Red-Haired Ash Reads

It’s been a year since the previous case, and Wizard Harry Dresden has been brought in to investigate a series of killings that appear as suicides. While the cops can’t see anything, Harry is finding messages at some of the crime scenes that are meant for him. Now he has to determine who is behind everything and if that person is potentially his brother. 

This was another action packed case that comes back to dealing with the vampires, and the return of Elaine, Harry’s childhood girlfriend. I really enjoyed this one. It was a bit convoluted at times but as Harry unravels all the threads it soon becomes apparent that there is a lot more going on here than just killings. It all circled back to the vampires, their power play, and their determination to try and get rid of Harry. I was surprised by quite a few aspects of this case and it just made me enjoy the story more. 

Harry has changed a lot since the first book. In this we really get to see how he balances the light and dark within himself and how each day he is constantly battling the dark. He is still dealing with the demon Lashiel within his mind and while she is changing Harry, he is also changing her to an extent. I wasn’t expecting everything that happened with Lashiel in this, but it was very interesting and makes me wonder how this will impact Harry in the future. 

This case also involved the return of quite a few great side characters. Of course Murphy returns in this one and I love her so much. Murphy is just a badass and I love any time we get to see her and Harry take on a case together. Johnny Marcone also returns in this one and while I haven’t always loved this mobster in the past, he has grown on me. The more we learn about him the more I find myself liking him. Molly is also present in this one. She is still Harry’s apprentice and still doesn’t understand their are consequences to using magic. We see Harry really come down hard on her in this but it really helped open her eyes. I will be interested in seeing how her story progresses in this series. Elaine also returns in this one and while I don’t hate her, I was a bit surprised by how minor of a role she ended up playing in this overall. I was glad her and Harry didn’t hook up though. 

Overall, this was another action packed and interesting case for Harry. I look forward to seeing what he will be dealing with next and how the White Council continues to handle the fall out from the war. 

TW: death, including violent death of children;

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Previous books and reviews for the series:

#0.5 Restoration of Faith
#1. Storm Front
#2.  Fool Moon
#3. Grave Peril
#4. Summer Knight
#5. Death Masks
#6. Blood Rites
#7. Dead Beat
#8. Proven Guilty