Proven Guilty

April 3, 2006
Harry Dresden, Chicago's only consulting wizard, takes on phobophages, creatures that feed on fear who attack a horror film convention, in the diverting eighth installment of Butcher's increasingly complicated Dresden Files series (Dead Beat
, etc.). Harry finds that fighting monsters is only the prelude to maneuvers amid the warring wizards of the White Council and the vampire Red Court. Less and less V.I. Warshawski with witchcraft, Harry aims his deductive powers at political intrigues rather than crime solving. The body count from the magical melees, however, would do any hard-boiled gumshoe proud. Butcher's believable, likable set of characters go for the jocular much more than the jugular. Deeper fears do run through the book, and Harry, taking on an apprentice, has to face up to the consequences of his all-too-human failings. Look for the series to really take off with the debut of a two-hour pilot on the Sci-Fi Channel this summer produced by Nicholas Cage.

Starred review from April 15, 2006
When a wave of black magic threatens Chicago, private investigator Harry Dresden, the newest wizard appointed to the White Council of Wizards, receives the assignment to protect the city's mortal population. The difficulty of this task becomes apparent as the teenage daughter of an old friend, a horror convention that acts as a magnet for dark forces, a pair of mortal champions of the Summer Court of Faerie, and a Fallen angel determined to seduce Harry all conspire to complicate an already delicate situation. The latest addition to Butcher's modern fantasy crime series (after Dead Beat) maintains the high standards of previous entries while introducing new surprises and revisiting a host of memorable supporting characters. A TV pilot based on the series and produced by Nicholas Cage is due to air in the summer of 2006, so expect demand. Highly recommended for libraries of all sizes.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2006
The second Dresden Files hardcover finds Chicago wizard Harry Dresden assigned an unpleasant task by the White Council of Wizards. He has to find out where the Winter Fairy Court stands in the White Council's war against the vampires. To make matters worse, he has gotten a missive from a powerful wizard claiming someone is using black magic in Chicago. It doesn't take long for Harry to pinpoint the source of the problem. Molly, the daughter of a close friend, comes to him for help after her boyfriend is accused of attacking an elderly theater owner at a horror-movie convention. When another attack occurs and Harry sees the dangerous type of magic used, he knows he is dealing with a very serious threat indeed. Butcher is in fine form here, and with the Sci Fi channel in the process of turning the first Dresden Files novel, " Storm Front" (2000), into a TV movie, expect the series' audience to grow.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)