Book 7), Dead Beat (The Dresden Files

Thank gawd for a surprise in this book! I like the Harry character. He's getting older and seasoned in his craft. Thus, it is time for an attitude adjustment. The 'sensitive' warrior personality coupled with constant self-doubt is getting old. Jeez, Harry is a White Council Warden now! He is required to act like a seasoned wizard able to provide guidance and mentoring to the newbies. The Blue Beetle should be fondly 'let-go' and be replaced by a Jeep or Harley reflecting elevated status and maturity. Harry should either act decisively with Karrin or 'let-go'. I'm currently reading the next book in the series, 'Found Guilty,' and am finding that I too must 'let-go.' Bye Harry. Love you Karrin!

I have been enjoying listening to the Dresden Files on my Kindle app while driving to work. Unfortunately, Dead Beat isn't available for audio. This has prevented my from finishing a great series. :(

Murphy & Kincaid ended my desire to read this. I'm tired of all the hints of Harry & Murphy. It was bad enough he broke up Harry & Susan's relationship. Th Found myself a bunch of new authors whose books have happier endings w their love life.

In this seventh book of Harry Dresden, things are getting even darker. I've been binge reading the whole series in order, and reviewing as I go.

*** What to expect
A thriller-paced novel: the initial two volumes could have been mistaken for a noir-detective, but this is more like Jason Bourne. Another aspect in this respect is the amount of physical hurt that Dresden goes through; no wonder he has only one major case a year - he needs the rest of the time in the hospital after each book.
The tone of this book is a perfect balance between dark and foreboding (we are talking gristly murders by necromancers), and flippant humour. While in the beginning I found it a tad repetitive, that last mental image as (without giving any spoilers) Harry rides into battle with his companion is definitely worth the whole book.

*** What I like
I like Harry's wise-cracking attitudes towards like, and his Wal-Mart style magical accessories. I like the supporting characters in general, and even though my favourite one (John Marcone) is not in this novel Butcher is doing excellent job in characterising and building recurring cast and introducing new characters. Waldo Butters is one I hope to encounter again.

*** Be aware
This is part 7 of a series, and you really need to read them in order. Butcher has Harry's mental dialogue to recap previous events and dialogue for those who read the series in breaks (which, in itself, may grate on some reader's nerves as a "telling" style, or simply for being repetitive), but really it's just a function of a long-running series.
Also, some readers may find Dresden attitudes chauvinistic and misogynistic, though that is a both a trope of the genre and something of a failing of his.

*** Summary
While there are certain flaws in the book (especially if you're binge reading the series), this is a great example of a fast-paced, urban-fantasy thriller. If you like the style of modern-day thrillers with a fantastical elements, this is a series to read.
--
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.

I feel like a broken record. There isn't much more for me to say. I'm enjoying the series, but it's not going to ever be one of my favorites or end up being one that I return to over and over. It's kept my attention, and at times I really enjoy it, but it just doesn't really grab me and suck me into the story and characters like other series. I think about Patricia Brigg's Mercedes Thompson series a lot when I read it. It's very similar in feeling (though I believe Dresden came out before Mercedes Thompson did), but I just don't find myself falling in love with the world and characters as I do in that one.

I will say one last thing. The author has shaken up the formula that was rampant in the first few books, but he's headed down that path again. I'm getting a wee bit tired of the inflation of evil in the series. Every book has a bad guy that is worse than the last one--especially the last few novels. Not just worse, but even more powerful and impossible to overcome. Heck, in this one there are three--three!--evil doers that could squash Dresden with a flick of their finger. With each novel, Dresden is in this "oh, shoot" situation where the world hangs in the balance, he's the only one who can stop it, and it's shown just how impossible it is for him to actually beat the bad guy. But then through a bit of luck and stupidity on the bad guy's part, he overcomes. Every time, Dresden admits that this guy is the strongest he's ever faced, and that there's no way he can do it, but he does. The author feels compelled to up the ante with each novel, and it's getting a bit old. Every plot revolves around something that is going to end the world, and it's becoming a bit predictable and tired. Why can't we have a novel that is just about Dresden fighting for forces that aren't trying to end the world? Surely, there must be issues in his life that do not revolve around the Apocolypse yet would be interesting enough to base a novel around. Just a thought.

4-4.5 stars

This was a really good story and addition to the series.

In this story, Halloween is approaching and with it, Chicago is facing some trouble. Harry actually gets pulled into things because someone is blackmailing him to find a book. The blackmail threatens Murphy and Harry's determined to fix things so she doesn't lose her job or worse, end up in jail. In the search for the book, Harry discovers that necromancers are in town and want to use the book to gain god-like powers. Harry finds himself in a race to get the book before the necromancers while also finding a way to stop their plans. Harry does manage to settle things (with some help) and come out of things with no permanent injuries and healing up nicely.

This was a very good and engaging story. As normal for Harry's book, once things get going it doesn't really stop and it keeps things interesting. I really love the way Harry always finds an unexpected way to work around the issues he encounters, even when facing forces that are much greater than himself, while always trying to do the right thing. Overall, I really liked the story and the series (and would recommend it). :)

* note - I listened to the audio version of this story and James Marsters did a great job with the narration.

Dead Beat is by far the most outlandish and wild story-line in the Dresden Files to date. Sure, there are others in the series I haven’t read yet, but since I’ve started reading the series from the beginning, this tops them all.

Seriously (spoiler alert), riding a zombie T-rex into battle, facing off against an undead tornado!!! Now that’s action. I didn’t trust Shelia from the start…and I wasn’t wrong to do so. Lots of interaction with Harry’s friends, and that idiot Morgan shows up again, as well. All in all, a fun read.

As always, Jim Butcher has a way with words. He writes a lot, but it never feels like it’s too much; never feels as if there is too much description, which bothers me with a lot of other current “Famous” authors.

He continues to build the history of Harry Dresden in a way that I continually want to read more.
Cannot wait for the next book. Bring on Proven Guilty.

4.5 of 5 Stars (rounds to 5)

Harry's birthday is coming, which obviously means the world is about to go to hell in a hand basket. This year is no different. A powerful vampire has issued a devastating ultimatum: find the Word of Kimmler or I'll destroy Murphy's life. Seeing no alternative, Harry reluctantly agrees. But, what is the Word of Kimmler, and what does it do?

The search for answers pits Harry against a number of powerful enemy wizards. Necromancers that can summon all manner of ghost and zombies to do their bidding. Harry's magic skills are not enough this time. He'll need as many allies as he can muster as he calls on friends mundane and magical to help him. Harry discovers it may not be enough, because the Word of Kimmler isn't just an arcane spell. It's a secret that could give the possessor near infinite power.

Jim Butcher immerses us deep into Harry's wizarding world once again. The usual cast of friends and allies are here, plus a few more. So many, that I was left wondering if Jim Butcher was trying to shoehorn in as many as possible. It doesn't detract from the story, though. Be prepared for another action packed adventure in the gritty magic and monster filled world of the Dresden Files.

This series is only getting better.

Mavra, the Black Court vampire, is blackmailing Harry. He must deliver the Word of Kemmler to her, or she will expose Karrin's pictures of killing the Renfields to the public. Of course, while Harry is dealing with this situation, Karrin goes on vacation with Kincaid to Hawaii.

This book has great new evil characters. A bunch of necromancers are in town and they all want to find the Word of Kemmler. If one of them gets it, he could turn himself into a god. In the meantime, the White Council is under attack and many of the Wardens are getting killed. Harry has no choice but to become one of them.

Dead Beat is full of action, awesome fighting scenes, and great evil. Harry has some tough choices to make, but he has help from Mouse, Anastasia Luccio, Marcone, Waldo Butters, and the resident evil in his head. Butters is the medical examiner. He's brought into the supernatural world without a real choice. His character goes from coward to saving the day in sixty seconds.

I missed many characters in this installment. I missed Michael, Murphy (since she is gone most of the book), and The Archive. Kincaid is mentioned but no true appearance. I wish Thomas had more page time. At least Mouse is here to stay.....

Cliffhanger: No

4.5/5 Fangs

Note: I feel that Death Masks, Book 5 is where reading this series out of order starts to do you an injustice. This book does work as a stand alone to some extend, but you will get major spoilers for the previous books in the series and it also pulls in characters we have met before. So I recommend reading the previous books before you jump into this one.

It’s going to be another long weekend for Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard. Mavra, a Black Court vampire that Harry has previously tangled with, blackmail’s Harry into seeking out the Word of Kemmler (a powerful book by the necromancer Kemmler). This will be no easy task for Harry and he will be constantly weighing which is the lesser of two evils for the entirety of the book.

This is one of my favorite books in the series for several reasons. First, I really felt the stakes were higher in this book and I like that Harry doesn’t have many clear cut good/bad choices in this story. True, he’s trying to save all his friends some grief, but in order to truly pull that off he has to deal with Mavra or find a way to double cross her that doesn’t put any of them in peril. Second, Harry gets more responsibility in this book. I think he’s ready for it even if he doesn’t and while he doesn’t like the guise that responsibility comes in, I think he will be a positive influence on others who share the same responsibility. Finally, there’s a dinosaur. Yup. Harry Dresden and a dino. Freaking awesome!

Waldo Butters, the mortician, gets a larger role in this installment of the series as well. I really like how Harry doesn’t discount Butters’s abilities just because Butters is afraid. There’s plenty of scary bad guys in this book and it makes sense that non-magic users would find them super intimidating. Polka will never die! – thanks to Waldo Butters.

Sheila Starr, a woman who works at a bookstore, is another interesting character. She offers Harry the chance to flirt but she also has her secrets. Then there is Carlos Ramirez, one of the Wardens for the wizarding White Council. I like his cockiness and willingness to jump into the middle of things. Then there is the Wild Hunt and the Erlking who makes life for Harry just that much harder. Bob the Skull also plays a critical role and we learn a bit more about Bob’s past.

Harry – the poor man! He has to face some tough truths in this book and one of them is about his own flexible moral compass. Another is about what powers he is offered by stronger beings and how much he is or is not willing to lean on them. However, the ending was just as satisfying as ever. I like that things are a little messy and that not everything is wrapped up with a pristine halo at the end.

Narration: James Marsters continues to do Harry Dresden justice with this series. I also like his nerdy, Jewish voice for Waldo Butters – he does a great job with this character when he is panicking. Ramirez’s smooth Hispanic accent was nicely done as well. Captain Antonia Luccio’s Italian accent was lovely as well as decisive and tired from the fight. Marster’s voice for Mavra once again sent chills down my spine.

Ooo, this was excellent!

I thought the last book was a little less intense than a lot of its precursors, but this one really brought the heat! Definitely high stakes, and some really great developments!

-Loved that Harry's a warden now!
-Loved the reminder that Harry still owes Queen Mab
-Loved the fact that the coin has come back into play, and can't wait to see how that develops
-Bummed that we didn't get much Murphy, and I'm not really loving the whole thing with Kincaid. Feels a little stereotypical, like exactly the kind of thing you'd expect a male author to write
-Loved getting more Thomas & Harry bonding
-Butters was awesome
-Mavra just won't die, but Harry's little speech at the end was so satisfying
-Mouse! Mouse is great
-Billy & the Werewolves are great, and it was nice seeing Harry open up to them
-Yay for Harry having friends!

IDK, there was a lot to love here, and I already have the next book (on audio again this time).

I forget how much I love these books until I pick one up. Then it's like my whole life revolves around Harry Dresden and his posse. I have no idea what is so addictive about these books, but they grab me by the feels and swing me around.

This was my favorite book in the series so far, and I feel like I say that about every book in this series. The Dresden Files are an urban fantasy series that follow the adventures of Chicago wizard Harry Dresden (aka the other wizard named Harry) as he solves crime. He's a private detective that moonlights for the police. In this volume he finds himself being blackmailed into helping an enemy. This leads him to the center of a treasure hunt where all the other participants are necromancers out to kill him.

Harry is a wonderful main character. It's hard for me to say a main character is my favorite character of any series because we get to see all aspects of them and it's hard to like all aspects. But for Harry, he is my favorite without a doubt. I love most of the characters besides him, too. And two of my favorite just happened to share as much time in the story as Harry did: Butters and Thomas.

After the events of Book Six it's understandable that Thomas would be around quite a bit. I was not expecting Butters in it at all, though, and it made my heart soar. He grew so much over the course of this book that it surprised me. Other main characters this time around include Bob- who's role is bigger than it normally is and very refreshing- and Mouse. Mouse is, as ever, adorable. Notably missing is Murphy, but I won't give away why.

