IF POSSIBLE,WILL COMBINE BOOKS TO SAVE ON POSTAGE-SOFT COVER-LARGE SIZEAfter the events of the previous book, Dexter Morgan is eager to resume his hobby of stalking violent criminals, but first, he must endure a honeymoon in Paris with his unsuspecting wife, Rita. At an art gallery, the couple view an avant-garde performance piece in which the artist amputates her own limb. Upon returning home, Dexter finds that his relationship with his sister, Debra, has become strained since she learned of his murderous pastime. Debra, now a sergeant in the Miami-Dade Police Department's homicide unit, is torn between loyalty to Dexter and her duty as a police officer to arrest him.

Dexter is called to investigate a gruesome tableau on a local beach, where a pair of bodies have been mutilated and arranged in a display that parodies the state's tourist trade. At home, Rita is concerned for her children, Cody and Astor, who appear withdrawn and different from normal children. Dexter knows that they share his pathology and has promised to train them to kill those who deserve it, as his adoptive father, Harry, trained him. Cody is enrolled as a Cub Scout, which Rita believes will help him to bond with normal children. Dexter believes that it will help him learn how to pretend to be normal.