I have enjoyed all of the books in the series and this one is no exception.

I really like the way Mr. Butcher has filled out the world of Harry Dresden, introducing us to many people and creatures Harry deals with on a regular basis, as well as characters that only appear in a single book. In this book we learn something rather shocking about an individual Harry deals with on a semi-regular basis. We also witness his continuing struggle with the Vampire Courts and the Chicago PD. On the bright side, the White Council of Wizards leaves him pretty much alone this time around.

Harry's friend, Thomas, a vampire from the White Court, asks Harry for a favor: His friend, Arturo Genosa, an adult film producer, believes than an entropy curse has been laid upon him. The women in his films are meeting untimely and intriguingly spectacular deaths, and Arturo doesn't know why. As Harry investigates, he wonders if the studio Arturo left behind could be behind it all. But as his investigation continues, new information comes to light and it becomes more than that.

Meanwhile, Mavra, a vampire from the Black Court is back - and is after Harry. He hires Kincaid to help him get rid of her and recruits his cop friend, Murphy, and his mentor and teacher, Ebenezar McCoy, knowing that he and Kincaid can't do it alone.

Thomas's family becomes involved in Harry's investigation of the entropy curse, leaving Harry confused and wondering if Thomas set him up. However, a soulgaze with Thomas brings forth something that Harry had never known: Harry's mother had been one of Lord Raith's women - the head of the White Court vampires and Thomas's brother. Thomas is Harry's half-brother.

And just when Harry is left wondering if there are any more surprises... Harry learns that Kincaid isn't exactly human. He also learns that Ebenezar is also known as Blackstaff McCoy - the one who takes care of the `ugly' matters that the White Council won't take care of themselves. Ebenezar has done things he's not proud of, including lying to Harry. It was Thomas's father, Lord Raith, who had found Harry's mother, Margaret LeFay, and killed her shortly after Harry was born. Now, more than ever, Harry is determined to get rid of Lord Raith.

Holy crow, did a lot of things come to light in this book. Harry's friendship with Murphy grows deeper, and Murphy learns she has more courage than she thought she had. He wonders if Mavra is gone for good and how he's going to get the funds to pay Kincaid before Kincaid's `deadline'. Thomas is his brother, who has been banned from the Raith House and is now staying with Harry for the moment. Arturo's entropy curse has been put to rest. He is unsure if he'll ever forgive Ebenezar.

As with all the Dresden novels, the magic and action are pumped up, raising this reader's adrenaline. I love how Harry manages to figure out everything, fitting all the pieces together. The mix of friends and enemies are always at the forefront, and Harry's sarcasm comes out more and more. I love his quirkiness, his relationship with Murphy as well as Bob. The author manages to give the reader explanations to rituals and rules, both Black Court and White Court vampires alike; their differences in powers and formalities. But he doesn't go overboard, avoids creating anything formal as to limiting his story line for future novels. Butcher's blend of paranormal/supernatural, occult beliefs and magic creates a world unlike any other - something distinct that you can't compare to other series' in this genre. Bravo, Mr. Butcher!

You can't get better than Harry Dresden. This series is highly recommended to those who like paranormal and sci-fi novels.

THE BEST HARRY DRESDEN BOOK SO FAR. A GOOD PLOT IF A LITTLE INTRICATE. BUCHER'S HUMOR COMES THROUGH FOR THE FIRST TIME. WISE CRACKING HARRY IS A REAL TREAT.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED/

This book opens with a trademark Harry Dresden move: fleeing a burning building. It's the fault of the giant monkey demons who are hurling napalm pooh. Harry races to his car, which has been eaten by mold demons...With a chortle of laughter, the reader settles in for another wild ride in Chicagoland as imagined by Jim Butcher.

Harry gets to live every boy's dream: he's hired to help out on the set of a porn picture because the director thinks someone has cursed him. In previous books the bad guys popped up with such monotonous regularity one could mark one's page with them. There's more focus and a greater sense of urgency to this plot.

BLOOD RITES is the sixth in the series but it is the first to link strongly to the previous books and the first to explore Harry's past. Harry was given a little more depth in book five, but in this book, without any break in the action, Harry learns things he didn't know and confronts unpleasant truths about his mentor Ebenezar McCoy. I don't want to give any spoilers so all I will say is that Harry helps out his half-brother and gets adopted by a puppy. The ending is solid and as happy as anything ever gets for Harry, but certain elements provide great foreshadowing and sent me racing down to the bookstore to get the next one. Thanks, Jim!