The plot of this one was rather straight forward. It built on past stories very well, especially those from Books One and Five. However, while the previous six volumes had many stories that intertwined after two thirds, this one really only had one story. It didn't need the padding of other story lines because it held its own very well. I think that's what made this one better than the others.

I will recommend this series until I'm black and blue in the face from preaching. That's how much I enjoy it. It's perfect for fans of Grimm, Supernatural, and Constantine because it basically does what those shows do, except better. Please go pick up book one, Storm Front. And then come back so we can talk!

Dead Beat is the first of The Dresden Files novels I chose to pick up. To any of you who don't believe covers can make the difference in purchasing a novel or not, know that I bought the book entirely based on the cover above. The whole badass Neo-Noir Private Eye with the big hat and the wizard's staff was just so cool, it compelled me to pick up the book even as I had no knowledge about what it was about. Given I eventually became a huge fan, you could say this book made a positive impression on me.

Even as a new reader.

The noir-horror-humor-urban fantasy mixture was unlike anything I'd read before. The closest thing I could compare it to was a slightly more adult Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. It was funny, serious, dramatic, human, and quirky all at the same time. This, of course, is a pretty good description of Angel but I liked this more than I ever liked it.

How do I convey how awesome, surreal, and fun this book is in a sentence?

That's tough.

I know!

The book has a wizard riding a animate T-Rex skeleton down through Chicago. To fight evil wizards. On Halloween. And there's a perfectly plausible reason why this is the most sensible course of action for him to take.

This is why I love this series!

The premise is Harry Dresden finds himself in the middle of a power-play between three Archwizards who are looking for the most powerful black magic ritual in the world. Which, coincidentally, is in Chicago. Harry has faced many powerful threats before in the past but this is the first time he is just completely outside of his weight class. Like Spiderman fighting the Incredible Hulk, outside of his weight class. Harry gets banged up, thrown around, and barely survives each of his encounters with the wizards he faces.

This is with help from the Wardens, the wizard secret police who are no slouches themselves. The fact Harry has backup from people who have, traditionally, considered him to be just short of a dark wizard shows just how bad things are for our hero. Harry has friends who can provide him power, enough, to stop the Archwizards but the cost for this would be horrific. Harry could turn to the Queen of the Unseelie Court or a demoness all-too-willing to give him power in hopes of corrupting him. This in addition to the fact his other backup is still suspicious of his motives.

Man, Harry doesn't have many good friends, does he?

We get introduced to the fabulous character of Anastasia Luccio, Italian Warden and all-round asskicker plus the menacing but charismatic Cowl. We also get the subplot with "Lash" that proves to be one of my favorites. The character of Butters proves to be my favorite, though, being the Polka-loving medical examiner who becomes this book's unexpected breakout hit. Plenty of characters from previous volumes show up this time around and they're all in-character.

In conclusion, Dead Beat is a great book with an epic storyline, humor, high stakes, and plot developments. The characterization is strong in this book, the events change the course of Harry's life, and the jokes are funny. The events of this book reverberate through the rest of the books more than any other save Grave Peril and Changes. In short, this is one of the must-buys of the series.

10/10

Butcher just keeps getting better and better. I'm captivated by the Dresden Files, and Jim Butcher has earned my loyalty. I adored DEAD BEAT, the fun play on words as it connects to happenings in the story. I laughed out loud while listening to the audio version. Marsden does a superior job with the narration, and I highly recommend fans of the series listen to the audio version if they haven't yet. I doubt I could read a Kindle or print version of a Dresden Files book and *not* hear Marsden's narration in my head.

Harry Dresden keeps getting into terrible scrapes, messes where there is no way out. How it can get worse and worse I don't know, but this book kept me riveted and spellbound. The fact that Murphy wasn't around to guard Dresden's back only raised the stakes. I enjoyed the "little guy" Medical Examiner Buttars as his sidekick through this one. The further I get into the series, the more past villains return, and the more the greater play on the whole dynamics of the fictional world. Supremely well done.

Sensuality Level: mild
Language: a few strong (Rated R) words, mostly mild to moderate
Violence: high (after all, if there's no threat of death, how high are the stakes?)

Its Halloween. Your friendly neighborhood magical gumshoe has used his awesome magic to notice that something weird is going on. Specifically, his half-brother Thomas is a slob. Who knew that discovering a secret relative could be so annoying?

Also, polka. A one man polka band is so far past annoying that if it wasn't the only morgue guy willing to say 'these bodies ain't quite human,' it would earn Butters a punch in the jaw. Oh well, watching someone fall down while wearing a drum, an accordian, and a tuba is vengeance enough. (At least he didn't fall into a garbage can. THere must be one fall-into-garbage every Dresden book.)

Then Public Enemy #352 Marva (it doesn't pay to tell them you're really scared of them /snark)tells Harry that she wants him to get her a book, The Word of Kemmler. Why would a vampire need a book by a necromancer on Halloween? No good reason, for sure. So Harry, clever boy, says no. So Marva pulls out photos of Harry's cop friend Murphy committing murder, and the photo doesn't show that the dead bodies are vamps. Oh, dear.

So off Harry goes to find the book. And gets banned from the bookstore. Off to find other sources of info. Everyone says to back off - and Bob the Skull says Run for the hills! This one will be bad! Don't let them get me! So Harry figures this one might be, you know, pretty bad. But Murphy is too good a friend to leave in the lurch, especially since she killed/murdered the vamps while helping him.

So, allies.

One ally - polka playing Butters, who is scared to death. One ally - oh, wow. Spoiler spoiler spoiler, but wow. Two stars for the ally! And wow. What a shame this is a one-off, because did I mention, wow.

When is an ally not an ally? That nice girl Lasciel living in Harry's head, trying to turn him to the Dark Side - really, there are benefits to being a monster, as long as you don't mind being an abomination that all your friends want to kill. Lasciel has a new trick, and its a doozy. But she only wants to help... mistype one letter and you've got a hell of an ally ;)

Bob the Skull is a great ally, knowing everything, but he has a history before he teamed up with Harry, and just how -does- he know all about Kemmler? Trouble is brewing...

So Harry saves the day and loses a bunch of great new toys/artifacts. If this wizard could get his act together, he wouldn't -need- any more allies. He could be his own ally.

*Book source ~ Purchased at Audible

Halloween is right around the corner and Chicago is experiencing some really weird things. Weird and bad. Murphy goes out of town for a little R&R and Harry gets sucked into the bad happenings in his town when Black Court vampire Mavra demands Harry bring her the Book of Kemmler or some incriminating photos of Murphy killing defenseless ‘humans’ will be sent to the police. While looking for the book though Harry finds out something big and catastrophic is going down on Halloween night and it’s up to him to stop it. Since when is Harry’s life ever easy?

My Guest Reviewers:

A ~ my 16-yr-old daughter
T ~ my 14-yr-old son
K ~ my 13-yr-old son

This series continues as a favorite. Everyone loves the magic and the humor as well as many of the characters. This book talks about necromancy and they enjoyed learning about how it works in the Dresden universe. The plot was a good one with twists, turns, new far-reaching plot points (such as about the War and info about the Erlking and the Wild Hunt) and imminent peril to Harry and it was extremely enjoyable to listen to. As far as narration goes, James Marsters has reached his stride and we would have a very hard time listening to another Dresden book if he wasn’t narrating it.

Favorite characters besides Harry:
A ~ Ramirez, Bob and, of course, Mouse. She was disappointed Michael was not in this book.
T ~ Lasciel, Ramirez and Mouse
K ~ Sue and Mouse

Favorite moment:
A ~ Butters thought Harry was gay and there’s a part towards the end with Bob and Sue that I won’t mention due to spoiler avoidance
T ~ The whole part with Sue, Harry’s threat to Mavra
K ~ The whole part with Sue

While there were many to choose from we whittled it down to a tie for favorite quote:

“We are not going to die.”
Butters stared up at me, pale, his eyes terrified. “We’re not?”
“No. And do you know why?” He shook his head. “Because Thomas is too pretty to die. And because I’m too stubborn to die.” I hauled on his shirt even harder. “And most of all because tomorrow is Oktoberfest, Butters, and polka will never die.”

“What's with that?' Butters screamed, his voice high and frightened. 'Just covering his head with his arms? Didn't he see the lawyer in the movie?”

Just when you think Dresden can't get more awesome? You're proven wrong. And in the process you're shown again how inexperienced he is compared to others in the Wizard community. This look at the Wardens was intense, and though I still don't like Morgan I do feel as if I understand him a little more. There wasn't enough Murphy in this for me, and I totally called the one thing which made me proud, but there was a lot of Thomas, Mouse, and Butters with appearances by others I love too. Plus LotR, Jurassic Park, Aladdin, and other references!

This is the seventh book in the Dresden Files series of urban fantasies about Harry Dresden, a private investigator in Chicago who is also a powerful wizard. This time around, the start of Harry's troubles happens when he's contacted by Mavra, a Black Court vampire Harry thought he killed in a previous book. She demands that he get her the "Word of Kemmler" or she will ruin Murphy's career with some incriminating pictures of her seemingly killing a man in cold blood. Mavra says he can't tell anyone what he's doing, which puts Harry in the position for a great deal of this book of being essentially on his own.

This book brings Waldo Butters, the doctor who works at the city morgue, heavily into the front of Harry's life. This is one of my favorite relationships. The way Harry supports and strengthens Waldo, and the way Waldo comes through for Harry is wonderful. We also see much more of Mouse, Harry's dog, who is now enormous, and an expansion of Harry's relationship with Thomas, the White Court vampire who is his half brother. Most fascinating of all is the development of Harry's relationship with Lasciel, the fallen angel. As always in this amazing urban fantasy series, the action is continuous, with the thrills continually escalating.

The sound quality of this audio recording is excellent and it is an unabridged version of the book. It is narrated by actor James Marsters, best known for playing the character Spike, a platinum-blond, British vampire in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series Angel, between 1997 and 2004. Marsters does an outstanding job on every part of the reading, making listening in that regard a real pleasure. If he had not been a good reader, it would have been hard for me to sit through the full book--bad readers can destroy one's pleasure in even the most wonderful novel. I am extremely grateful for Mr. Marsters's reading talents not just for their own sake, but because experiencing this novel as an audiobook gave me the opportunity to admire Jim Butcher's writing even more than I did before--which I did not think was possible. In my experience of listening to audio versions of books, very few of them can stand up to the intense focus of being read aloud, which is much slower than reading silently to oneself. This relative snail's pace acts to draw attention to every problem of dialogue, pacing and plot.

I am happy to report that under that intense spotlight, I experienced not a single flaw in this book.

I am not a person who often reads a book more than once--too much to read and far too little time. But this book was definitely worth experiencing twice. And owning this recording means I may listen to it far more times than that in the future.

This is one of the best purchases I ever made.

The seventh book in Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files" continues with the elements that make his writing (and the series) popular - dry humor, noir-ish feel, the fun mixture of supernatural and detective drama. It is also good to see Butcher develop as a writer - his plot is more tightly knit together, characters are more well developed, and the climax and conclusion isn't telegraphed making the story a little less predictable than his earlier stories. But, as another reviewer rightly points out, Butcher still has some habits that, seven books into the series, are a bit unnecessary.

Given that this is the seventh book, seems to be little need for exposition regarding the primary characters - readers are familiar with Dresden's side-kick "Bob," and the details of his VW. The necessity of retelling the back story of Dresden is similarly not needed. I imagine these are editorial decsions, and in the larger scheme of the story, they are small issues. These aside, _Dead Beat_ provides Butcher's unique take on the supernatural that is an added attraction to his writing, this time the protagonists are zombies.

The plot revolves around the Word of Kemmler, an item (to detail more would be to spoil details relevant to the story) that can release tremendous power. Naturally, all sorts of nefarious characters are interested in finding it, Dresden blackmailed to get it before anyone else does. The several competitors in the quest for this item have an advantage - they all can (and do) reanimate corpses. As the story continues, Butcher also builds on ideas and plot elements from previous stories, making for a strong, engaging and very entertaining read. While this is hardly high literature, the Dresden Files are an immensely fun and distracting read - this (as with the previous books in the series) are recommended to fans of supernatural fantasy and detective noir.

Harry Dresden is an instinctual hero, and he is so because he survives. He is a blockheaded, stubborn, self-absorbed, overpowering man guided by simple instincts - to protect the weak- who is beleaguered by his burden and often overwhelmed. But he manages to triumph against all odds by being resigned to his mortal fate. He is not angry, nor vengeful. He is not often misunderstood. He is only awkward from having been orphaned and has come to love the people of the city of Chicago as his own without them acknowledging his gifts and many good deeds. He treads an arcane path having been born with a mystical talent and has nurtured this talent and stretched it to his limits through trial by fire, and he has saved the world. You see, Harry Dresden is a wizard, and his talent is magic.

