Fool Moon

In the second book of The Dresden Files, a werewolf is on the loose in Chicago and appears to be targeting the local mafia. Meanwhile, Dresden is on the outs with his cop-friend, Murphy, and the tension between them doesn't make solving the case any easier.

Like the first book, this one had plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing. I didn't quite solve the mystery before Dresden, but as soon as the book gave me the answer I saw how all the clues added up. I think that definitely speaks to a well-constructed mystery, and I'm looking forward to more of this.

Dresden continues to be rather sexist. He hides behind his chivalry to excuse a lot of his behavior. Sometimes the text seems to be calling him out on this. For example, Harry has a tendency to withhold information from women "for their own good" or "to protect them". But this almost always backfires and he realizes that he should have been more forthcoming from the beginning. I'm hoping this will lead to a change in this kind of behavior soon. On the other hand, the women are still mostly being described in terms of how physically attractive they are. Even when Harry is fighting for his life, he can't help but comment on the fantastic breasts of the woman he's fighting. Five or six times. It gets really old.

But, as with the first book, the mystery carries me through. And the magic. I really like the way magic works in this world, and there's a surprisingly good exposition scene where Harry is making potions and learning about werewolves. Alternating between the two topics keeps the scene fresh and exciting. I can only hope that Harry goes through some serious personal growth soon.

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