Jim Butcher, Proven Guilty (Roc, 2006)

That sentence opens Proven Guilty, the eighth entry in Butcher's stellar urban fantasy series The Dresden Files. It may well be a true statement, but if Harry's any example, blood can assuredly can stain the hearts and minds of Wardens. It's painfully clear that Harry is not comfortable with his new role of Chicago's senior Warden, nor with the fallen angel, Lasciel, who lurks in the darker recesses of his mind. And he is still reeling from having taken human lives in cold blood for the first time. But then, who among with us would feel any differently were we in his shoes?

Fresh from witnessing the White Council's execution of young warlock guilty of abusing black magic, Harry finds himself thrust pell-mell into a new investigation of black magic – one in which he has just over a day to find out who's calling evil nasties straight out of horror movies (think Freddie, Jason, Pumpkinhead and Rawhead Rex brought to life) into downtown Chicago . . . or a veritable bloodbath might happen.

Just another day in the life of Harry Dresden, Wizard for Hire!

Along the way to preventing a honest to goodness horror show massacre, Harry enlists the help of some old allies – Lieutenant Karrin Murphy, his brother Thomas, the Summer Knight – and some new ones – Charity Carpenter (his friend Michael's wife, never one to hide her disdain for Harry) and a solid beat cop by the name of Rawlins. Despite his better judgment, Harry once again tangles with the Ladies of Faerie, making an unexpected side trip to Mab's lands to rescue Michael and Charity's daughter Molly, and discovers that things in the land of Winter are not quite as they should be. And in an amusing homage to bad horror films the world over (there are many such references peppered throughout the book), that excursion's beginning and end happen literally at the expense of a horror movie screen, which serves as a handy doorway to the Nevernever.

Harry and friends avert disaster, but as always, there are prices to be paid, and consequences to be dealt with. By the book's end, Harry personally saddles himself with a new level of responsibility he could probably never have imagined, and one that will no doubt weigh on him for years to come. The price one pays for being noble and doing the right thing, you might say.

Proven Guilty is the strongest book in the series to date, demonstrating Butcher's growth as an author and the ever-growing depth of Harry's world. It sets the bar – and sets it high -- for the volumes to come. The writing is as witty as ever, and there's character development in spades, not just for Harry, but for Charity (her especially), Murphy and Thomas as well. And the horror convention part of the book is set at – Splattercon!!! – is utterly priceless, to anyone who's ever attended a fan convention!

[April Gutierrez]