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Jeffry P. Freundlich, popularly known by his pseudonym Jeff Lindsay, is an American playwright and author of mystery, thriller and crime fiction novels.

He is best known for writing the beloved Dexter Series featuring sociopathic vigilante Dexter Morgan.

Born in Miami, Lindsay graduated from Ransom Everglades School, and from Middlebury College, Vermont, graduating in 1970 and 1975 respectively.

He also graduated from Celebration Mime Theatre's Clown School, and received his double MFA, in Directing and Playwriting, from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Lindsay, who has written 25 produced plays, has also worked as a musician, singer, comedian, actor, TV host, improv actor, and dishwasher.

He currently lives in Cape Coral, Florida with his beloved wife and three children.

More about Jeff Lindsay

Genres: Crime Suspense, Mystery, Thriller

Born: 1952

United States

Pseudonym: Jeff Lindsay

Non Series

  • Dreamland (1995)
  • Dreamchild (1998)
  • No Rest for the Dead (2011)

Non-fiction

  1. Hunting with Hemingway (2000)

Billy Knight

  1. Tropical Depression (1994)
  2. Red Tide (2015)

Dexter

  1. Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004)
  2. Dearly Devoted Dexter (2005)
  3. Dexter in the Dark (2006)
  4. Dexter by Design (2008)
  5. Dexter is Delicious (2010)
  6. Double Dexter (2011)
  7. Dexter's Final Cut (2012)
  8. Dexter Is Dead (2015)

Omnibus Books

  1. Dexter Omnibus (2008)

Riley Wolfe

  1. Just Watch Me (2019)
  2. Fool Me Twice (2020)
  3. Three-Edged Sword (2022)
Omnibus Books

Detailed book overview

Non Series

Dreamland

For the past eight years Hilary Hemingway and her husband Jeffery P. Lindsay have researched the UFO enigma. They sat in on abductees hypnosis sessions, traveled to crop circles, and reviewed their findings with the Department of Defense. The startling result is Dreamland: A Novel of the UFO Cover-Up, a fictionalized account of very real and frightening events surrounding an Air Force base in the Nevada desert. Known only as "Area 51" or "Dreamland", it is so secret it doesn't appear on any map.

NB: Co-authored with Hilary Hemingway.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 1995
Ebook: B00Y7RWXWK
Publisher: Tor Books
Dreamchild

Max is not your usual five-year-old boy. Unable to speak, shy and strange, he was conceived while his mother was the victim of an alien abduction. Max is a unique being: a hybrid of human and alien.

He carries the fate of all mankind in his tiny hands. And now that the government has discovered his powerful connection to the aliens, will Max survive long enough to fulfill his purpose--for either side?

NB: Co-authored with Hilary Hemingway.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 1998
ISBN: 978-0812571196
Publisher: Tom Doherty
No Rest for the Dead

Alexander McCall Smith. Sandra Brown. Faye Kellerman. J.A. Jance. Jeffery Deaver. Kathy Reichs. Lisa Scottoline. Jeff Lindsay. These are only a handful of the names that make up the all-star lineup of authors behind No Rest for the Dead, a tale of vengeance, greed, and love that flows seamlessly, in the words of David Baldacci, “as it passes from one creator’s mind to the next.”

When Christopher Thomas, a ruthless curator at San Francisco’s McFall Art Museum, is murdered and his decaying body is found in an iron maiden in a Berlin museum, his wife, Rosemary, is the primary suspect, and she is tried, convicted, and executed. Ten years later, Jon Nunn, the detective who cracked the case, is convinced that the wrong person was put to death. In the years since the case was closed, he’s discovered a web of deceit and betrayal surrounding the Thomases that could implicate any number of people in the crime.

With the help of the dead woman’s friend, he plans to gather everyone who was there the night Christopher died and finally uncover the truth, suspect by suspect. Solving this case may be Nunn’s last chance for redemption…but the shadowy forces behind Christopher’s death will stop at nothing to silence the past forever.