This was by far the worst book of the series. After I finished it, I decided that I was not going to continue the series; I was done. I am glad that I changed my mind, because books 7 and 8 were fantastic, Blood Rites was below average. As in all of his novels, Butcher creates great character depth. Additionally, the overall plot (the war with the Red Court, the drama with the White Council, the Nevernever, his involvement with the fairies) progresses in this novel. However, the fact that he uses the set of a porn film for this book was a little over the top. I have problems believing that this is where supernatural beings would wage battle. This novel can't be skipped because of its importance to the series, but I wish it could be.

Blood Rites is another masterpiece by Jim Butcher. Where Else can you get Flaming Monkey poo, Assasins, Hellfire, Vampire Porn stars, a dash of Fallen angel and Family all tied up into 2 detective cases and a personal grudge. Its great to see characters from the previous books and the tying up of some lose ends.

Still loven' the Harry Dresden Files. He still keeps me guessing. Good book, was hooked.

These books are great! If you love science fiction you will love these books. The author is funny, witty and holds your interest from cover to cover. I ordered the complete set and read through it in a week! I hope they bring the television series back to SciFi. It is more entertaining a series that SciFi brought back, Dr. Who, or as I call it "the doctor's non habit forming sleep remedy"! I'm going to reread them soon since I enjoyed them so much! I'm sure there were things I missed on the first go around. I'm also looking forward to the next book in the series.

I'm something of a reluctant fan of the Dresden Files series. The whole premise behind the series seems a bit silly, and the quality of the books has been somewhat uneven. Still, there's something about Wizard Harry and his misfit companions (why does that sound familiar?) that is downright irresistible.

In Blood Rites, Harry is still in the midst of his one-wizard war with the Red Court of Vampires (though the book focuses only on the Black and White Courts). The plot of the book is split between Harry's discovery and planned annihilation of a Black Court nest and Harry's sole Vampire ally Thomas Raith enlisting Harry's help to protect a friend's adult film studio from magical harm. The latter plotline finds Harry dangerously entangled in a White Court power struggle. The Black Court storyline is handled well and probably should have been the subject of an entire novel. It had a Vampire$ feel to it, which is a big plus in my book. The White Court storyline was compelling for a different reason. The adult film/evil eye part of it was, to be blunt, stupid, but the detailed look into the politics, powers, and players of the White Court was quite interesting.

As interesting as each Vampire Court storyline was, they both took a back seat to the revelations Blood Rites contained regarding Harry's background and lineage. This is just the kind of character development the series needed, and will make for some very interesting reading ahead.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
I am hooked on Harry Dresden!
Keep up the good work Jim Butcher!!

Blood Rites (2004) is the sixth urban fantasy novel in the Harry Dresden series, following Death Masks. In the previous volume, John Marcone grabbed the Shroud from Nicodemus and jumped off the train into the river. Michael Carpenter attacked Nicodemus and was overwhelming him, but then Nicodemus pulled a gun and shot Michael several times through his breastplate. Harry temporarily overcame Nicodemus and got Michael off the train.

Marcone pulled Harry from the river with the Shroud. After that, Harry didn't remember anything until he woke up in Charity's guest room. Marcone still had the Shroud. By following the gang boss around the city, Harry finally learned why Marcone had commissioned the theft of the Shroud.

In this novel, Harry is running hard down the abandoned school hallway with a box of puppies in his arms. The old school is on fire, but not because of him. Three monkey demons are chasing him, throwing gobs of flaming monkey poop at him and starting fires all along the corridors. One puppy keeps climbing up and barking at the monkey demons.

Once Harry drops the box and the puppies fall out. Harry scoops them up and starts running again, but the little notched-ear pup has been left behind. As he stands growling at the monkeys, Harry turns back, gathers him up and starts running again. Finally he gets outside the building and runs toward the Blue Beetle.

A larger version of the monkey demons bursts out of the doors. The other three monkeys ram the large demon and are absorbed, making the large demon become still larger. This entity spreads his wings and takes off, buzzing the Blue Beetle. Harry yells at Thomas to start the car, then dives in the passenger side and stuffs the box of puppies into the back.

