Things that go bump in the night

Title: Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (Book 3 of the Dresden Files)
Publisher: ROC a division of Penguin Putnam Publishing
378 pages
Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis: In all Harry Dresden's years of supernatural sleuthing, he's never faced anything like this: the spirit world's gone postal. All over Chicago, ghosts are causing trouble - and not just of the door slamming, boo shouting variety.  These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly.  Someone or something is purposely stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc.  But why? And why do so many of the victims have ties to Harry?

Review: Its always difficult to review books in a series without giving anything away but here goes nothing.  This is the third Harry Dresden book that I've read, and this one was better than the first two.  I was a huge fan of the SyFy series that only ran for one season and then realized that there were books!

The books are different than the series but equally as good.  Harry is witty, faulty and heroic.  He often finds himself in no-win situations where his options both suck but he finds a way free often beaten to the point of death but alive.  Grave Peril is a bit of a vampire hunting, ghost adventure with wizardry thrown in.  It will be interesting to see where the series goes from here since his actions in this book start a chain reaction that will bring the White Council (those who guard the wizards) down on his head.  I'm going to assume they don't kill him since there are something like 12 books in this series.

I like the Jim Butchers take on Wizards, and what they can do, can't do and some of their limitations.  For instance they don't seem to interact too well with technology so Harry's home has no lights except candles and a fire place for heat.  His office is constantly blowing light bulbs and he prefers to take the stairs instead of elevators so he doesn't get stuck.  Guns stop working, cars get fried etc...which makes living in Chicago a problem.  These are fun reads with amusing, sarcastic and witty dialog  that makes you chuckle.  If you're a fantasy, witch, wizard fan you will like this series and all the many characters that Harry meets, befriends and kills.

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