I speak of the character Harry Dresden whose sixth file, Dead Beat, I have just completed to the narration of a cat named Marsters scripted by a dude named Butcher. Marsters *is* the voice of Harry Dresden and Butcher is the mind, and they have created a combination of fiction that is as emblematic as any in the literary sci-fi world.

Dresden started off as a sighing, beleaguered mystical gumshoe who stumbled around within the well marked boundaries of the hard boiled detective novel. But somewhere around the middle of the third book, he suddenly burst beyond those boundaries into a ragged but elegiac prince. He not only got the girl, he saved the city, then lost the girl. He not only resisted temptation, he faced his own deep psychological weakness and admitted his desire for the prize offered. Dresden has metaphorically died and been resurrected into the same tired bones and in each episode has reached new heights and depths. Surely there is a narrative type at work that keeps the drama ripe for human consumption, but there is an unremitting yet slowly twisting core that surprises us with its simultaneous ability and lack of depth. In almost every way, Dresden is on the verge of being anti-heroic, but he is unable to restrain his desire to do the right thing. He is the man who never had a woman or children, who never managed to be a father and consequentially he is inevitably and shamelessly drawn to save them at his own peril. He is the man shouting the loudest "Women and children first!", adopting them in their moment of terror against any foe.

Harry Dresden is an American urban gothic practitioner. He seems to take no great pleasure in eating or drinking, except in drinking in the curves and features of the odd number of beautiful women who plop into his world, but almost never into his arms. He's not excited by fast cars, deep contemplation of the universe, art appreciation or spectator sports. He's something of a loner. A guy with a cat who lives in a basement with no electric lights, computers or stereo equipment. He harbors suspicions about the people who protect him. He pisses off the few that understand him, and he of course always confounds and destroys his enemies, the nefarious characters of the Never Never and their minions who defy the Laws of Magic.

One could say that the Dresden series is like Harry Potter for grownups. The challenges facing Dresden have gotten exponentially more difficult and consequential each outing. There is more death and destruction with Dresden responsible for more and more each time, but Dresden has become more complex and faces greater internal perils each time. In Dead Beat, for the friendship of a woman who seems to be his last friend, Dresden makes a deal with a metaphorical devil - he delivers the equivalent of Dr. Mengele's research to a literal queen vampire. Unlike Potter, Dresden has no arch-rival he is fated to confront. In the end it may be himself. He finds himself offered no honor or official position in which he can see dignity bestowed. Instead, he merely survives the calamities he gets worked into either by his own hardheaded morality or conniving parties in conflict.

You see Dresden is a member of the White Council of Wizards but has been on something like a lifelong probation for having killed his own Jedi Master in his youth. It was self defense, for his master had gone over to the dark side. The White Council is now engaged in a global war with the three courts of vampires, the White Court of life draining seducers, the Red Court of bloodthirsty shape shifters and the Black Court of night crawling monsters. Dresden himself is partly responsible for escalating the millennial conflict and has all types of prices on his head from various factions. As he has survived, he has been exposed to the most extraordinary circumstances, even for a wizard, and events have conspired to have him in a position to have been offered eternal life. Literally strung up in a dungeon with a knife at his throat he was offered the choice between death or treachery in the form of one of the original thirty pieces of silver paid to Judas. He touched the coin and locked it away, but its spirit has been working away at him, giving him the unexpected dark power of Hellfire. Moreover, he has discovered that he has a brother and that brother is an expatriate of the White Court of Vampires. With each episode, Dresden is exposed to more and more dark knowledge and must find ways to use it in an ever escalating war between great powers with whom his relationship grows increasingly complex.

Dresden is the superman in the middle, and he knows too much. He can't win, he survives despite of himself and he cannot get out of the game.

I'm used to Butcher starting the Dresden books in the middle of some sort of action sequence. And, honestly, it has gotten very, very old. When this book started with Harry coming home to a beautiful jogger leaving his bedroom, I was pleasantly surprised. It seems that the addition of Thomas to Harry's life has changed things for the better!

Harry is finally settling into his new life with a family and a new dog. Things seem to be going okay when Murphy drops a bombshell that she is going to Hawaii with Kincaid! And if that isn't enough, Mavra now has incriminating photos of Murphy helping on the illegal raid put together by Harry and Kincaid. Unless he helps her find the Word of Kemmler, she will leak the pictures and destroy Murphy's career. However, unknown to Harry, this book is sought after by the biggest and baddest necromancers, the disciples of Kemmler.

This book deals a lot with temptation and identity. Throughout the book, the coin containing the fallen angel comes back to haunt him. The lovely Lasciel is now a mirror image of herself in Dresden's mind, and she wants to "help" him stop these necromancers. She offers knowledge and a way to boost his power base, which would allow him to take out Cowl. However, at what cost? Further, Thomas challenges Harry to finally admit and face his feelings regarding Murphy and the fact that he is alone.

Honestly, I felt this book did a lot toward Harry's character development. He still has a lot of character flaws, and I still find him to be rather stupid. However, it was nice to see him move forward a bit. That being said, I nearly cried when he is confronted by Lasciel and his subconscious mind. I fully understand wanting to save the people you love, but they wouldn't want us to sacrifice the core of who we are. Further, the pop culture references were awesome! I loved that Harry referred to Lasciel and the coin as the Ring and the fact that he quoted Aladdin.

I was happy that Butcher made Thomas more of a central character. Since he first appeared on the scene, I really liked him. Also, it will do Harry a lot of good to have Thomas in his life. Further, it was also nice to see Butters return. He was a pretty endearing character, and he had an awesome part to play in this book. And, not to ruin anything, Harry's ride from the Field Museum to the campus was pretty stellar!

Butcher also brought back a few characters briefly seen in other novels. He was able to flesh them out, and I hope he brings them back later in the series.

This book was really fun! At points, it was heart rending, but I also found myself laughing until my sides hurt. Even though I have a library book out, I am considering taking it back to the library and picking up the next Dresden book

Between the quick-witted, brilliant writing and the extraordinary reading by Narrator James Marsters I wanted to hide in my car, or the bath tub, or laundry room, or the freaking closet just to get more!

Still loving the dry humor and complex characters! Getting involved with these books is much like getting involved with people; as I am learning about them and they are learning about themselves, I can see where their journey has just begun and I really want to jump on this bandwagon!!

I love Butters! He's a prominent secondary character that will add a layer of humanity and amusement to this book that adds to the overall greatness of the story!

POLKA WILL NEVER DIE!!

Harry meets his match with a group of necromancers intent on opening a portal for the power they will find there. Harry is outnumbered and outspelled, as necromancy is dark magic that carries a power the white can’t meet head on. He spends the entire book limping from one hurt to another, but in the end, it’s his wits and his pluck that sustain him in the end.

I can’t say more without spoiling the story for others. This book isn’t quite what his past adventures have been. Murphy is on vacation. Thomas is suffering some feeding issues of his own. Harry seems to be at a personal turning point. A new character, Bitters, is introduced. He seems to be something of a foil against which Harry loses a portion of his naiveté. Don’t get me wrong, I liked this story, but there was more dark, internal turmoil for Harry than in previous books.

By this point in the Dresden Files series, I guess I have to consider myself to be hooked on them. I think it would take something quite monumental for me to NOT like one of these books. I listened to this as an audiobook.

In this volume, Harry Dresden, wizard P.I., is blackmailed by Marva, a vampire of the Black Court. He must find The Word of Kemmler, which turns out to be a lost book. If he fails, Mavra will release photos that will spell disaster for Lt. Murphy, away on vacation for the duration of this book's events. Before his search gets very far, Harry is accosted by zombies and necromancers. Also caught up in the mess is Waldo Butters, a medical examiner who has already seen hints of the magical world hiding alongside our own. As the story progresses, the vampire war with the Red Court, the Wardens, and a fallen angel all take part.

There are some interesting things going on in this book. Zombies make their first appearance, but these are not the slow-moving apocalyptic type. The zombies are animated by necromancers and a mob of them makes a formidable force. I found this to be one of the more humorous installments also. I mean, there's polka! For all the humor though, Harry's path continues to wander at the edge of darkness. He makes some questionable choices, and although he acknowledges that he may not be making the "right" decisions, he really has been given no better options.

Dead Beat, book seven in the ever-expanding Dresden Files series, contains one of the series best, if not the best, scenes of carnal action, but at the same time it lacks decent bad guy or a really solid and original plot.

In this novel Dresden is facing off against a couple competing necromancers, all of whom want to attain the Word of Kemmler and become a god. This means Dresden is in a race against time to stop them. Along the way there are a few good plot twists and some more development of long-time characters and threads, but the new plot thread within is pretty weak in my opinion, and the ending payoff was pretty abrupt considering how badass these bad guys were played up to be.

That being said, it's still a very solid novel. A few blunders (takes an elevator when the electricity is out and two pages later he avoids the elevator because the power is out) and a merely good plot still makes for excellent entertainment and one of the better entries into the Dresden Files series by far.

There is SO MUCH taking place in this book -- numerous characters, challenges, magic afoot -- that I had to read it in small chunks to soak up every bit. Danger upon danger, Harry's beaten down, fights back, regroups, then on to the next craziness. Butters especially stood out, and I loved his character arc. The T-rex was genius. One part at the end I didn't feel played quite true to the story (no spoilers here, so read it yourself), even for Harry and all his magic, so a slight downgrade to 4 stars instead of 5. I still absolutely loved the story.

I have never figured out how a person can hold their breath and finish reading a book but that's what I did while I finished reading this incredible story. Again I state the obvious each book gets better and better! The emotions in this story far exceed any of the others, the details and graphic explanations are outstanding.

I just want to touch on this because logically everyone is entitled to their own opinion but when I read this person's reason for quitting his read of the last book I just about lost it. I am an equal rights person but to sit and state that they disliked the book because the author reiterates that Harry is against any harm coming to the female form is just ridiculous. I personally think that it's awesome, as well as his respect for women, his respect for the difference between right and wrong. That's what makes Harry who he is! Without the values the story wouldn't be right. Jim don't change a thing, these books are perfect just the way they are. Thank you for all your hard work.

Jim Butcher, <strong>Dead Beat</strong> (Roc, 2005)

I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. I just hoped it wouldn't take this long, but now that this little problem has been rectified, all is forgiven: the Harry Dresden series, with its seventh book, finally contains zombies. And it's ABOUT DURNED TIME, TOO. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a Harry Dresden fan, and even if this had been a stock mystery-featuring-the-walking-dead that simply played out the same themes from the first six Dresden books, I would have at least been happy with it and let it be. But no, folks, Jim Butcher took all the wonderful things about the first six Dresden books and then wrote what, aside from recurring characters, might well have been a stand-alone zombie novel that actually does something new. Well, something very old, but something new. I'm not explaining this well, am I? Well, there is a pretty huge body of zombie lore from around the globe. (None of it until 1985 includes the specific eating of brains, for the record.) Pieces of it have been mined over the years, some with more success than others. Much of what we know about modern zombies, culturally, began with George Romero in 1968. (Don't believe me? Watch a few pre-Romero zombie flicks, which are actually much closer to the overall basis of global zombie-folklore, and are night and day compared to Romero's consumerist demons.) While there have been a few paradigm shifts since--fast zombies showing up in 1984 (in <em>Zombi 3</em> and brain-eaters in 1985 (in <em>Return of the Living Dead</em>), to mention two examples that have remained popular since--the current state of American zombie folklore is much as it was in 1968. Which leaves a <em>lot</em> of untapped material. When was the last time, for example, you remember an action hero killing a zombie by decapitating it and then filling it mouth with salt and sewing it shut? (That would be Darren McGavin, in a <em>Night Stalker</em> episode from the seventies, actually.) Almost forgotten in the post-Romero era, but a common piece of zombie myth historically.

And then there's the bit with the...I can't tell you. Unless you're a confirmed historical-zombie nutcase like me, it'd be a spoiler, and I don't know any other confirmed historical-zombie nutcases like me. So I'll assume you will have no idea what's coming. And I will assure you that, yes, this seemingly utterly original stamp Butcher puts on his zombies is very well documented in the literature. So you see what I mean, right? He does something new... by doing something very, very old.

In any case, I think you might have gathered from the paragraphs above that <em>Dead Beat</em> is a zombie novel, and really, that should be all you need to know plotwise. There are a few other developments about other story arcs (there's a particularly touching scene between Harry and Thomas on the beach that may be one of Butcher's strongest pieces of writing to date), and there's the usual fun, though Bob is far less comic relief here than he is terrifying adversary, and Marva, of course, is always lurking about the edges of the tale.

