White Night (Dresden Files Series #9) by Jim Butcher

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The Barnes & Noble Review
In the ninth installment of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files -- a supernatural saga that blends hard-boiled mystery with contemporary dark fantasy -- everyone's favorite staff-toting wizard detective, Harry Dresden, investigates a series of suspicious suicides involving Chicago-based witches. Soon, though, he is drawn into a deadly and potentially apocalyptic power struggle that includes rival vampire factions, a nightmarish army of ghouls, a gangster kingpin, an undead femme fatale, and Dresden's vampiric half brother, Thomas.

When Dresden finds bizarre calling cards magically hidden on the bodies of alleged suicide victims (references to Exodus 22:18: "Suffer not a witch to live"), he sets out to find the killer before more innocent practitioners can be killed. Accompanied by tough Chicago cop Karrin Murphy, his overzealous apprentice, Molly Carpenter, and his trusty temple dog, Mouse, Dresden is shocked when he discovers that his list of suspects includes more than a few old adversaries -- and his very own brother, who has been keeping something secret…

If imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, Butcher should be more than pleased with the success of his Harry Dresden novels (Proven Guilty, Dead Beat, Blood Rites, et al.). Since the publication of Storm Front in 2000, dozens of comparable series combining pulp noir mystery with contemporary fantasy have been released -- some of which, like Charlie Huston's Joe Pitt novels and Mario Acevedo's Felix Gomez saga, are quite exceptional. Longtime fans of Butcher's series, as well as new devotees of the Sci-Fi Channel's Dresden Files show (www.scifi.com/dresden), should thoroughly enjoy Butcher's latest romp through Chicago's paranormal underworld. Paul Goat Allen

From the Publisher

Unabridged CDs • 11 CDs, 14 hours

In Chicago, someone has been killing practitioners of magic, those incapable of becoming full-fledged wizards. Shockingly, all the evidence points to Harry Dresden's half brother, Thomas, as the murderer. Determined to clear his sibling's name, Harry uncovers a conspiracy within the White Council of Wizards that threatens not only him, but his nearest and dearest, too. . . .

Publishers Weekly

At the start of Butcher's superlative ninth Dresden Files novel (after 2006's Proven Guilty), hardboiled wizard detective Harry Dresden learns that someone is killing Chicago's minor wizards. Joined by his police friend, Sergeant Murphy, and his Amazonian apprentice, Molly Carpenter, Harry discovers that his brother, Thomas, is a prime suspect. As a Warden of the White Council, at war with both the Red Court of blood-drinking vampires and the White Court of psychic vampires, Harry has to go into action. And there's plenty of that, including a battle with ghouls on the lakefront that turns into a gripping flashback of another encounter with ghouls some years before in New Mexico. The large cast features such finely drawn characters as gangster Gentleman Johnnie Marcone and Harry's first love, Elaine Mallory. This installment is sure to get a lift from The Dresden Files TV series, which debuted on the Sci-Fi Channel in January. Author tour. (Apr.)

Jackie Cassada - Library Journal

When Police Lt. Karrin Murphy calls in hard-boiled P.I. and professional wizard Harry Dresden to investigate an apparent suicide, Dresden recognizes that the deceased is, in fact, a victim of murder—and that the killer is targeting witches. Sensing a vendetta that involves the supernatural underworld of modern-day Chicago, Dresden, along with Murphy, rushes to find the killer, even if the search leads him uncomfortably close to his own family. The latest in Butcher's (Dead Beat) supernatural noir series featuring Dresden delivers a tricky plot complete with against-the-clock pacing, firefights, explosions, and plenty of magic. Longtime series fans as well as newcomers drawn by the SciFi Channel's TV series based on the novels should find this supernatural mystery a real winner. A good choice for most fantasy collections, this has strong crossover potential.

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