Grave Peril

The third book in The Dresden Files is equal parts ghost story and vampire story, with some faeries thrown in for flavor. There's even a brief cameo by a dragon. I really like that Butcher's getting more comfortable with the supernatural and is willing to throw so many things into the mix. He does a good job of delineating the various creatures, giving them their own social and political structures, desires and abilities. For everything that's in this book it never feels too cluttered.

The mystery is also really well constructed. I didn't quite solve it before Harry did, but as soon as he figured out who it was I saw all the clues I'd missed during my read. I hope I get better at figuring out who the bad guy is. Then again, I appreciate that these books do a good job of keeping me on my toes.

My only complain about this book is the way Butcher introduces some new characters. Grave Peril takes place over a year after Fool Moon and in that time Dresden has become friends with some new people and made some new enemies. A lot of this information is presented as though Butcher is simply recapping a previous book, which made me think I'd missed a book. And some of the concern Dresden feels over the new characters is a little strained. He may have cared about Micky Malone for a year, but I just met him, so the curse he's under doesn't quite pack the punch it's supposed to.

Still, the world is fun and interesting and I like the way that it's expanding. Harry's getting a bit better on the patronizing women front. He still insists on describing all of them in terms of how attractive they are, but he's also a little more willing to accept that they can take care of themselves. Then again, given what happens to his girlfriend, that could have all been undone. At the very least, the plot and world are keeping me distracted from the fact that I don't particularly like the narrator. And that's no small feat.

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