The flying monkey throws incendiaries at the Volkswagen. Thomas hangs onto Harry's leg as he hangs out the door and blasts the monkey. Then Harry has Thomas stop the car and blasts the demon right between the eyes. Scratch one demon, at least for a little while!

Harry passes the box of puppies on to his client, but fails to notice the notch-eared pup under the seat. When he finds the pup, his client has already left for Tibet and is unavailable. Harry decides to keep the pup for a while until he can make some other arrangements.

In this story, Thomas asks Harry to talk to an erotic film producer who seems to be suffering from a curse. Arturo is Greek and has three ex-wives. His female associates are dying in strange ways. Harry wonders if the man has been cursed with an entropy spell, but also considers an Evil Eye curse. He finally agrees to talk with Arturo.

Harry reports to work the next day at the makeshift studio. As a production assistant, he is basically a gofer. At least he will be able to observe the crew and sense the curse first hand. That morning, Harry senses an evil magic rising near him and tracks it to a staff restroom. Another woman has been badly hurt and only saved from death by Harry's timely intervention.

Later, Harry finds out that Lara -- one of the actresses -- is the older sister of Thomas. She is a vamp in more than one sense of the word. She exudes sexuality, but what would you expect from a White Court vampire?

This story involves ancient Greek witchcraft and modern contract law. Harry begins to understand the motivation for the murders, but not the means. He suspects that an experienced and talented sorcerer is behind the curse, but is otherwise clueless. He starts checking out Arturo's financial circumstances.

Highly recommended for Butcher fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of exotic magic, strange deaths, and a stubborn wizard.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Another Magical ride with Harry. Excellent as was the previous
1 through 5.

I can't say it any clearer than this: you should read every book in this series. Start at the beginning and work your way through to the latest book. If you like fantasy, mystery, suspense...these books will not disappoint. Harry Dresden is an engaging and sympathetic character: funny, determined, intelligent, with just the right amount of angst in his history. And the secondary characters are each equally as interesting. If you've seen the TV series on SciFi channel, you'll love these books. And if you haven't - you should still read these books.

While the plot of "Blood Rites" seems rather more light and frothy than the previous book "Death Masks", "Blood Rites" also manages to become significant in the journey of its protagonist Harry Dresden.

It's difficult to take psychic (even perhaps sex?) vampires making porn too seriously, but as part of Harry's emotional journey, the events of "Blood Rites" seem to have some great signficance and appear to have consequences which will linger.

A fun read. Essential to the series with some surprisingly serious consequences to what is a more or less relatively light plot (probably because it deals with Thomas, the amusing vampire introduced to the series in "Grave Peril". In fact, several elements of "Grave Peril" reappear in this book, not as a retread but as a step-forward of the series.)

Jim gives us a look into a little of Harry's past. Spectacular book!

like all dresden stories slightly predictable well drawn charecters and plenty of action and introspection by the title charecter a supernatural version of michael connely 's Harry bosch

Blood Rites is the 6th addition to the Dresden Files series and it doesn't dissapoint. How can any book that has flaming monkey poo be bad. Yes flaming monkey poo, but thats the kind of off humor taht makes this Series great.

Blood rites has everything that is needed for a great read: a tall dark wizard, handsome and sexy vampires, a cute little puppy, and people generally trying to kill each other all the time. Whats not to love?

I'm serious if you want to escape reality for a while this is a good book to pick up, don't worry if you haven't read the previous books in the series, Jim Butcher does a fantasic job of getting new readers up to speed without annoying the faithful followers.

Blood Rites is the 6th addition to the Dresden Files series and it doesn't dissapoint. How can any book that has flaming monkey poo be bad. Yes flaming monkey poo, but thats the kind of off humor taht makes this Series great.

Blood rites has everything that is needed for a great read: a tall dark wizard, handsome and sexy vampires, a cute little puppy, and people generally trying to kill each other all the time. Whats not to love?

I'm serious if you want to escape reality for a while this is a good book to pick up, don't worry if you haven't read the previous books in the series, Jim Butcher does a fantasic job of getting new readers up to speed without annoying the faithful followers.

I enjoyed the first few books but by the sixth book I just couldn't read anymore about vampires. I wish the author would add some other type of villains besides vampires. Are there no other types of villains for a wizard to conquer? Too much of the same.....