But more interesting than all of the above, perhaps, is that despite the usual wall-to-wall action, <em>Dead Beat</em> seems to show Jim Butcher at the same place Robert B. Parker was in 1980, when he published <em>Early Autumn</em>, coincidentally the seventh Spenser novel. This, too, was a mystery series that leaned heavily on the action, and <em>Early Autumn</em> was a real gamble (even today it polarizes readers); it is a far more introspective book, character-driven rather than plot-driven, though there is a secondary mystery plot. In my estimation, and I say this as a huge fan of the series, <em>Early Autumn</em> is the very best Spenser novel, and in fact the best novel Parker wrote until <em>All Our Yesterdays</em>. <em>Dead Beat</em> doesn't go anywhere near as far in the shift; as I alluded earlier, there is still the trademark Harry Dresden "someone's trying to kill me every five pages" pace here. But there can be no denying that this book shifts to a more character-driven focus, and I think Butcher, too, pulls it off. My favorite in the series so far. *** ½

Yay! Another exciting Dresden Files that I actually enjoyed reading. Butcher is getting a lot better at creating an engaging plot and making Harry not quite as much of a wimp. I'm not going to bother recapping, there are far too many books for that and Butcher does a good job of providing details on back-stories.

Harry Dresden is a wizard. A real wizard even though he's been sidelined by injury and fear as of late. However, when a vampire of the black court decides to blackmail him, he has to throw himself back into the thick of things. And this time that means into some real trouble. End of the world kind of trouble. An old necromancers apprentices have descended on Chicago looking for a book; the same book that the vampire wants Harry to find. With this book they can become all powerful and it could mean the end of the world, again. Good thing Harry's around.

With the help of a medical examiner, his White Court brother, and his faithful dog, Harry's on his own this time. He tries to bring in the White Council (a group of wizards who control magical law) but find this tough as they are currently at war with the Red Court vampire clan. Since he is powerful in his own right they give him limited help. So on his own he must stop these necromancers and confront his own demons inside him. Life is never easy for Harry Dresden.

Harry in this book was much better. Not so much whining, a little darker (which is more believable), not too much playing the knight in shining armor for pretty girls, and he barely says "hell's bells." Definitely a vast improvement over other books. Butters, the medical examiner, is also a pretty cool character. Butcher doesn't try to make him another hero, in fact, he's a coward. But he's lovable all the same and really tries to help Harry despite being petrified all the time. There are of course the bad guys, which honestly, weren't all that ominous this time around. Yes, they were super evil and extremely powerful, but they didn't get that much time devoted to them in the books and therefore didn't exude the presence they could have.

Butcher is getting better and better with his writing as the series goes on. He used to spend way to much time detailing Harry's clothes and other unbelievable descriptions that Harry as a narrator would never notice himself. He's cut down on that and instead had Harry focus on the important things, like the plot. The writing is exciting and there weren't too many slow parts in this book, which was nice.

Since the series keeps getting better I'll keep reading. There are quite a few more books to go and I hope I enjoy them as much as I did this one.

Dead Beat
Copyright 2005
424 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2010

So, this audiobook was pretty epic. End review. No, but seriously there's Necromancers, a zombie t-rex, Harry gets a wizardly promotion, there's a weird love triangle going on, although I don't think anyone is actually getting any, Bob gets kidnapped, and then there's the whole Lasciel thing. I loved this installment to bits; there was action to the max, tons of future possibilities open up for this series, and I bow down to James Marsters' grasp of Dresden's character. Butters made for an awesome sidekick, and Mouse was something else too. Highly recommended! 4.5 Stars

For the Dresden fans there is plenty of the usual action and mystery. This is a pivotal book in the Character of Harry Dresden and we see his character change away from that of a lone wolf. Still not a team member of the team but we start to see his nature change. We get glimpses of the war between the white council and the vampires and I wish we could have seen more of that.

This series just gets better and better! It definitely doesn't disappoint that's for sure.

I wish I could take Mr. Butcher out for a beer and become friends. If he's as humourous and fun to be around like his character creations, that would be a hell of a friendship.

So i'm done book seven now. WOW! The pace of the books just seems to be picking up more as I go along. The action and edge of the seat story lines are fantastic! Mr. Butcher keeps you guessing right to the last page. You finally get a chance to find out more about Harry's hand injury and healing abilities and the scar on his palm. Characters in the previous stories come back into play again in this books. This seems to be a constant in The Dresden Files series. Which is fantastic because each character develops over the series and you form favourites and loved characters that you get to hear about instead of Harry Dresden being a one man show touching on people here and there but not expanding the story lines to build them alongside him, like a real relationships in life.

Would like to score this more than 5/5, but alas that's not possible. It sure deserves a higher rating for the increasing calibre of writing.

Priscilla

I am not quite fond of zombies, but James Marsters (the narrator of this book) makes the events so realistic. Officially, I have fallen for Harry's character and Mr. Marsters as well. I view them as one entity sometimes. Anyway, Harry's strength, patience, kindness, and sense of humor are very inspiring. He remains standing protecting mortals even though he is already beat up, clinging to the brink of death, and being hustled for no reason. Some of the scenes here are comical because of Bob and Butter. In this book, he is dealing with necromancers, faes, fallen angel, and of course, none other than some inconsiderate wardens. I think Harry will be powerful someday since he is already changing in many ways. Moving on to the next one.

There are seven laws of magic in the world of wizards -- and one of them is "Thou shalt not reach beyond the borders of life."

But of course, Harry Dresden encounters all sorts of evil magic in his job, and most of them break the magic laws anyway. And in Jim Butcher's seventh Dresden Files book, "Dead Beat," the overworked wizard-detective finds himself in the center of a massive magical conflict full of zombies, evil wizards and a vampire, all of whom want a magical book that would unleash a necromantic apocalypse. And how was your weekend?

A few days before Halloween, Harry is blackmailed into meeting with the Black Court vampire Mavra -- she wants the "Word of Kemmler" given to her, or she destroys Murphy's career and life. It turns out that Kemmler was a necromancer whom the Wardens killed long ago ("They killed him pretty good. A bunch of times"). He was also Bob's former master. When Harry consults assistant-coroner/one-man-polka-band Waldo Butters abou possible ritual killings, they're attacked by a zombies -- not the "brains!" type, but dangerous superhuman undead.

Turns out that there's a bunch of necromancers are running amok in Chicago, and thus far Harry's only clue is an old book called "Die Lied der Erlking." With some intel from the faeries and the local mob boss, Harry begins to piece together just why these necromancers (and Mavra) want to get their hands on the Word. With only one more to go before Halloween -- the Darkhallow -- and enemies of every kind, Harry must locate the Word and somehow keep it out of evil hands. Otherwise, y'know, the world might end.

Body-surfing wizards, decaying vampires, Fallen angels, Wardens and ancient Hunts filled with wild Faerie magic -- "Dead Beat" definitely has plenty of problems for Harry Dresden to deal with, and he spends most of it treading a thin line between all the various magical groups and forces at work. There are a dozen different plot threads interwoven here -- from the vampire/wizard war to Harry's Fallen troubles -- and Butcher keeps them moving like a pro jongleur.

Butcher fills it with plenty of fiery, whip-fast action and some spectacularly gross action scenes (one involving Thomas with a sawed-off shotgun -- hardcore splattergore!), as well as confrontations with some of the darker forces at work in Chicago (some of whom are truly spine-chilling). And the plot is also haunted by the repercussions of Harry's past actions -- old enemies, old injuries -- and a no-win scenario where no matter what, people will be hurt.

All this sounds very grim and violent, so fortunately Butcher leavens all this with a hearty dose of humor, both from the snappy dialogue (" "You intend to murder me in cruor gelidus?" "No, I'll do it right here") and narrator (Thomas pretends to be Harry's gay partner). And the climactic buildup to the Halloween battle is the ultimate example of Butcher Humor: Harry riding a zombie T-rex through the streets of Chicago. I dare you to find any other urban fantasy with so brilliant an idea.

Harry has even more problems to deal with than usual, and he handles them as gracefully as he can (especially considering he only had one working hand). But there are some new developments with far-reaching consequences for him -- particularly, a rather chilling death curse and a new position of authority that you NEVER would have thought our lovably lone-wolfy wizard would ever attain.

And while Murphy is pretty much absent here, her position is filled by the manly and sexy incubus Thomas Raith, who is struggling to deal with a "normal" life -- all his minimum-wage jobs are disrupted by his oozing supernatural sex appeal. And minor character Waldo Butters serves as the "ordinary" guy who suddenly finds himself up to his ears in zombies, wizards and other weird things. All he wanted was the Quasimodo Polka!

"Dead Beat's" tale of undead horrors and fey terrors is kept from being really grim, mainly because Butcher saturates it with loads of tongue-in-cheek humor. Definitely a must-read for fantasy fans.

It's all about the Word of Kemmler. Or is it? Mavra is involved, so who can say? Throw in zombies, necromancers and the usual lot of plot twists, turns and magic gone awry and you have Dresden at hit finest.

In this book we see a bit more of the humanity of Harry, which I think is what makes him the kind of character we keep coming back for. We get insight into the psychological effects from the attack that injured his hand. We also gain some insight into why it is he's still able to walk after the amount of abuse he has taken over the years.

In short, we get to be awed and empathetic to him in nearly the same breath. We are also introduced into more of the magics that are so dark that the use of them tags you for instant execution with the White Council. Namely, the use of necromancy. Apparently the Council frowns upon people who play with dead things.

And finally we are again shown a world where Harry may sling around a lot of power, but there are things out there with a lot more punch than him. These are the things that he usually winds up at odds with and this book is no exception.

The evolution of the characters, even the minor supporting role characters, keeps me coming back. The action keeps me excited and interested in the book as I am going through it. The snark make me laugh. And it is all a combination of everything I want in my urban fantasy.

If you haven't tried them yet, I would also suggest trying the audiobooks of this series. They are unabridged so you aren't losing anything, but what you gain is a beautifully narrated audiobook by James Marsters. A definitely must-read, and one of the many I own on audiobook as well as print.

Fast-paced, action-packed and witty, a T-Rex of a ride!

First, it starts off with an uncomfortable moment between Harry and Murphy. She's asked him to water her house plants during the weekend ~ while she's in Hawaii with none other than Kincaid. While Karrin deserves a vacation, Harry wishes it wasn't with Kincaid.

To make matters worse, he receives a note from Mavra, a vampire from the Black Court, the vampire that previously tried to kill him. She has pictures of Murphy doing things a cop isn't supposed to be doing while helping Harry and Kincaid, and if Harry refuses to do Mavra's bidding, she'll send the pictures to the police. Harry can't let that happen, and he has only three days to find what Mavra's looking for - all without help.

However, Mavra isn't the only one looking for the Word of Kemmler, a book written by Kemmler himself, a powerful necromancer, that had been taken out ages ago by the White Council. For necromancy is the worst kind of magic, and to use such magic is to break the laws binding all wizards.

Between saving Butters's butt and and fighting off zombies, Harry has to find a way to stop the other six necromancers all wanting what Mavra wants - all of Kemmler's powers. But Harry can't do that job alone and finally calls in the White Council to help, only to find out what three-quarters of all the Wardens have been eliminated by the Red Court. How did the Red Court know where to hit? Is there a traitor among the Senior Council? And why are the necromancers looking for the Word of Kemmler now, of all times? Captain Luccio, the head of Wardens, desperately needs the help, and Harry becomes a Warden, something he never thought he'd accept. But will Harry find the answer and the power to stop what's about to happen? One can only hope.

And true to his word, Harry does.

Action-packed and fast-paced, this novel is a joyride. For three days, there is fight after fight, question after question, all with very little results until closer to the final battle. And just when you think it's hopeless, Harry uses the necromancer's magic against them, with a T-Rex of all things (and I swear, it was the best part of the book!) to fight the good fight.

And just to make matters more difficult, Harry has his own inner battles to fight as well, along with wanting to tell Lasciel (a Denarian from a previous novel) to take a hike and not being able to. Yes, he needs her help, but the cost would be astronomical, and it's a cost he doesn't want to pay. But without any kind of help from her, he knows, deep down, that he won't be able to get the job done.

Along with his witty comebacks and remarks making this reader bark out with laughter, it's darn near impossible to put down any of the Dresden Files novels and not think about them. An excellent read for sure, it has everything that I crave in a good book: mystery, action, suspense, magic, feelings, wit and inner turmoil, all wrapped up together. This is definitely a series for the paranormal/supernatural/sci-fi/fantasy lovers out there who love a good book. High recommendation!

I read this book straight through the night and found myself reading chapters over again.

In this latest installment, Dresden must contend with necromancers to stop their deadly struggle for dominance in the mortal world.

