Things are really hopping lately with Harry Dresden who has help from his friend Michael Carpenter, "The Fist of God" who holds one of the swords that contains one of the nails of the Crucifix in it. When they go to the hospital to take care of a ghost, Agatha, who had been an abused wife and accidentally killed her daughter in trying to keep her quiet when her husband came home. She then took an ax and went after her husband and killed both of them. Right now she is singing a sweet song that is putting the babies and the nurses in the nursery to death. When they attack her she runs to the Nevernever or the spirit world, so they are forced to follow her. When they do they find that she has a magical wire attached to her which is agitating her which means that someone put it there to get her worked up and cross the line and harm humans.
Unfortunately, they run into Harry's godmother, a faerie named Lea with whom he made a bargain with when he was very young and didn't know what he was doing. So whenever he comes to the Nevernever she tries to chase him down and get him to come with her and fulfill his bargain with her to be her slave. He finds ways out of this and she can't bother him in the mortal world. They are able to take care of Agatha and escape his godmother's clutches and get back to the mortal world where they have to explain what they're doing in a nursery.
Next thing Harry knows he's being called into Murphy's old partner's house, Michael Malone. Malone retired after what happened in the last book with the loup-garous. He was injured pretty badly and couldn't come back to work. Well, when Harry gets there he needs Mrs. Malone to ask him in if he is to work any of his magic since Malone's place is a home and holds strong magical properties. What he finds is a maniacal Malone handcuffed to the bed, but when he looks with his wizard's eye he sees a man who has a metal wire attached to him and someone has eaten away at his soul and a man who is in a great deal of pain. He reaches down and pulls the wire loose and then throws it out the window and sets it on fire. Malone will be fine for now unless the person or thing that did that to him in the first place comes back.
He comes to the realization after it attacks him and takes a bite out if his magic self, while he was dreaming that that was how it was getting into people, was through their dreams. Now, he's weak, but he must get to Lieutenant Murphy and Michael both of who worked the case of Kravos several months ago, about a sorcerer who had a demon familiar and used it to abuse kids and women. They caught him and killed the demon which means that the ghost of the demon is out doing all of this mischief. But who is pulling the strings? And who is causing the turbulence in the Nevernever that is making it easier for beings to cross over? He is too late to get Murphy, the demon has taken his form and is using his magic against him. He is able to put Murphy in a deep enough sleep that she will not be able to dream and therefore cannot experience the nightmares the demon has set up for her.
On top of all this, he still can't tell his girlfriend Susan that he loves her. When she finds his invitation to the Vampire Cornonation for Bianca she desperately wants to go so she can interview some vampires for her paper, but he refuses as it is dangerous and not worth going. Bianca and Harry have a contentious history, but as he is the only representative of the White Council in the area she has to invite him. But he doesn't have to go. He can be rude and not go and the White Council will probably not do much to him about it. Michael and Harry will find themselves at this ball looking for the killer since more than vampires will be there representatives of all groups will be there.
This book is a massive page-turner. I was up late into the night more than once reading just one more page to find out what happens next. I have to admit I felt stupid for not figuring it out sooner. I hated that Murphy wasn't really in this book. But it was interesting to have Michael around and his pregnant wife Charity who doesn't like Harry. Michael loses his sword and goes through a crisis of faith where he comes to believe that perhaps the sword was no longer meant to be in his possession. And Harry needs Michael to be filled with faith, which is his strength, and at his back, because he has so few people he can trust to be there. Murphy's the only other one. Harry has to deal with losing part of his powers and not knowing what to do with Susan. I really loved this book, but then I really love this series. This time he's dealing mostly with ghosts but also with some vampires. In the last book, it was werewolves or loup-garous. It's always something different. This is a fantastic book and I give it five out of five stars.
The married thing. Sometimes I look at it and feel like someone from a Dickens novel, staring at Christmas dinner. Relationships hadn’t ever worked for me. I think it had something to do with all the demons, ghosts, and human sacrifice.
-Jim Butcher (Grave Peril p 60)
I took a seat on the worn wooden stool and drew my warm robe a little closer about me. Trust me, wizards don’t wear robes for dramatic effect. They just can’t get warm enough in their labs. I knew some guys in Europe who still operated out of stone towers. I shudder to think.
-Jim Butcher (Grave Peril p 133)
Okay. We have left Reason and Sanity Junction. Next stop, Looneyville.
-Jim Butcher (Grave Peril p 174)
Five white candles surrounded my summoning circle, the points of an invisible pentacle. White for protection. And because they’re the cheapest color at Wal-Mart. Hey, being a wizard doesn’t make money grow on trees.
-Jim Butcher (Grave Peril p 231)
Revenge is like sex, Mister Dresden. It’s best when it comes on slow, quiet, until it all seems inexorable.
-Jim Butcher (Grave Peril p 312)
It only takes a couple of these rough little episodes of life to teach a man a certain amount of cynicism. Once a rogue wizard or three has tried to end your life, or some beserk hexenwolves have worked really hard to have your throat torn out, you start to expect the worst. In fact, if the worst doesn’t happen, you find yourself somewhat disappointed. So really, it was just as well that Godmother had caught up to me, in spite of my best efforts to avoid her. I’d hate to find out that the universe really wasn’t conspiring against me. It would jerk the rug out from under my persecution complex.
-Jim Butcher (Grave Peril p 365)
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