I was nerver really much into this type of book, till my good friend read one and recommended them. She liked them so much I read one and enjoyed the story line so well, I got the idea to buy her the set so I could borrow them to read! The set came in perfect conditon, quick deliver and on time for my friends birthday. Will check you out for future purchases!

Happy New Year!

I couldn't get through my first Dresden novel. I made it about 120 pages and realized it wasn't worth continuing. How anyone can enjoy reading about this buffoon is beyond me. The humor is on the level of the Police Academy movies (and not the first one, the only good one) and the plot unfolds at a snail's pace. Butcher should be forced to read Raymond Carver so he can learn how a detective novel should be written. I gave the novel an extra star because the idea of porno vampires is titillating. Too bad Butcher couldn't match the quality of his prose with originality of the premise.

This book, like all of the Jim Butcher Dresden series, is wonderfully fun, hilarious, scary, sexy, surprising, and action-packed. Harry Dresden's character continues to advance as a man and a wizard, with many exciting new discoveries regarding Harry's past - and what may be his future. A spell-binding book (pun intended), this is a must-have for fantasy fans. By the way, Jim Butcher is the only author that makes me laugh OUT LOUD when I read his books. Although many of Harry's adventures are dark and depressing, Harry's sharp tongue and witty repartee with bad guys (and his own internal self-deprecating monologue in tense situations) make these books fun to read not just once, but over and over again. Please keep up the work, Mr. Butcher, and write faster! I can't wait to read more about Harry Dresden.

No sooner does Harry Dresden escapes from one problem than he jumps into several more. He has agreed to a case Thomas, White Court vampire and incubus, wants him to solve. Various people who work at an independent adult film production company have died with what appears to be dark magic. The film producer thinks that someone is doing this to compromise his work. Now Harry has to work undercover and find the person responsible before more people turn out dead. To make matters worse, the Black Court of vampires want to get rid of him, he has made a deal with a no-nonsense killer, and his mother's past is revealed. And all of this goes on around the same time he reluctantly takes on a pet puppy. There are many twists throughout the novel.

I loved all of the interesting twists and turns in this installment. The reader finally learns some things regarding Harry's family. That is my favorite part of the novel. I also liked the fact that this offering centered is more or less on Thomas. I never thought much of him during past books other than the fact that he seemed like a fun vampire. I enjoyed the twists regarding the aforementioned character. Speaking of characters, there are several new ones in this book. I liked succubus vampire Lara and the other members of the film production. They brought a great deal of entertainment to the plot. Kincaid struck me as an Edward-type character (from Anita Blake) in which you don't know whether he's good or evil. The aforementioned character was in Death Masks, but he was further developed in this one. And I loved the twist regarding Thomas. He has become quite a compelling character. And then of course there are the old favorites, like Murphy and Bob. I also loved the language. The narrative and dialogue get funnier as the series progresses. I like how Butcher adds humor into the mix. Blood Rites is the best Harry Dresden novel to date. This series is right up there amongst my favorites. I look forward to picking up Dead Beat next month.

With a blend of gore, humor and pathos we learn more of Harry background while he fights the monsters. For those who like woo-woo with their mystery, this is a great series which keeps getting better, and is best read in order.

Once again, Jim Butcher does not disappoint. This series has evolved into a riveting read. I will not summerize the plot, since other reviewers have done it so well, but I would like to comment on the type of story.

This books begins to read like the original Anita Blake books did, only without the repetitive phrasing. It is a great blend of humor, adventure, and action. There is action galore in this book. So much action, in fact, that when reading before bedtime I couldn't find a good stopping point. I had to just keep reading and reading until I fell asleep in the middle of a chapter. It was a very entertaining read.

In the previous books, Harry was the only well-defined character, while all the supporting cast seemed rather cardboard. In Blood Rites, Mr. Butcher begins to flesh out the supporting characters. Thomas, Murphy, and Ebeneezer begin to act more like real "people" as opposed to the one-dimensional things whose only purpose is to push the plot along. I also found Kincaid to be a great addition to the cast. I look forward to seeing more of him in the future, hopefully with an unraveling of his history.

Finally, I would like to say that I was hooked from the first book in the series, but I found Blood Rites to be the most well-written in the series. I eagerly await the next installment in the Harry's saga.