In this innovative storytelling approach, each of these twenty-five bestselling writers brings their distinctive voice to a chapter of the narrative, building the tension to a shocking, explosive finale. No Rest for the Dead is a thrilling, page-turning accomplishment that only America’s very best authors could achieve.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2011
ISBN: 978-1451607383
Publisher: Atria Books

Non-fiction

Hunting with Hemingway

Fifteen years after her father’s death, Hilary Hemingway receives a curious inheritance: an audio cassette of Les, her father, telling outrageous stories about hunting with his famous older brother, Ernest Hemingway.

Les clearly aims to amuse the listeners with tales of the Hemingway brothers hunting vicious ostriches, hungry crocodiles, and deadly komodo dragons, but where Les Hemingway gets serious is in defending and explaining his brother’s reputation to a contemptuous Hemingway scholar.

Hilary transcribes these stories, revealing the bond between two larger-than-life brothers—and tells of her own quest to make peace with the painful parts of the Hemingway legacy.

NB: Co-authored with Hilary Hemingway.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2000
ISBN: 978-1626819160
Publisher: Diversion Books

Billy Knight

Tropical Depression

Before there was Dexter, there was Billy Knight.

When a hostage situation turns deadly, Billy loses everything―his wife, his daughter, and his career. Devastated, he heads to Key West to put down his gun and pick up a rod and reel as a fishing boat captain. But former co-worker Roscoe McAuley isn't ready to let Billy rest.

When Roscoe tells Billy that someone murdered his son, Billy sends him away. When Roscoe himself turns up dead a few weeks later, however, Billy can't keep from getting sucked back into Los Angeles, and the streets that took so much from him.

Billy's investigations into the death of a former cop, and his son, will take him up to the highest echelons of the LAPD, finding corruption at every level. It puts him on a collision course with the law, with his past, with his former fellow officers, and with the dark aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 1994
ISBN: 978-1626819849
Publisher: Diversion Books
Red Tide

Billy Knight wants to ride out Key West’s slow-season with the occasional charter and the frequent beer. But when he discovers a dead body floating in the gulf, Billy gets drawn into a deadly plot of dark magic and profound evil.

Along with his plucky, gun-happy friend, Nicky, and Anna, a resilient and mysterious survivor of her own horrors, Billy sets out to right the wrongs the police won’t, putting himself in mortal peril on the high seas.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2015
ISBN: 978-1626817210
Publisher: Diversion Books

Dexter

Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He’s a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likeable: he only kills bad people.

And his job as a blood splatter expert for the Miami police department puts him in the perfect position to identify his victims. But when a series of brutal murders bearing a striking similarity to his own style start turning up, Dexter is caught between being flattered and being frightened–of himself or some other fiend.

Dexter (TV Series)
Director: Multiple directors throughout the 8 seasons
Cast: Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Erik King, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas, James Remar, C. S. Lee, Desmond Harrington, Aimee Garcia, Geoff Pierson
Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2004
ISBN: 978-0307277886
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Dearly Devoted Dexter

Life’s tough for Dexter Morgan. It’s not easy being the world’s only serial killer with a conscience, especially when you work for the Miami police.

To avoid suspicion, Dexter’s had to slip deep into his disguise: spending time with his girlfriend and her kids, slowly becoming the world’s first serial killing couch potato.

Then a particularly nasty psychopath starts cutting a trail through Miami — a killer whose twisted techniques leave even Dexter speechless. When his sister Deborah, a tough-as-nails cop, is drawn into the case, it becomes clear that Dexter will have to do come out of hiding and hunt the monster down. Unless, of course, the killer finds him first. . .

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2005
ISBN: 978-1400095926
Publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
Dexter in the Dark

No rest for the wicked - the serial killer with a heart is back...

Dexter Morgan is busy planning his wedding to Rita to complete his nice-guy disguise.

But when a student is found burnt, molested and headless - seemingly sacrificed to an ancient god - and Dex is brought in as forensic analyst to help investigate, he realizes he could be dealing with someone a whole lot more sinister than he is. Soon it seems the dark passenger in Dexter's head has gone into hiding. And when something creeps out your friendly neighborhood serial killer, you know it's serious...

