow - Bernard Elan - has anticipated his visit, mutilated Alissa in imitation of Dexter's style, and called the police when he arrived. Dexter narrowly escapes. Bernard, a skilled computer hacker, alters relevant databases to indicate that he died two years ago. Later, Dexter's coworker Camilla Figg is found beaten to death. Dexter is the prime suspect. 464 page paperback.