Halfway through reading Butcher's first Dresden novel, Storm Front, I bought the whole series. I couldn't put them down, reading the whole lot over just a couple of weeks. As with all his books, Blood Rites is fast paced, entertaining, and great fun. As Chicago's only professional wizard Harry takes on the cases that no one else can handle (nor would most want to). His juvenile wise cracks, self-depreciating humor, and overdeveloped sense of responsibility make a likeable hero out of a guy who'd be extraordinarily powerful if he could just get out of his own way.

This time the White vampire (incubus) Thomas asks our hero to put a stop to an entropy spell that is plaguing Arturo Genosa, his porn director friend before any more of his associates die from the curse. The plot has some interesting twists (e.g., revealing more about Harry's family history and blood relations) and the characterizations and dialog are up to Butcher's fabulous standards. Even the bit characters like the mercenary Kincaid are well developed and great fun. I suspect that the dog foreshadows interesting possibilities for the next book too. The relationship between Dresden and Murphy matures realistically and well in keeping with their personas.

Blood Rites is another outstanding tome in an incredible series. There are a whole lot of entries in the whole supernatural alternate reality genre thing, yet as other writers tend to become stale over time Butcher continues to crank out fresh, fascinating novels. Wholeheartedly recommended!

I've been hooked on this series from book one Storm Front and there these books just got better and better. After re-reading Death Masks and finally excepting Harry and Susan's break-up that I took really hard, because I thought they were so good together. Harry finally finds out more about his family and secrets about his mother that he never knew. Things also heat up for Karin Murphy a detective and Harry. Also he gets to fight Vampires and finds out that he has a brother who I won't tell who he is. I enjoyed the flying Monkeys and his new family member, a dog? I highly recommend this series and I'm anxious for the next book in the series called Deadbeat. I also hope that Jim plans to bring Susan back she prove to be a valuable friend and allie to Harry in the future. Read this series,but start with book one because all his books build from his previous ones.

I'm not sure that it is technically accurate to label this latest stanza in the 'Dresden File' series a pleasant surprise, since all of the books have been enjoyable reading. But author Jim Butcher has managed to take a series that was showing signs of being pleasantly predictable and up the level just a bit. Much of this has been accomplished by developing Harry Dresden into something more than a Chicago wizard with an overly developed sense of responsibility (and possible an overactive thyroid). He has developed more of the sense of self-awareness I would expect from a professional wizard, although I would say that Harry's judgment is still has a bit of adolescent about it.

Another part of this growth stems from the fleshing out of the basic Dresden plot, which is Harry in trouble with the wizard's White Council and hunted by the various vampire courts. That hasn't changed much. This time Harry is trying to put a stop to a new Black Court effort to end his life while keeping a deadly evil eye curse from bankrupting a porno film startup company. The latter effort puts Harry at odds with the head of the Vampire's White Court. We get to experience both the delights of the film stage and the wild action of a raid on a Black Court lair.

Butcher makes this come alive by filling in a lot of the blanks about his vampire's society and politics, while stepping up the heat on Harry's relationship with Lt. Karrin Murphy, the head of Special Investigation. Throw in the development of several other collateral characters and you have an action story with interesting characters. This works well, because Butcher seems to know when to back off from the melodramatic and let people behave like people (or vampires) in a serious conflict..

Of course, the usual spookiness and ritual magic are there as always. Magic works in Butcher's alternate reality, and it sometimes works with a vengeance. The author sometimes takes a moment to explain how such things are supposed to work, but wisely, he avoids creating a formal system that would limit story development. Instead he blends magic, supernatural, and the occult as needed to get the right effect. I'm not a purist, and Butcher manages to avoid glaring self-contradiction. Keep in mind that this genre is beginning to get crowded with Harry Dresden's and Anita Blake's. Butcher's stories maintain a distinct identity and style that is beginning to be imitated, which is the best recommendation of all.

Jim's books have never disappointed, but BLOOD RITES raised the bar to Olympic levels ... this is a great book, full of twists, turns, hilarious dialogue, hair-raising suspense, characters you love and villains who raise the stakes to whole new levels. An absolutely first-rate read from an absolutely first-rate author. Can't recommend it highly enough. Go! Read! But be sure to budget a large block of time, because you will not want to put it down ...