As Halpern and Dexter are stalked by death, it looks like it's getting personal - especially as Dex now has a family to protect. Gradually, Dexter realises his stepchildren might share his extracurricular interest in death. Could he help them target their bloodlust, just as he steers his own? But to do that, Dex must cope with a certain mutilated sergeant from his past, and more importantly...stay alive...

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2006
ISBN: 978-0752881607
Publisher: Orion
Dexter by Design

After his surprisingly glorious honeymoon in Paris, life is almost normal for Dexter Morgan. Married life seems to agree with him: he’s devoted to his bride, his stomach is full, and his homicidal hobbies are nicely under control.

But old habits die hard—and Dexter’s work as a blood spatter analyst never fails to offer new temptations that appeal to his offbeat sense of justice. Not to mention that his Dark Passenger still waits to hunt with him in the moonlight.

The discovery of a corpse (artfully displayed as a sunbather relaxing on a Miami beach chair) naturally piques Dexter’s curiosity and Miami’s finest realize they’ve got a terrifying new serial killer on the loose. And Dexter, of course, is back in business.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2008
ISBN: 978-0307276742
Publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
Dexter is Delicious

Dexter Morgan’s neatly organized life as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police, devoted husband and father, and killer of only those who deserve it is turned upside down by the arrival of his new daughter, Lily Anne.

Feeling surprisingly sunny and loving, he’s trying to suppress the influence of his Dark Passenger—the voice inside who guides his homicidal urges. But 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 Dexter gets closer to the truth of what happened to the missing girl, he realizes they are not really vampires, but cannibals. And most disturbing, these people have their eyes on Dexter...and their mouths are watering.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2010
ISBN: 978-1409117865
Publisher: Orion
Double Dexter

Dexter is displeased. Like any self-respecting, totally decent, soundly homicidal guy, Dexter Morgan takes great pride in his work and is careful to remain anonymous. So he is, naturally, upset to discover that someone has identified him and—worst of all—is now turning his own methods against him.

The situation soon becomes more complicated when a brutal cop-killer begins targeting Miami’s police detectives—leaving behind bodies that are battered beyond recognition—and stoking the department’s worst fears.

As his colleagues grow more paranoid of the psychotic killer in their midst, Dexter’s position is increasingly perilous. He is running out of time to track down this copycat and deliver his usual special justice, before his dark hobby is revealed to the world.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2011
ISBN: 978-0307474933
Publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
Dexter's Final Cut

Mega-star Robert Chase is famous for losing himself in his characters. When he and a group of actors descend on the Miami Police Department for "research," Chase becomes fixated on Dexter Morgan, the blood spatter analyst with a sweet tooth and seemingly average life. Chase shadows Dexter's every move, trying to learn what makes him tick.

However, Dexter's favorite pastime of hunting down the worst killers who've escaped legal prosecution—and introducing them to his special brand of justice—presents, well, a bit of a problem. It's a secret best kept out of the spotlight if Dexter wants to stay out of the electric chair, but even Dexter isn't immune to the call of fame....


Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2012
ISBN: 978-0345802583
Publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
Dexter Is Dead

Dexter Morgan—blood-spatter analyst, husband, father, serial killer—knew that he couldn’t burn the candle at both ends forever, and now, his dark deeds have finally ensnared him.

He is in prison on multiple homicide charges, although, ironically, he did not commit any of the murders of which he is accused. He’s lost everything: his wife, kids, career, and the loyalty of his sister.

Now his sole, small shot at redemption may come from his brother, Brian, a homicidal maniac who makes Dexter look like the angel in the family. By helping Brian through some serious trouble of his own making, Dexter sees a potential path to proving himself innocent.

But the stakes are truly deadly. And, with nothing left to hold him back, Dexter hurtles into an epic showdown...which may be his last.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2015
ISBN: 978-0345802590
Publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

Omnibus Books

Dexter Omnibus

A collection of three books:

DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER

Dexter Morgan can't stand the sight of blood. Which makes his job as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami PD a little tricky. But it means that he's very tidy when it comes to his hobby: murder. After all, even though Dexter only ever kills bad people, he doesn't want to draw attention to it. But now there's another killer out there who's being a whole lot less subtle.