It's more of Harry Dresden going up against impossible odds to do the right thing. Along the way, the man grows, and not just him. Butcher takes the most minor characters of previous books and fleshes them out VERY nicely. This is not a book to start the series on, but long time fans will get a kick out of some old aquantinces popping in. They not only make appearances, but they save the day on more then one occasion. For a loner, Dresden picks up some great friends.

As the plot of the book ticks along, other plot threads from previous books are picked up and woven into this story. I can no longer honestly compare it to Hamilton's Anita Blake series anymore. It's moved so far beyond that series, even in it's prime, that it is not funny. Not just in quality, but in scope. We get glimpses of the Vampire War that the White Council is waging, a new romance that takes an unexpected turn, and we see Harry laying not just his life, but his heart and soul on the line to save....well everyone.

Dresden is not some lone crusader out to stop all evil in the world. He takes help, and cuts deals, some not too smart, but wholly within the charcter. Butcher doesn't intentionally make Harry a heavyweight superhero, but somehow you can't stop thinking of Harry Dresden as anything else. Rather than force Dresden's outstanding skill and power down the readers throat (Anita Blake anyone?), he tosses Dresden into the fire and takes the pains to craft a story that requires him to fill those shoes. And it works.

This book is not perfect, I wanted to see something happen in this book between Harry and another character, and it was not meant to be. And I got a "rushed" feeling during some portions of the book, as if Butcher was going for something more but didnt' have the time or didn't know how he wanted to go with it. But I give it five stars anyway because it has me drooling for the next Dresden Files installment.

I bless the day I walked in a bookstoore on a boring Monday evening after work 5 years ago and picked up Storm Front on a complete and total whim. Butcher has not let me down, and he shows no signs of doing so in the future.

Necromancy is one of the crimes for which the White Council will destroy a wizard. While it is technically not black magic, its effect on the wizard's ethics and outlook are so great that it might as well be. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop some very talented people from following the dark path to unimaginable power. So it is no surprise that Harry Dresden, practicing wizard should run afoul of those who draw their power from the dead. After all, Harry has a real knack for getting in trouble and nearly ending the world.

This time Mavra the vampire behind the Black Court tricks Harry into a hunt for the last book written by Kemmler, the very worst of the black wizards. Kemmler was destroyed by the White Council, but his students escaped to continue his plans. Now Mavra wants in on the secrets and by threatening to ruin detective Karrin Murphy, forces Harry to cooperated in the hunt. No one realizes just how bad the situation really is until Harry discovers he is fighting with a whole platoon of deadly necromancers and half the dead of Chicago.

The resulting tale is classic Harry Dresden, the wizard who has no sense of self preservation. Harry is one of those few characters who know very well they are about to make a deadly mistake and, by dint of careful planning, manage to make it any way. Even with the help of a talking skull, a vampire brother, and a puppy the size of a water buffalo, Harry bounces from one wizardly confrontation to another, none of which leave him entirely in one piece. Harry is supposed to be a pretty good mage with a wand, but this time everyone has him outclassed.

Even though the story is the magical equivalent of a Korean fight film, and the plot is predictable, Dead Beat still displays Jim Butcher's ability to snatch victory from Harry's defeats. The wizard has learnt from his mistakes, even if he still insists in making them. The end result is that the interior monologue manages to stay interesting. The addition of brother Thomas , Butters the cowardly medical examiner, and Lasciel the fallen cutie round out the story neatly, making this another enjoyable tour of Chicago's 'otherworld.'

Let me start off by saying that I loved this book. Heck, I love the entire series (if you don't believe me, check the rest of my reviews).

That said, this installment was at times... a little slow.

There. I've said it. Whew! Probably my first negative word about any book in the series and I made it through. Thanks for being there for me, I couldn't have done it without you.

Now, the thing is that when I say this one was a little slow I am only comparing it to the other six books in the series. The rest have all kept me awake well into the wee hours because I couldn't bear to wait for the next chapter. On the other hand, I read Dead Beat like I read most other novels, over several days with occasional breaks while I read the latest comics or whatever (darn that ADD). But I can't say that returning to the book was ever a chore, like some novels can be. I never stopped caring about the characters or the world, I just wasn't as driven as I have been in the past.

Part of this, I think, stems from the fact that we meet a much more somber Harry in this installment. Much of the humor is drained from the book by the negativity of Harry's mindset. This is completely understandable, and even right - I think I'd have been upset if Harry was still his jovial self after everything he's been through lately - but it still weighed the story down a bit.

I also found myself very much missing some of the old crew. I won't mention who is around and who isn't, because I despise spoilers, but I think other reviews back me up on this. I also found that at least one of the new characters wasn't really explored as much as I wanted.

But this is really Harry's book. Despite the incredible action in the plot, most of the book is really about what goes on between Harry's ears, so paring down the external makes a lot of sense here. Our favorite wizard has a lot to work through internally, and that is what really saves the book for me.

I was prepared to give this four stars, but after the whiz-bang ending and then looking back over the work as a whole, I found that I could give it the full five with good conscience. I still think some parts were lacking, but I can see why. So, while I don't think this was the strongest entry in the series, I think it is an essential step towards a future that should be amazing.

Read this book. Read the whole series. Then check out the Sci-Fi Channel movie that should air this summer or maybe as late as early next year. Series this good just don't come around very often, so join me in supporting this one. I promise that you won't be sorry.

Poor Harry Dresden, the guy just can't seem to catch a break. Another birthday rolls around for Harry, and, as usual, the Big Bad is in town to make sure it is as unhappy as possible.

Mavra returns, you knew she wasn't reeeaaallly dead, demanding Harry procure the Word of Kemmler for her, or else she's gonna send pictures of Murphy blasting a Reinfeld, who looks very human, to the Police. Unfortunately for Harry, Murphy is off in Hawaii with Kincaid! so she is of no help.

No time to be jealous for Harry though, as it turns out Kemmler was one bad dude. He may be gone, but he left behind some apprentices who are just as eager as Harry to get a hold of The Word. Bad News: Harry has no idea what or where it is. Good News: neither do they.

Dead Beat is a wild-ride through Dresden's Chicago, with Mouse, Butters, The Alphas, Thomas and Bob the Skull in tow (there is some actual juicy back-story about Bob as well). It is somewhat surprising how fun the book is without so many of the familiar faces around. Butcher trumps that problem by making all the new characters in the book really good in their own right.

Two of my favorite characters are (properly) introduced in Dead Beat: Cowl and Mouse. While Mouse had his first appearance in Blood Rites, this is the first book he is old enough to go out on missions with Harry, and let me tell ya, he is one awesome dog!

Cowl is one of three Necromancers Harry confronts in the book, and I feel he is the best villain in the series. Unlike previous threats, Cowl seems certain, intelligent and sane! His Magic is also a rival to a Senior Council member, and he talks as if he is ex-Council. An enigma wrapped in a Mystery, that is Cowl. Why does he speak ill of Kemmler, as if unassociated, but still have rivalry with the other Kemmlerites, Grevane and Corpsetaker? How is so powerful a Wizard such an unknown? What does he mean when he talks about Bianca's party?

Good questions, add them to the growing list of unanswered questions as the Dresdenverse continues to expand. However, the fact that you ask them, and want to know the answers so badly, really goes to show how compelling Dead Beat is. While it may not answer those questions, it does have some serious movement in the War and stunning news about how it is going.

More new characters that make their mark are:

Ramirez- A young Warden of the White Council.

Luccio- The Captain of the Wardens.

Lasciel- The Denarian that has taken up residence in Harry's head.

All make solid debuts in Dead Beat and will become key supporting characters in later books.

Other books in the series are arguably better than Dead Beat, but I would contend that none of them are more fun! I mean come on, how do you beat riding a T-Rex into battle??? It really does not get any better than that, action-wise.

This is how I would sum up the 7th book in the Dresden Files: hella fun.

393 HC pages. 5 out of 5 stars

Butcher does such an incredible job of growing a character through the series, yet managing to make each book a full story in its own right, should a reader pick one up that is somewhere in the middle. I had done that the first time I was introduced to Dresden, and was never lost. That book was so good that it led me to begin the series from the top. It has been so much fun watching the evolution of this incredible character and the world around him.

Each book is a mixture of action, fantasy, mystery, and sometimes a little romance. This one delivers a punch of humor and a true lesson in trust and friendship. I don't want to give anything away, just read it.

It's nice that Harry finally got a dog. Hope to hear more about Mouse.

This is the seventh installment of the "Dresden Files" by Jim Butcher. I don't know how I missed this series before, but it is a book that you can't put down. With the addition of the Sci-Fi series, I thoroughly enjoyed the first two episodes so much it made me want to read all the books in the series. Its always best to start at the beginning of the series and work your way through to the end, however, this one was available on the library shelf, so I decided to give it a try. There is enough background information given throughout the book to keep you up to date.

Because of the television series, I already knew something about Harry Dresden and his unusual talents. He is the only Wizard listed in the Chicago phonebook. This book has everything you would want in a Fantasy book, ghouls, necromancers, wizards, fairies, zombies, Halloween Night, and of course our hero to make everything come out ok in the end.

Think of this character, Harry Dresden, as a grown-up Harry Potter going around doing good deeds and saving mankind and humanity from all the nasties that go bump in the night.

Whether you believe in magic, or the alternative universe, is up to you, Butcher brings the characters together and interacts with humans to the point of being almost believable.

There are some strange and not-quite-can-I-trust-this moments, like the galloping dinosaur, but all in all it's a great book, and our hero must make some life choices that I'm sure will have serious repercussions in future volumes.

When a vampire queen blackmails wizard Harry Dresden into finding her the magical book of a dead but unmorned necromancer, Dresden knows something dangerous is going to hit his beloved Chicago. He doesn't guess, though, how very bad it's going to be--until the disciples of necromancer start hunting Dresden down. What he learns is that the necromancers have discovered a way to call down a huge river of power--so much power that it will give one of them the capabilities of a god. Given the nature of people who decide to become necromancers, this is bad news for the entire city of Chicago. Unfortunately, the only people Harry can call upon for help have their own problems--and think Dresden might be part of the problem rather than the solution.

Dresden spends most of the story gathering clues, battling with individual necromancers and their hosts of ghouls, zombies, and ghosts, and worrying about the people and magical beings he's taken responsibility for. Like an old-fashioned private eye story, on which The Dresden Files seem modeled, the story terminates in a huge bang as the outnumbered and outgunned Dresden must battle evil, his supposed allies, and the demon who has taken up residence in his own mind.

This is the seventh book in this series, but my first exposure to The Dresden Files. I quite enjoyed the mix of wise-cracking gumshoe detective with urban fantasy. Author Jim butcher does a good job laying plants and payoffs, gives us a perpetually frustrated protagonist who can't quite get up the nerve to ask his 'friend' out on a date, and makes the mix of martial arts and magic work. I would have liked to see Butcher do more with the morally ambivalent Kumori, but perhaps this is a character we'll see in a future story. I hope so.

Let's face it, if you're looking to read Dead Beat it likely means you've already read most, if not all, of the preceding books in the series. I can't imagine anyone diving headfirst into a (currently) 14 book series with book 7!

With that said, you already know what to expect from a Dresden novel and you won't find anything new here. I did feel that around the fifth book, Butcher's writing skills finally begin to catch up to his ideas and Dead Beat shows even more growth as an author. By this point, Harry Dresden's character is pretty much established and you would expect that there's little more for the author to add. In Dead Beat, Butcher does manage to continue the character's growth, but I felt that the real stars here were the supporting cast. Butcher manages to juggle several sidekicks, at least one guest with questionable motives, and half a dozen villains, both new and old, with ease. Each is unique, plays an important role in moving the book and series forward, and never does the exceptional number of players in this story feel overwhelming or underused.

With the good always comes the bad, though. Butcher continues his maddening habit of focusing exposition on the same characters in every book, and hardly ever recapping previous events in the series. At this point in the series, a reader should know who Bob is as much as Harry himself. Instead we are once again presented with several paragraphs of Bob's history and what he does for Harry. Of course, this all comes after the same tired old description on Harry's VW bug, why he drives the Bug and not a new car, the wards protecting his basement home, the lack of electricity, and on and on. You get the idea. One could argue that if you were reading these book a year apart as they are often published, you might forget some of these details. Fair enough, but why, then, do we often get little or no rehash of previous events in the series? Why exactly does Thomas live with him again? Why does Billy and his pack feel like they owe Harry a debt of gratitude? Several characters from earlier adventures show up and the reader isn't given half the synopsis of Harry's stupid car.

Dead Beat is another solid entry in the Dresden Files, but readers looking for something new should not be surprised if they don't find it here.