Harry Dresden is not your ordinary PI. He's a wizard. You'd think that would make his life easier. No, his mere presence fries computers. He has to drive an ancient VW Beetle because anything modern won't work. However, Harry has a lot of good friends---Murphy the diminuitive police officer, Mister his 20 pound bruiser of a cat, Bob--a spirit trapped in a skull, etc.

He's got a paying client. Turns out to be a producer of porn movies who's trying to get rid of an entropy curse which he initially believes is directed at him.

Through a wild set of events, Harry ends up adopting a dog, taking on the White Court Vampires (incubi and succubi) and finding a brother. Overall, a great read. Hard to put down.

I started reading this series late, so I was able to read the first five books all in a row. This was the first of the series that I had to wait for, and it was more than worth it.

If you haven't read any of the previous installments, then let me be the first to welcome you to the world of Harry Dresden, wizard for hire. I would strongly recommend that you go back to the beginning and start with "Storm Front" and work your way up from there. Believe me, it's a great ride. If you start with this book you should be able to get up to speed fairly quickly, but you may not understand who some of these characters are. Butcher does give a bit of backstory as he goes, but you'll be so caught up by the story that you may well miss the few details he scatters around.

The important things to know about this series:
Butcher is an above-average writer with an ability to tell a story that is well-plotted, fast-paced, moving, interesting, and more than occasionally funny as heck.

Harry is one of the most interesting characters to come along in quite a while. His backstory is satisfying but still leaves enough unanswered questions to keep the series going for a while. He is also, occasionally, a son of a b***h.

The world of this series is a place full of vampires, werewolves (a few different kinds of each) and lots of other things that go "bump" in the night. It is also full of heroism, honor, daring, and sometimes even love.

These books read like a mixture of Buffy, Sam Spade, and Terry Pratchett. If you don't know who any of them are, then you need to get busy because there is a lot of great entertainment waiting for you. And Jim Butcher's novels are a good place to start.

I really enjoy this series, but I agree with the other reviewers that Harry didn't really seem to have much of a life. In this book he finally discovers his family, learns disturbing things about someone he loves, and adopts a puppy that has foo heritage.
Very cool.
As usual, lots of humor, and several laugh-out-loud funny moments help to balance the darkness and bloodshed.
In addition, the character of Murphy also continues to develop and she makes the story richer. She is no longer the Xena-cop of the first books. Instead, she is developing more of an emotional life and a past. We meet one of her exes and her family, and see her relationship with Harry deepening. Who knows how things will develop.
We also learn more about the 3 vampire courts. Very interesting, in a disturbing kind of way. The Red court are demons in a shell of human flesh, Black vampires are more traditionally Stokerish, with rot and decay thrown in, but in many ways, the White court is the creepiest. They draw their power in through lust and seduction, making thier victims want to die, writhing in pleasure. Yikes.
I started reading this this morning and couldn't put it down until I'd finished it. Now I am tempted to read it all over again.
This book would make a great addition to your library!

If you are new to the series, I would recommend starting at the beginning with Storm Front. That being said, this book is awesome. Please don't be put off by the "similarities" to the Harry Potter books. Having read both, I can assure you the only similarity is in the name and that both use magic. After that they are not similar at all and personally, Harry Dresden is way cooler!!!
While this book isn't my favorite of the series, I am very happy with the fact that Butcher seems to be taking it to the next level and really developing Harry's character. And I especially like the added depth to Thomas, since he's one cool vampire.

My one complaint, and it really is rather groundless, is the WARNING DO NOT CONTINUE TO READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ DEATH MASKS--way Butcher seems to be perhaps moving towards having Harry become involved with the Fallen.

Anyways, read these books!

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the books in this series. But, frankly poor Harry didnt really seem to have a life until this episode. He may have lots of power as a wizard and certainly lots of adventure in dealing with the "dark side", but something was definitely missing. As a dog lover myself I was delighted at the addition of "Mouse", not to mention Thomas the vampire. I liked Mouse immediately as a puppy with attitude. Somehow these additions provide a needed softening of Harry's edges and relieve some of the depression and dissatisfaction at the end of the other stories. I am also happy about the further rounding out of Murphy's character and the underlying possibilities between her and Harry.

I hope all of this means further continuation of the stories and further developments of the characters. I enjoyed this book the best of the six I have read so far and am looking forward anxiously to new additions to the series.