DEARLY DEVOTED DEXTER

Miami's best-dressed serial killer is getting twitchy - he hasn't killed for months. Ever since their paths first crossed, Sergeant Doakes hasn't let Dexter Morgan out of his sight. Then a body turns up, mutilated and barely alive. To trap the torturer, Doakes and Dexter will have to work together, if they can trust each other. It's a devil's pact and one of them will have to be the bait...

DEXTER IN THE DARK

When Dexter is brought in to analyze a charred headless corpse, it seems he's dealing with a killer even more sinister than he is, and one with a personal interest in him. And with Dexter now having a wedding to plan and a family to protect, the stakes are high. As he realizes his step-children might share his blood-lust, if he's ever to help them target it, Dexter will first have to stay alive himself.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2008
ISBN: 978-1409100652
Publisher: Orion

Riley Wolfe

Just Watch Me

A masterful thief plots an impossible crime—stealing the Iranian Crown Jewels.

From the author of the wildly successful Dexter series comes a new, mesmerizing bad guy we can root for: Riley Wolfe. He’s a master thief, expert at disguise, and not averse to violence when it’s needed. It’s no accident, though, that Riley targets the wealthiest 0.1 percent and is willing to kill them when they’re in his way: he despises the degenerate and immoral rich and loves stealing their undeserved and unearned valuables.

In this series launch, Riley aims for an extraordinary target in a heist that will make history. Riley will try to steal the Crown Jewels of Iran. Yes, these jewels are worth billions, but the true attraction for grabbing them comes down to one simple fact: it can’t be done. Stealing these jewels is absolutely impossible.

The collection is guarded by space-age electronics and two teams of heavily armed mercenaries. No one could even think of getting past the airtight security and hope to get away alive, let alone with even a single diamond from the Imperial Collection.

No one but Riley Wolfe. He’s always liked a challenge.

But this challenge may be more than even he can handle. Aside from the impenetrable security, Riley is also pursued by a brilliant and relentless cop who is barely a step behind him.

With the aid of his sometime ally, a beautiful woman who is a master art forger, Riley Wolfe goes for the prize that will either make him a legend—or, more likely, leave him dead.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2019
ISBN: 978-1524743956
Publisher: Dutton
Fool Me Twice

Pulling off an impossible crime is the only way he can stay alive.

Stealing a Faberge egg. Surviving a double cross. And pulling off the most incredible robbery ever, for the world’s most demanding—and dangerous—collector.

This will be the challenge of thief extraordinaire Riley Wolfe’s life.

Held prisoner by a top-dog international arms dealer, and a top-notch art collector, Riley has to steal an artwork. Small problem—it’s a fresco, “The Liberation of St. Peter.” Slightly larger problem—it’s in the Vatican.

And, it's a literal wall.

Riley has no choice: agree or die. But when his captor turns him loose, he finds even more dangerous criminals waiting to ensnare him, threatening his life and the life of the woman he loves. The threat is clear. Riley knows they both have only one way out.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2020
ISBN: 978-0593186381
Publisher: Dutton
Three-Edged Sword

Super thief Riley Wolfe can do it all. He is a master of disguise, can scale a wall, and can vanish into thin air (thick air, too). He uses these unique talents to rob the richest. But this time, it’s the most powerful who have him in their grips.

ONE MADMAN. TWO HOSTAGES.

It’s not just that the high-up, rogue government agent has abducted the only two people Riley loves: it’s the fact that Riley has to do the man’s dirty work to set them free. It’s something Riley ordinarily would find a modest day’s work, infiltrating a madman’s Soviet missile silo in one of the world’s most remote places, all to find a secret on a tiny flash drive—but he’s never had to race the clock like this.

SOMETIMES TRUTH CAN BE A THREE-EDGED SWORD.

From its vivid, remote locales to its John Wick-meets-Deadpool dialogue, this gripping heist novel from Jeff Lindsay, author of the Dexter series, is everything: an utterly escapist, must-read novel of espionage, thievery, love and betrayal. It twists, it turns, and keeps everything on the line until the very end. Even for Riley, it looks like this time, the only way out is through.

Author: Jeff Lindsay
First Release: 2022
Ebook: B09TZPX8TS
Publisher: Dutton