After reading the previous five Dresdon File books in a couple weeks of finding, buying, reading marathons, I finally bought Volume 6 and, fortunately just out, Volume 7. Luckily I was able to read them all in order, although out of order wouldn't have hurt as long as one has a good memory. Each built on the previous, just as Harry Dresdon is being built up as a more and more complex and interesting person. I did the same with the Bill Slider mysteries (a contemporary British police detective stories). I started out reading just one book, then being captivated by the man and the situations, and reading everything written so far in a reading frenzy. Each man is complex, and well inter-related with his surroundings, situations and compatriots. I give Jim Butcher full credit for producing a believable, interesting, shyly sexual, and very engaging hero. Some of the seven books became more favorite for me than others, but ALL of them worked together to form an exciting reading adventure. My only complaint, and this is true of Merry Gentry, Bill Slider, Anita Blake, Betsy Taylor, and other series books, is that the minute I finish with the last, I am craving (pun intended) more, and more, and more. I really do sympathize with the poor authors, having to feed the ravenous maws of their adoring publics, with constantly increasing frentic demands. I just fear that Jim Butcher, with his new writing interest towards his sword and sorcery fantasy series, will let poor Harry languish. Mr. Butcher...please, please don't. We want more Harry Dresdon! Thank you.

Just read Dead Beat (Book 7 of the Dresden Files). Gotta say that I loved it. Harry's adventures just keep getting better and better. For a fantasy novel with 400 plus pages, all jam-packed with action, blackmailing vampires, power-hungry necromancers, ferocious zombies, and other nefarious wizardly going-on's - this was one fast and furious read.

From the first, Harry has been a great character (when will he finally see his due and get that television series, eh?). Brutally cynical and funny as hell, he makes an entertaining narrator. Nice, too, the way the set-up was handled, layering more needling questions into Harry and Murphy's complex relationship, even though I would've liked to have seen more of her here. Harry's brother, Thomas the vampire, is intriguing. Cowardly mortician and Polka-enthusiast Butters had me laughing out loud (Polka will NEVER die!).

The plot was seamless, right from the opening confrontation with Vampire Queen Marva and her demand that Harry find the Word Of Kemmler for her, to Harry being offered a job with the Wardens; the story had layers and layers of juicy tidbits, each new revelation racheting up the tension all the way to an absolute beauty of a finale, with Harry re-animating the bones of a long-dead Tyrannosaurus Rex and riding to the rescue of Chicago from the group of evil Necromancers.

Once again, Jim, I can't wait for the next installment. Keep 'em coming...

Sincerely,

KR

As this the seventh book of the DRESDEN FILES begins Chicago based Wizard, Harry Dresden, is sharing his basement apartment with his brother, Thomas, his over sized dog and cat, Mouse and Mister, and his 'research assistant', Bob - an ancient spirit who resides in a skull. What Harry does not have, but would really like to find in his home is a girlfriend but that does not seem likely to happen anytime soon. Things just keep coming up and keep him too busy to pursue a romance, things like demons, ghosts, vampires and even more exotic creatures. In this novel Harry finds himself doing battle with necromancers who are searching for a lost volume that contains a method for summoning unimaginable evil on the mortal world. Harry manages to gain possession of this book and finds himself battling various factions who are determined to gain possession of it. When the Wardens become involved Harry finds the situation deteriorating quickly.

Those who are unfamiliar with the DRESDEN FILES would do much better to begin with the first book in the series STORM FRONT and then proceeding in order. There are many references to events in earlier novels so although those who have seen at least some of the DRESDEN FILES TV would be able to follow the story for maximum enjoyment read the books in order.

Dead Beat (2005) is the seventh urban fantasy novel in the Dresden Files series, following Blood Rites. In the previous volume, Harry burned his hand rescuing children from the Black Court vampires. He also discovered that paintball guns work well against the Black Court when loaded with holy water.

Lara Raith discovered the results of the curse on her father and Thomas learned that Justine is not dead. Jake decided to go into Feng Shui consulting while he took care of Emma's kids. Harry named the puppy "Mouse" and wondered why Thomas had bought large breed Puppy Chow.

In this novel, Thomas is living with Harry in the basement apartment. Thomas is frustrated because he cannot find a permanent job and Harry is frustrated because he cannot find a permanent girlfriend. Mister and Mouse are frustrated because they don't get fed on time and they are both oversized enough to really need the food.

It doesn't help that Thomas has women coming into the apartment when he should be running errands for his brother. Maybe Thomas and his lovers have a great time, but they do trash the place. Even the books are pulled out and scattered on the floor. And Thomas doesn't clean up behind himself.

After Thomas bares his soul and leaves in a huff, Harry takes Mouse out for a walk and Murphy pulls up just as he returns. Karrin is going on a vacation -- the first one in forever -- to Hawaii with Kincaid and wants Harry to water her plants. Harry tries to talk her out of doing anything with Kincaid, but doesn't try that hard since Karrin is not his girlfriend. Later, he wonders if Murphy had wanted him to try a little harder.

After pocketing the keys to her house, Harry goes inside the apartment and heats up some soup. Sitting down to eat, Harry checks his mail and finds one envelope with only his name and address on it. He checks it out for magical spells and, finding nothing harmful, opens it and slides out two photos and a note.

The photos show Murphy blasting some vampire minions with a shotgun. Harry knows that the public will only see human shaped bodies in the photos. The note threatens to send copies to Murphy's bosses if Harry doesn't appear at a specified time and place. The note offers a truce for the parley and is signed "Mavra". Dresden has little choice in the matter.

At the meeting, Mavra demands that Harry find a book -- The Word of Kemmler -- or the photos get mailed. Mavra has also taken precautions to ensure that the photos will be mailed if Harry destroys her. Harry still doesn't see any way out of this mess.

In this story, Harry gradually finds out more about Kemmler and his books -- at least two earlier works had been self-published -- and he soon discovers that Kemmler had been the most dangerous necromancer suppressed by the White Council. They had finally terminated Kemmler himself and several apprentices, but they hadn't gotten them all. Now the last work of Kemmler has suddenly reappeared and Harry soon runs into three separate necromancers looking for the book.

The first necromancer encountered is Grevane, who raids the Forensic Institute -- commonly called the morgue -- looking for something. The security guard is the first through the door into the examining room, his throat cut from ear to ear. Then Grevane and two other zombies enter and face Butters, the medical examiner. Harry intervenes to save Butters and they barely escape from the dead men. Harry takes Butters home to his warded apartment.

Later, Harry meets Shiela -- a clerk at Bock Ordered Books -- and buys a copy of a rare book that he needs for his research. When he steps out of the bookstore, two hooded figures are waiting for him. They both know who he is, but the taller one introduces himself as Cowl and calls the shorter one Kumori. Dresden drops a Toyota on Cowl, but only the local pack of werewolves saves him from the more powerful wizard.

When he later returns to the bookstore, the front windows have been replaced with plywood. Bock asks him to never return, but Shiela asks him for a date. Then the third necromancer -- Corpsetaker -- comes into the store asking about the buyer of the rare book and Harry steps out to confront her. She almost snares him with her mind magic, but he gets away with a little help from John Marcone.

This story has Harry facing three necromancers who are each much stronger than him. Moreover, he doesn't know what they want and how they expect to get it. Obviously, The Word of Kemmler is important, but so is the other book. He desperately needs more information.

Harry spends some time explaining the facts of the preternatural world to Butters. At first, Butters is skeptical, but too much is happening around him to deny the facts. Harry also divulges various White Council secrets and even shows Butters how to power a magical circle.

Harry also has several frank discussions with the shadow of Lasciel dwelling within his mind. Naturally, Dresden knows that the fallen angel is trying to seduce him to the dark side, but she is so convincing. He is definitely NOT going to dig up the blackened denarius in the cellar, but maybe they can work out a compromise to help protect his friends and neighbors.

Highly recommended for Butcher fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of magical powers, dinosaur skeletons, and other exotica.

-Arthur W. Jordin

If you're reading this, you mostly know the story. An old (seriously old) adversary demand Dresden complete the quest for the Great MacGuffin with a mere three days to get it done. Oh, by the way, it's three days to Harry's birthday. Oh, by the way, Harry's birthday falls on Halloween. This is the first time we see Harry really lefts out haymakers of fire and force blasts. And just the weensy bit of necromancy.

It's just another day at the office for Dresden, right?

There are more jokes now, as Butters is tagging along for the ride, and it is the Mighty Butters who steals everyone's thunder with his own little battle cry.

By now, we're getting into some pretty thick pathos, more characters join the fray each book. But what sort of mileage DOES a T-Rex get, exactly?

Don't forget, it doesn't corner every well. But it will get up to at least 50mph and the only cost is your soul...

Yep. Just another day at the office....

This was another entertaining read by Butcher. It is refreshing that the Dresden Files, while sequential and progressive, do not require the reader to have read all of the prior volumes. I picked up volume 5 at an airport store and later purchased the rest. All of the books stand on their own as fine and original fiction: sort of a blend between an old style Sam Spade who-dun-it and and adult Harry Potter. If you are reading this review to decide whether to purchase the book, rather than because you already read it and want to see who agrees with your opinion, I suggest you buy it, or the first volume, and see if you like it. Most fans of the fantasy genre in general will enjoy it immensly, and will probably end up buying all seven volumes (and another coming out next year).

Keep in mind it is a novel. Read it for entertainment value. It's not a research project and shouldn't be evaluated as such. Since I am not an insufferable know-it-all, I won't go into detail about how it is possible to "cock" the trigger of certain types of firearms, or whether McCarthy was paraniod (yes to both). In each case, those issues do not, or at least should not, change the fact that this is a highly entertaining novel.

In this book some seriously powerful necromancers come to town seeking the Word of Kemmler... and Harry refuses to move out of their way and let them duke it out.

If you're new to the Dresden File series, Harry Dresden is the only wizard in the Chicago Yellow Pages, a supernatural gumshoe who lives in his rundown Chicago apartment. His tongue-in-cheek neo-noir narration is just lots of fun to read. While the series is driven more by a blazing and far-sweeping plot than by characters, the characters, too, are multifaceted individuals (for the most part) who learn (or not) from real mistakes. And seriously, who doesn't love a polka-playing Medical Examiner? A sex-feeder who has sworn off sex.... A fairy godmother who wants to turn you into a pet dog and love and take care of you forever. The list goes on...

Great fun. Outstanding writing. Paced for thrills with no slow spots. Darkly urban, contemporary setting. Magical, colorful characters. What's not to like?

The series is best enjoyed by starting with the first novel, Storm Front.
Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)

Another mass market author bites the dust. Now we have to spend twenty-five dollars to enjoy a Harry Dresden novel. Is the series worth the hardcover price? Well, I enjoyed Dead Beat, the seventh novel of the Harry Dresden files, very much because a lot of things regarding Harry's power arise. Harry agrees to help Mavra find a trail called the Word of Kemmler after she blackmails him. She will tarnish Murphy's reputation if he refuses to help. But what is the Word of Kemmler? Several necromancers want to get their hands on a book that will give them the ability to summon the dead and obtain immeasurable power. It is up to Dresden to find and destroy the necromancers before Halloween night. There are various twists throughout the novel.

There are some interesting developments in Harry's life in this one. He discovers that his powers are bigger and more powerful than he had originally thought. There are a few developments regarding Harry and the Wardens of the White Court. Various new characters are introduced in this book, but there are also some of the originals ones I love, like Bob and Murphy. Speaking of Murphy, in the bits of scenes in which Murphy appears, there is a great deal of tension between her and Harry in terms of them becoming involved in the future. Harry is the same wise-cracking, self-deprecating wizard who seems to get into trouble whether he wants to or not. I like his brother Thomas. He sounds attractive and is a great complement to Harry. Bob is hilarious as usual and the vampires and other creepy crawlies are scarier than ever. Dead Beat isn't my favorite installment (Blood Rites holds that title), but it is another wonderful, riveting Harry Dresden novel. Going back to my earlier question, is this book and indeed the rest of the series worth the hardcover price? That is up to the reader. As for me, I do think that the series is worth the hardcover price; however, I will continue to enjoy the Dresden Files by either borrowing the hardcover from a friend or waiting for the paperback. My passion for books is big, but my budget is quite limited.