Okay, I stumbled upon the Dresden files last summer and quickly read through the first 5 books. This is the best of the bunch and you don't have to read all the others to enjoy this book, however, I think it's sacriledge if you do pick this up without reading the other. Jim Butcher does a good job just in making the book very self-contained, exciting stuff. I tried to pace myself with this one, but ended up finishing behind closed doors at my office when I should have been working. Great book!

Jim Butcher has an amazing skill, I think genius level on how to pace a book. From page one the pace of this book is outstanding. I can't remember the last book I read that didn't have a "slow part". I typically read from two points of view: wannabe writer and lifetime reader. Usually I tackle the reader side first and then, if worthy, go back a second time with a writer's perspective. I couldn't help but do both. This was just a FUN read. The story is interesting, great characterization, dialogue is snappy, at times contemporary but always on point. High on entertainment, good messaging about family and wanting of such. You will play this book like a movie in your head. You probably have ideas of current actors who could play the leads. When this does get the Hollywood TV treatment all I can tell folks is READ the books. It will make great TV/Movie but you can't appreciate the texture of a well written and paced book.

Well done Mr. Butcher. I highly recommend this book to those who are not into High Fantasy but more of an realistic urban fantasy.

Thomas, vampire of the white court has helped Harry in the past and is now calling in his favours to get Harry to investigate a lethal case of evil eye happening on a friend's "adult" film set. It seems a simple request - stop the hex and find the bad guys.

Then the Black Court vampires hit town and start attempting to kill Harry - he's target no.1 and the vampire-wizard war is still on. Like all the other books in this series, this is novel moves along at a quick pace with poor Harry getting bashed by one set of bad guys after another. Harry also finds out family secrets from an unexpected source that will change his life, and the way he views the world forever.

These continue to be well written mystery-action and magic novels that build on one another. While this could be read alone, these books are best read in sequence as Harry's reactions make more sense when you understand the implications of his past cases. I'm very much looking forward to the next book in this series.

This is the sixth book in the Dresden series. Harry Dresden is Chicago's only practicing wizard investigator and is listed in the yellow pages. He's young, single, and good-hearted. A vampire friend (there are three kinds of vampires, Red, White and Black Court) wants him to investigate a case for him. A movie producer is being cursed, and the women around him keep on dying in strange ways. As usual, Harry jumps right in, is chivalrous and heroic to the end, and there's plenty of action on every page. Demons, puppies, vampires, police, mysterious assassins, wizards, succubi, it's all there. However, this book was different from the previous five because at the end of the book, Harry and his life had changed forever. This series used to be frustrating to read because each book would end with very little changed about the character or his circumstances, like a sit-com. But with this latest installment, there was more heart, non-stop action as usual, and new relationships being formed, so that it was more like an exciting installment of a dramatic series. Butcher writes very well, there's no mad clap farcical world (Terry Prachett or Christopher Moore) or weird angst - Harry's just a regular guy with bad luck days - just that his bad lucks tend to include demon assassins, homocidal succubi...

As the only wizard who outed himself, he has more business than he can handle even though many people do not believe that Harry Dresden performs real magic. White Court Vampire Thomas, who feeds on human energy instead of blood, has done Harry many favors over the years without asking for anything in return. So when Thomas finally needs Harry's help, the wizard drops every thing to assist his pal.

Porno movie producer Arturo Genosa has opened his own production company, but someone cast an entropy evil eye spell that kills the women around him. Harry is to protect the females while also discovering who is casting such a powerful and deadly spell forbidden by the Council of Wizards. Complicating the situation is the return of the bloodsucking Black Court vampire Mavra, who wants Harry dead. Since she has magical powers, she might succeed in drinking a bloody toast at Harry's corpse.

The sixth Dresden File is the ultimate amalgam of fantasy, horror, and mystery similar to the best works of Laurell K. Hamilton and Tanya Huff. Harry suffers plenty of physical and ensorcelled trauma, but keeps on fighting as he believes in his cause. He also realizes that he really likes a certain pain in the butt Chicago police lieutenant so that in spite of the mundane and mystical assaults he feels pretty good about his life. Jim Butcher provides another triumphant tale that will garner him more readers wanting the next Dresden file.

Harriet Klausner