White Night

Jim Butcher

4/6/2008

There appears to be a new serial killer around Chicago. S/he is targeting low level practitioners of magic - witches and wiccans - humans with some magic abilities. Sargeant Murphy immediately suspects something unusual and calls Harry Dresden for help. The first victim he sees has a hidden message for him to find - Exodus 22:18. "Suffer not a witch to live."

When he starts investigating within the supernatural community he discovers he is one of their suspects. There have been sightings of a tall man in a gray cloak seen with the dead or missing women right before they disappeared or were killed. Harry wears a gray cloak when he is acting as a Warden for the White Council of wizards. The other person who was seen around the women is his half brother, Thomas. Thomas is a vampire. He also is missing.

Molly, Harry's new apprentice, has little respect for authority. She is aware, though, that Harry saved her life and is trying to train her to be a wizard. She has a very effective veil spell and often hides herself and sneaks along with Harry when he is called out on these cases. She wants to help. He wants to keep her alive until she gets stronger. The war between the wizards and vampires is ongoing and dangerous. This serial killer may have something to do with that war.

So it's business as usual with Harry - save Chicago, kill some ghouls, train an apprentice, find his brother, and stop the vampires from becoming too strong and winning the global supernatural war. If that means working with Chicago's crime boss as well as the police - well a wizard's gotta do what a wizard's gotta do.

White Night is an easy read. The reader who is current in the series is pulled right in immediately and goes along for the ride. Jim Butcher puts enough explanation in as needed so that someone new to the series is able to determine the background and premise of this urban fantasy series. It should be enough to lure the reader into picking up the first novel, Storm Front, and reading all of the Dresden Files series.

I enjoyed the book. Since it is told in first person narrative, I was able to enjoy Harry's wisecracks as well as his own self mockery. He may seem to be a superhero type to some, a danger to others, but he knows the truth. He lets us see the wizard with all his faults and some of his success.

You can find more about White Night and all the Dresden File books at .

Notice: Violent situations

Storm Front
Fool Moon
Grave Peril
Summer Knight
Death Masks
Blood Rites
Dead Beat
Proven Guilty
White Night
Small Favor