First off, I confess to a literary sin- I did not begin reading this series with book 1! I saw Dead Beat on a library shelf and decided to give it a try. This book totally hooked me, I immediately set out to read all of the books (this time starting with book 1). I didn't have a problem understanding the characters and the world without having read the background, which I think is rather rare in a series. In comparison to the rest of the series, this book stands out as unique to me because of the element of necromancy that was conceived in a more interesting fashion than in any other fantasy books I've read. I'm also a fan of Laurell K. Hamilton, but in her books Anita's necromancy just comes naturally as an extension of herself. The magic in Butcher's books takes a lot more effort, willpower and knowledge to achieve. It comes off as more realistic, if I can use such an adjective for a fantasy book! This book also has my favorite fight scene from the series, which I will not reveal because it would be a major spoiler. I'm so lucky to have randomly picked up this book. It was wonderful and Butcher just keeps getting better!

In this book you will meet a few new character waldo butter who is a corpse examiner, corpsetaker which is self explanatory she switches bodies, cowl and assistant who are disciples of a powerful necromancer named Kemmler, and the wardens captain. Kemmler was a powerful necromancer who used black magic and was feared even by the Merlin. It took the entire white court to take him down and his disciples. But a few escaped and are now looking for the book of Kemmler. Which he left behind and its about the knowledge and power about necromancy. Harry is brought into this by a vampire who is threatening to black mail his best friend Karrin Murphy if he doesn't get her that book. So he does all he could to get that book but does he in the end? Read and find out.

Halloween is only weeks away and Harry finds himself being blackmailed into finding a legendary necromantic text by the vampire Marva of the Black Court. Then the zombies and their makers hit town and Harry will find that there are some things even he can't deal with by himself, no matter how good his magic is. The consequences of his actions in previous books will also come back to haunt him.

As usual Jim Butcher provides a tension ridden and very active novel for Harry's stories. Harry is starting to get weighed down by the things he's done in the past, but the series continues to have a good cast of characters who all have a life of their own and continue to grow and change, which stops these books getting stagnant.

I continue to look forward to new novels in this series, and as usual, enjoyed this new outing, and its good to see that the author has finally graduated to hardcover with this novel. In the supernatural-thriller section of the book store these novels stand out from the crowd.

I was going to start this review by saying, "Dead Beat is the best book yet", but I'm not sure if that's true. I mean no criticism though. The quality level of the series has reached the point where every book is such a solid 5 stars that trying to compare them is beyond me.

In Dead Beat Harry once again has to save, if not the world, then at least most of Chicago from an awful fate. Yet Mr. Butcher manages to keep the plot from seeming repeative by throwing some great twists at Harry - some good, some not so good. The climax was delightful and well foreshadowed - no deus ex machina here.

I do have a complaint for Mr. Butcher. Harry's supporting cast is too diverse and interesting, so I am inevitably dissapointed when one of my favorites doesn't appear. Thankfully we get an appearance by some old friends who we haven't seen in a while, and Thomas gets quite a bit of screen time, but it's not enough! I almost hope we get a book at some point where Harry goes missing and all of his friends need to work together to find him.

Overall Dead Beat is another fantasic addition to the series, and I can't wait for the next one.

Dead Beat is the novel that got me excited about the Dresden Files again. Blood Rites was a downer and I was finished with this series. But someone gave me a copy of Dead Beat and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters in this novel were magnificent. The three necromancers and the Erkling and drama from Mab kept the excitement rolling in this novel. I felt this novel had lots of action and was a great story that could stand alone outside the series.

This novel begins with a meeting with Mavra, where Harry is forced to recover a book of spells for her. However, this book is also being pursued by three necromancers, all more powerful than Harry. The necromancers are seeking to summon the Erkling, and to harnass his power. Which ever of them harnass this power, would be like a god. The ending with Sue had me laughing for a while. This novel is great and I highly recommend it if you have enjoyed the series so far.

First off, congrats to Jim Butcher for getting a hardback deal! That seems to be a sign that you've "made it" in the publishing world; witness the crossover from PB to HB by such authors as Charlaine Harris (the Southern Vampire series), Mary Janice Davidson (the Betsy Taylor, Queen of the Vampires series), and of course, Laurell K Hamilton (the Anita Blake series).

OK, there are enough previous reviews that give a basic plotline, so I'm not going to rehash it here. I thought this was a very good, strong entry into the Harry Dresden series. Harry is as his tortured best in this book, seeking to do "the right thing" and realizing that his world is no longer black and white, but shades and shades of gray. His torment over the help offered by Lasciel,the fallen angel, his agony over being offered a Warden's cloak, and his protection of the coroner Butters were wonderful character plot elements that really deepened Harry as a character. (Speaking of Butters, has anyone else wondered if he was patterned on the South Park character?)

Watching Harry agonize over his increasing power was especially great. Here's basically the same plot-point that's been used in the Anita Blake books ad-nauseum, but used to a much better effect. And best of all, Harry didn't have to have sex multiple times with multiple partners while trying to determine how and when to use his new powers! I'm hoping that Harry will keep using his forces for good and not go over to the darkside. But hey, that's always a distinct possibility. I think that's why I like him so much - he knows his potential and it scares the bejeezus out of him.

The only downside to this book was the absence of Murphy. Yes, I know, she's in the beginning and the end of the book. But she's not there fighting by Harry's side, which to me means she's an absent character. However, I'm hoping that the reason for her absence and the way she acted when she saw him again are leading up to something in the next book. While a romance would certainly complicate Harry's life, it makes sense to me that he'd be attracted to one of his dearest friends. And let's face it, he's in desperate need of some affection!

Jim Butcher remains consistently interesting across his novels. Astonishingly, Jim has refrained from making the common mistake - having his novels degenerate in quality as more of them come out.

He's almost singular in this; certainly singular in this sub-genre. Another similar author, Laurell K. Hamilton, hasn't been able to retain the quality of her novels. In contrast, Jim's novels actually increase in quality as he becomes a better author.

In this novel, Harry Dresden is once again forced to save the world agianst impossible odds. Jim reaches back for elements from his earlier books, tying plot elements together quite neatly. There are a few "happy coincidences" which are, perhaps, a bit too happy. Despite these (very minor) flaws, the book is very entertaining: Harry has changed enough, but not too much, from the previous novels - and all the characters seem to flow naturally.

The novel is quite complex; in addition to an interesting plot, the character struggles Jim portrays are engrossing. It, like its predecessors, is a novel to pick up to relax with: entertaining and a page turner.

I'd recommend you read it.

There is a lot to love about Dead Beat. The first half of the book has an amazing pace. The returning characters are always good to see. The new ones really add to the franchise as well. The twisting plot is just as hard to follow all the pieces making the proceedings as fun as ever.

There was a couple of things that lessened my love for Dead Beat. Two of my favorite characters aren't in it. This is more a gripe than complaint. The one that did get me bad was the finale is just down right silly. Even for a Dresden Files it was silly.

All in all I am glad to have read Dead Beat. This series is one of my favorites. Bring on Proven Guilty.

This is Jim Butcher's seventh foray into the darkly magical modern world of the Dresden files. As the seventh book in addictive and entertaining Dresden Files, Dead Beat contains characters and relationships that have had a great deal of time to mature and crystallize. Like a fine wine, the characters of Dead Beat in particular and of Dresden's world in general have aged not just gracefully but impressively.

Throughout Dead Beat Butcher keeps us tightly focused on Dresden, the entire novel unfolds from his sardonic, witty, and occasionally grim perspective. Seeing the world through his eyes, with his mind as subtext and narrator is vastly more entertaining than doing so on our own or as apart of some disembodied third person perspective. Dresden isn't just the protagonist of the book and thereby the world; he's its tour guide, news anchor, and occasionally bitter revolutionary all in one.

Within the pages of Dead Beat Dresden must face deadly and disturbing new foes wielding a dangerous and dark form of magic, grapple with unknown rivals who could be friend or foe, struggle with his own place in the hierarchy of wizards, come to terms with his own inner demon, and do his best to stay one step ahead of the vastly powerful beings who seek to garner his service or enslavement. Between the violence, the desperation, the passion, the fear, and glimmers of hope Dead Beat is a truly immersive and exciting experience.

This seventh volume in Jim Butcher's excellent series serves up the hot magical action and cool wise-cracking wit that fans of Harry Dresden have come to expect.

DEAD BEAT is a notable landmark in this series for several reasons. For the first time, the magical world that Harry inhabits is given grounding and gravity; it seems to have become one of the notable landmarks of Chicago like the Field Museum (which provides a memorable setting and prop for the final battle). It is the first book to weave a plot that links strongly to previous books. As such, the characterizations and actions begin to separate from formula outlines and to cut a little closer to the bone. Harry has always been a vivid character, but now he's getting deep. And the supporting cast is also getting more three-dimensional. We are allowed a startling glimpse into the torment that Harry's half-brother Thomas is suffering. We see a transformation of the pathologist Dr. Waldo Butters from cowardly to courageous.

This book is chock full of delights for the reader: the drawbacks of rooming with a vampire, zombie polkas, a really big dog and the difficulty of cornering on a dinosaur...Read the book. I can't say any more.

Started reading Dresden when I read that Dana Stabenow liked these books. Had seen the short-lived tv show which was great, but didn't know about the books. Well, they are wonderful and this 8th book, I thought was the best. The show-down battle was really something, what a movie that would make. Butcher's battle scenes are better than Harry Potter's and that's saying something. These books are really hard to put down. My only problem with Harry is his "got to save the damsel", that got tiresome, but he's getting over that. I recommend this series to anyone who likes action and likeable characters. Mouse, the dog is my favorite character, but then there's Mister, the cat and Bob, the skull and so many more.

Butcher stepped in it a couple of times in this book and I almost rated it down for that. 1) the .44 magnum thing (it's not that difficult to gain SOME knowledge about firearms) and 2) the Joe McCarthy slur (just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you), he should get up to date on the facts of that era. There's a lot of new information since THE FALL.

This is my first Dresden book and I didn't have any problem getting to know the characters. It was a fun read and I'll definately read more of series. Pacing is good, dialog is snappy and shows humor and warmth, good guys are trying to be good, bad guys are sometimes not bad.

Too bad it's in Chicago. I'm ready for some action in Fairbanks or Fayetteville or Bellingham or Shreveport or ... Independence(?).

I read 2-3 novels per week and would put Butcher at the top of the list for my next read. There are a lot of author wannabees out there who somehow get their stuff published. They've wasted my time. Butcher willl not disappoint.

Okay, Don't read this review. No seriously. skip it.

Dispite everyone telling me that one Dresden book or another is so very much better than this one, it was my favorite to date (I just finished Small Favor) So sue me, hate me, whatever.

Yeah it was pradictable, but the bit with Sue was genius. I think that the people who are stuck on the fact Murphy isn't co-staring needs to get over it a little. By taking Murphy out of the book, Jim was able to build some of the other players and help develop them into the flesh-and-blood people they could be. I loved that Jim finally fleshed out Butters now, I still hope to see more of him. With hindsight it is easy to see that this book is important for building the relationship between Hary and Thomas. It also gives Thomas a bit of backstory to build on later. Evil Bob. Whoa. That rocked too. Mouse is still my hero.

I loved this book.

Same as every Jim Butcher book out there... Kind of slow the first 80-100 pages when Harry is running around trying to piece everything together then the rest of the book you can not put it down. Read it on a Friday or the weekend when you can stay up late to finish. It is great to see Harry start to get a little respect from the White Council in this book as you will see when you read it. Great story as always and can't wait for the next one because this looks like Butcher is really going to expand the range of sites for stories in the next books. I am disapointed that this had to come out as a hardback since all the others were in paper back but I knew it would eventually happen since the other series Jim Butcher is writing started out in hardback also.

I feel like Dead Beat is the weakest of The Dresden Files, but it also is probably necessary. No series can maintain a breakneck pace without slowing down occasionally. Watch Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy or the Walking Dead and you will get three or four episodes in a row that are roller coaster rides of character and event developement. Then you will have an episode where the dust settles and the audience gets the chance to digest what is happening with a little entertainment too. That is Dead Beat.

Don't get me wrong. This edition is very entertaining and the ending is really good. It is quite a page turner and it's one of the more insane endings that in a Dresden book (and that's saying something).

The problem is that you get very little character development. Thomas is there, but you get very little in the way of new depth from him. Murphy is mostly non-existent and Michael is no more than a brief mention. The majority of the book involves Harry, Thomas and Butters (his medical examiner friend who was introduced a book or two ago). Even Bob plays somewhat of a minor role until the end.

You will however, be treated to more development of Laschiel as a character in Harry's life. (Remember that cursed coin he picked up a few books ago?) I won't throw any spoilers in, but it's good.

So hunker down and read Dead Beat with the knowledge that you aren't missing much in the overarching story of Harry Dresden, but you are missing a good story by itself if you do.

