Jeff Lindsay Books in Order – Complete List

Last Updated on December 12, 2022 Jeff Lindsay (aka Jeffry P. Freundlich) is a well-known American author who has become extremely popular with his major series about Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep’s clothing, a lovable, and psychotic serial killer who works as a blood spatter technician for Miami Dade Police Department. Dexter has also been turned into a TV series in 2006 featuring Michael C. Hall in an 8 seasons television series that sadly ended recently. Good news is, now we have a new lovable bad guy series in Riley Wolfe, starting with Just Watch Me, followed by Fool Me Twice, and Three-Edged Sword.

I only wish the author had also written additional books in Dexter because the fact is: Jeff Lindsay knows to write.


New Jeff Lindsay Books

Fool Me Twice
Fool Me Twice, (Riley Wolfe #3, 2022

Dexter Series In Order of Reading

  1. Darkly Dreaming Dexter, 2004
  2. Dearly Devoted Dexter, 2005
  3. Dexter In The Dark, 2007
  4. Dexter By Design, 2009
  5. Dexter is Delicious, 2010
  6. Double Dexter, 2011
  7. Dexter’s Final Cut, 2013
  8. Dexter Is Dead, 2015

Riley Wolfe Series of Reading

  1. Just Watch Me (Riley Wolfe #1), 2019
  2. Fool Me Twice (Riley Wolfe #2), 2020
  3. Three-Edged Sword (Riley Wolfe #3), 2022

Billy Knight Thrillers Series In Order of Reading

  1. Tropical Depression (Billy Knight #1), 1994
  2. Red Tide (Billy Knight #2), 2015

Other Jeff Lindsay Books


Dexter Adaptations

Comics Book Version

  • Dexter: A Graphic Novel (2013–2014), 5 volumes
  • Dexter Down Under (2014), 5 volumes

Other Adaptations

  • Dexter television series created by James Manos Jr., based on Dexter series, running between 2006–2013
  • Dexter: Serial Killer by Night, short film, based on Dexter series, 2006
  • Dexter: Blood Spatter, animated series, based on Dexter series, 2006
  • The Dark Defender, animated series, based on Dexter series, 2007
  • Dexter: Early Cuts, animated series directed by Marco Fernandez, based on Dexter series, running between 2009–2012
  • Dexter: New Blood, miniseries directed by Marcos Siega, based on Dexter series, running between 2021–2022

Non-fiction Books By Jeff Lindsay

Hunting with Hemingway, 2000 (co-authored with wife Hilary)


Who Is Dexter Morgan?

Jeff Lindsay Dexter books in orderWhen Dexter Morgan was around 3 years old, something horrible happened to him that changed his entire life and his own outlook on life as well. Dexter’s stepfather, Harry, had a strong influence on him and channeled his strange energies into a code of honor and into hiding his real face. Also, Dexter only goes after bad guys and only after he double checks and triple checks that they are, in fact, evil guys.

Dexter is something else, he’s not your usual serial killer. Sure he is a psychopath, but he knows exactly what’s he’s doing and he tries his darndest not to harm any innocent person. He checks, rechecks and triple-checks that his next victim is indeed a psychopath himself. By day, he enjoys his job as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, while during the night he hunts other killers and evildoers.

Dexter is growing, and developing (his character, not only his killing skills), and he is becoming more ‘human,’ so to speak, with every book. Initially, he has no emotions and has to fake them. He has learned to adapt quite well learning from his surroundings and his peers how to behave in certain situations But over time, he does bring out his humanity bit by bit.

It is is amazing to see his transformation from book to book. So yes, reading the Dexter books in proper sequence is highly recommended.

Dexter has one golden rule: he only kills evil people, those who actually deserve it, and those who failed society. Jennifer Carpenter is his sister who features prominently in the online series as well.

For a killer, Dexter, a Miami crime scene investigator, is quite charming and funny. He is also honest to a fault, and quite smart. Usually, bad guys are shown full of themselves. However, Dexter has his own insecurities, which make him approachable to the readers.

He doesn’t understand actual human traits, so he’s learned to mimic them, and over the years, he’s gotten quite good at doing it.


Should We Read the Dexter Books in Order?

This is the big question, isn’t it? And my answer is: please do so!  Reading the Dexter books in order written by Jeff Lindsay is a must if you are intrigued by a pretty serial killer who has an honor code: he only kills bad guys – and Dexter Morgan knows to do it in style!

I first got familiar with the Dexter book series back in the day when we had a book lovers’ group where we used to trade books among each other and organize book swaps. It was a fun time, and during those days, I got to learn about lots of great mysteries, thrillers and adventure novels – all books after my own heart.

I got the first book in a swap through that book and as unlikely as it seemed just from the book blurb (after all, aren’t we conditioned to hate serial killers and love those who bring them to justice?) I got totally taken by Dexter. In fact I ended up rooting for him not to get caught by the police in his less than kosher activities. Now, how weird is that?

I got to love this series so much that not only I ended up reading all Dexter books in order, but also started watching the series on TV that was made based on the books. Now it’s true that the first season of the Showtime television series is based on the first novel, but the rest is really departing from the books. Some people don’t like that departure much, but I personally do, because I feel like I’m watching (and reading) two different things – so twice the fun for me!

If you haven’t yet read the Dexter series written by Jeff Lindsay and you want to start from the beginning, here is the right order to tackle them. There are 8 books in the Dexter series, with the publication (and chronological) order above. There has never been another “evil” sociopathic character as much loved as Dexter in fiction before.

Also another question I got asked is whether it’s worth reading the Dexter books if you’ve  already watched the series on the screen. Well, as I mentioned above, for me it seems like they’re two different things, the books and the TV show.

So I really get double out of both watching and reading it. I even met some people who had no idea that Dexter is also in book form, they’ve only known about the TV series. Yes indeed, Dexter the television series has been made based on Jeff Lindsay’s same named novels.

Here’s one of the funniest moments in the first season of Dexter Morgan. Oh and that’s another thing I love about the books and the drama series. Amidst all that dark gore and blood, you find yourself either chuckling or laughing out loud at something that Dexter did or said (or thought).


Jeff Lindsay Biography

Jeff Lindsay books
photo by Larry D. Moore CC BY-SA 3.0

New York Times bestselling author Jeff Lindsay (a pen name for Jeffry P. Freundlich) was born in Miami in 1952. He graduated from Ransom Everglades School in 1970, and after graduating from Middlebury College in Vermont in 1975, he was drawn to writing, thus deciding that he wanted to be an author. Initially working with Hilary Hemingway as a co-author to get his name out there, later he started to write his own books, creating one of the most successful crime series ever.

The author’s real name is Jeffry P. Freundlich (Jeff Lindsay is a pen name), and he currently lives in Florida with his wife, Hilary Hemingway, who is also an author. She is related to the well-known Ernest Hemingway (daughter of Leicester Hemingway, who is Ernest Hemingway’s brother).

Some of the earlier Jeff Lindsay books have been co-authored with Hilary. His debut novel was Tropical Depression, which eventually became the first in the Billy Knight thriller series. His first Dexter series is Darkly Dreaming Dexter.

In 2005, the author was nominated for the Dilys Award for his Dexter series of books.

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