I read the first three in the series and then jumped to this one. Regardless of missing a lot of meat along the way, I was still able to fumble through this book. There was a lot of action and I was happy to see that the character, Harry, grew from the first few books. Granted, he's still growing and making mistakes, but he seems to be thinking things through more. One major complaint I have about the book is a screw up in printing. My copy seemed to have been missing about 10 pages in the center of the book. Instead of the missing pages, 10 pages repeated itself. How disappointed I was. I never did get to find out how the meeting with Queen Mab went. Thus, I gave it four stars instead of five.

After hearing about a Noir-esque wizard, I was expecting another Anita Blake "I'm so powerful" character. Unable to find the first book in my library, I picked up Dead Beat.

This book was fantastic. The humor - he made a Lord of the Rings reference, twice! - was excellent, the action was fantastic.

Dresden seems a lot more human. He's far too willing to sacrifice himself for his convictions, and he's not doing it by going the easy way out with accepting power from anyone - it surprised me that he turned down all the opportunities to gain greater power. Even those that are morally acceptable.

I'm up to Grave Peril in the Dresden files, and Dead Beat is by far the best thusfar.

After a short break to catch up on a couple of other series I returned to the Dresden Files. This book is just as lively and fun as the others. Harry is still a wiseass, and still causing destruction at every turn, but the characters supporting him manage to keep up and be almost as entertaining. What really makes this book is definitely the finale and how he handles the big baddies. I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it, but I guarantee you've never read anything like it before!

Perhaps I'm too partial to this series...Nah. Jim Butcher is simply brilliant! Take a smart-ass wizard who fights the good fight for the people of Chicago, evil wizards trying to become a god, zombies, ghosts, polka (yes, polka) and assorted other wizards and big-wigs from the farie realm - and one really big surprise I won't name in order to avoid spoiling my favorite part, and you have a book not to put down.

Yes, you should read the others first. All good, each better than the one before it and more than worth reading to get to this one.

I can't really fault this book much. It's not terrible, but in th end, it just kind of left me empty. I think that's because it hits a couple of my pet peeves.

First of all, our hero is constantly being saved. Literally, his life is saved three times in this book. Whenever he runs into a bad guy, he has a short fight, is about to be killed, and then someone comes along and pulls his fat out of the fire. I don't need my hero to be invincible, but after a while, it just sucked all the suspense out of any conflict. Because having the hero overmatched constantly and then getting a last minute reprieve becomes too predictable.

Secondly, as part of a series, I felt too much time was wasted with characters and events from previous books. I know a lot of readers like this, so I can't be too hard about this, but for me a book should stand on its own. This one does not.

Thirdly, this is the sixth book in the series I believe and yet, every villain Harry runs across is more powerful than any other he's run across. This reminds me of Dragonball Z, where in every story arc introduces a new villain who is more powerful than the last unbelievably powerful bad guy. I don't mind challenges for our hero, but it becomes absurd to a point. If Harry is such a powerful wizard, he could at least run across bad guys just a little more powerful than him instead of outclassing him to the point of no contest.

There were some good points of course. I liked the action scenes, even if they all do end with hero getting smacked around like a chump. And I enjoyed some of the characterization. But, still, at times the writing seemed stilted and uneven. Often the dialogue didn't seem geniune, but rehearsed. And the book just went on too long for me, which isn't a fair complaint since it's not that long for a modern novel.

Still, didn't do much for me. Sorry, Dresden fans. Count me out.

If you are a fan of the Dresden Files TV series and are considering checking into the print series, do yourself a favor and start at the beginning. This book is seventh in the series, preceded by, in order:

Storm Front Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)

Fool Moon Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, Book 2)

Grave Peril Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, Book 3)

Summer Knight Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, Book 4)

Death Masks Death Masks (The Dresden Files, Book 5)

Blood Rites Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, Book 6)

Also, the reality in the books is a little different than the TV series, and you won't enjoy the books if you get hung up on the TV canon. My advice is kick back and enjoy the ride. Unlike many series authors, Jim Butcher has sustained the quality and appeal of the series throughout.

The Dresden Files are noir detective novels in the classic vein, with a loner, wiseass private eye narrator in this case based in Chicago. Harry Dresden has an edgy relationship with the police, and between his PI practice and police consulting, is barely able to make ends meet. The twist is that the detective is also a wizard capable of calling fire and, on a good day, repelling bullets.

The writer's challenge is to provide his detective with challenges that he can't solve with a wave of his wand. These tend to be ever-increasing supernatural foes, people problems, and vexing situations that combine the two.

"Dead Beat" is not the strongest book in the series. Instead of starting with a case assignment, Harry gets a compulsory invitation from black vampire queen Mavra. Mavra shows Harry that she has magical leverage over his police buddy Murphy. Harry must do what she says or Murphy is Mavra's. Mavra wants a magical text called "The Word of Kemmler". Of course, there are other strong dark magic forces that want the text too. Harry is pushed to his limits and beyond, juggling his need to protect Murphy from the vampire, his other friends from the influence of the dark forces, to stay within the constraints of white magic, and hopefully preserve his life. Since there is a sequel, it's not a spoiler to say he succeeds, but of course at a cost.

"Dead Beat" is like one of those movies that substitutes explosions for writing. What makes the Dresden Files more appealing than other vampire/magic/urban fantasy tales is Harry himself and his spirited relationship with Murphy. Murphy is off-scene in "Dead Beat", which diminshes its charm. Instead, Harry is paired with his half-brother Thomas, but Thomas doesn't have Murphy's strong motivations, so he's not as vivid a character. He's handsome, he's a slob, he can't keep a job, he's kind of depressed - we know this about him but other than one (very good) scene, he doesn't come to life. So Harry is surrounded by a bunch of secondary characters that have accreted over the course of the series, who are interesting but not strong enough to carry the book with Harry.

If you've made it this far in the series, of course you will read "Dead Beat", and you will enjoy it, but you won't find it as nourishing as, say "Blood Rites". But, cheer up, there are more instalments ahead and reason to hope.

Kudos to Jim Butcher for getting his first hardcover publication in the Harry Dresden series! Definitely liked the presentation: cover illustration is great and the overall work is of excellent quality.

To the story: Chicago's only Wizard PI, Harry Dresdent's latest story opens up with him agreeing to take care of his cop-friend (who could be more) house while she goes away to Hawaii with another man. Harry wants to stop her. Something tells him Murphy wants him to stop her....but he doesn't....

Then, he's contacted by Mavra, a vampire he thought he'd killed before. If he doesn't get her the "Word of Kemmler" Murphy is going to be disgraced by some seriously incriminating pictures. Murph comes from a cop family and this would destroy her.

So, the chase for the elusive Word begins. In the process, Harry discovers that Kemmler is definitely bad juju. He was a black wizard sho specialized in necromancy--til he died. Now, his disciples are on the chase for the Word, too, competing with each other, hoping to gain the power the Word will provide.

It's a fast-paced story with some really good messages within, particularly relating to Waldo Butters and courage.

I don't think DEAD BEAT is as well-paced as the other Dresden novels. There are some spots that actually drag. Can't decide whether that is the novel length requirement for hardcover or that Jim Butcher is distracted with his new series. I think I could have done without most of a scene with Harry debating with Alterna-Harry, but skimming will get you the drift.

Still, I highly recommend all of Butcher's DRESDEN FILES novels. They are well-written. Since Butcher is a martial artist, the action flows nicely. The characters are folks you care about--interesting, flawed, but worth knowing. I am grateful most of all that Harry has stayed pretty much Harry. He's a good guy, who fights to do the right thing and keep the world safe. HURRAY FOR HARRY AND JIM BUTCHER!!!!

It's hard to compare Dead Beat to Butcher's other books, since all of them are excellent, and DB is no exception to this. Fast-paced action, lots of fighting, lots of witty jokes that had me laughing out loud.

My only complaint (and a tiny one at that) was the interaction with Murphy. It seemed as if Butcher needed a reason for Murph to be out of the picture and I'm not sure I like the reason he came up with. Overall, though, there's nothing else I can complain about.

As usual, Butcher pulls a previous supporting character from the past and fleshes them out, as he did with Butters the medical examiner. I would love to see more Butters, and I hope to see more of the Wardens like Ramirez.

I highly recommend this book, and remember: Polka will never die!

I thoroughly enjoyed this installment of the Dresden files. While most of the former characters only have minor roles in this book, I did not think it detracted from the story at all. It's a solid book, great plot and Harry continues to mature and grow. You learn more about Bob's past; Mouse becomes impressive and Medical Examiner Butters gets some spine. There are also some interesting details revealed about Harry's injured hand and his ability to heal. Without spoiling anything, the big finale with Sue, the T-Rex is very cool, as is the Erlking. Jim Butcher once again takes us along on a rollicking good tale with Wizard Dresden.

Long time fan of Jim Butcher and the Dresden Files series. Reading this book for the second time I'm pleasantly surprised by the " Easter eggs" and foreshadowing of coming events. Makes me love the series even more and excited to read them all again!

I read so many books and most of them are bad or at least somewhere in the middle. I am somewhat astonished to find one that is actually this good.

So we here we have Harry Dresden (Wizard) making money and attempting to keep necromancers from taking over the city. This is apparently business as usual we also have his brother Thomas, his dog mouse and a collection of vampires, werewolves and a possessed skull named bob.

This is a great book and from all appearances a series everyone who is a dark of quirky dark humor sci-fi should give these books a try I know I will.

These books are great! If you love science fiction you will love these books. The author is funny, witty and holds your interest from cover to cover. I ordered the complete set and read through it in a week! I hope they bring the television series back to SciFi. It is more entertaining a series that SciFi brought back, Dr. Who, or as I call it "the doctor's non habit forming sleep remedy"! I'm going to reread them soon since I enjoyed them so much! I'm sure there were things I missed on the first go around. I'm also looking forward to the next book in the series.

I loved this installment of the Dresden Files the best. I liked all of them but this one had some things in it that made me laugh and made me geek out over the things that happened in it. I don't want to say more because I don't want to give anything away.

Arguably the best book in the series thus far, this one really takes Dresden to the next level in his magical world, both literally and figuratively. The only thing that this book was missing was Karrin Murphy. Butters doesn't quite make up for her absence, but Sue comes close.

This book is representative of its series, and what is there not to like about the series? The writing is great, the plots are interesting, the main character is likeable (and thoughtful), the supporting characters are interesting . . . Most of all, though, these books (this one included) are a LOT of fun to read. They will suck you in and not let you go until you finish them -- addictive, almost.

One suggestion: though you can read the books in this series out of order quite easily, you may want to start from the beginning in order to watch the development of all the characters across the series. The details will make a lot more sense that way.

I have only read "Storm Front" before this. I liked it better. There are so many villians in this book and Harry is threatened in so many ways and injured in so many ways, it almost becomes laughable. The ending is good and exciting, even though I knew pretty much what was coming about chapter 3. The book is starting to have the "Da Vinci Code" syndrome: a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter. He is not as bad as Brown yet, but he is definitely headed in that direction. The friendship of Harry and Butters is pretty cool. The magic becomes convenient for plot devices. The humor is still there in spots.

The series is good. I was just slightly disappointed in this one.

Jim Butcher is constantly suprising me. With Storm Front he began an entertaining and evolving series that continues to get better and better. Our hero, Harry Dresden is constanting having to re-evaluate his actions as they seem to slide closer and closer to the evil end of the spectrum. Nothing is black and white here, as he learns to his dissatisfaction, and no one is completely what they seem.

If you're a fan of gritty and dark urban fantasy novels, this is the series for you. It catches on like a virus, slowly and softly at first, and then erupts into full blown fun.

Pick it up. You'll like it.

I have read every one of the Dresden files novels. Butcher is consistently creative and funny. I've read one after the other very rapidly and not in order, so they've kind of run together for me - I plan on going back and reading them again in order. This is very unusual for me, because I usually remember books so well that I don't want to read them again. These are good enough to read more than once.

This series just keeps getting better. As pure entertainment goes I rate a book by how hesitant I am to put it down. I didn't want to put this one down EVER. I love seeing How Harry is developing as a character - getting quite complex really - and love that he know has a dog as buddy. Go Mouse!

This is a much stronger book than the previous few books. The last few were so focused on vampires, which aren't really my thing. This one is about zombies and necromancy. Some bad wizards are after a book that will help them get unlimited power and Harry has to get it before they do. Enjoyable and easy reading but more complex internal issues being worked.

Everything's going great, except for recruiting by the wizards law enforcers, being blackmailed by a vampire, and a bunch of Necromancers hanging around Chicago looking for the Word just before Halloween Night. What could go wrong? Oh yeah, the Hunt.
Jim Butcher has a natural talent for storytelling, and this novel is definitely one of his best. The humour is remarkably subtle in just the right places. The best thing in the entire series - riding atop a dead T. Rex skeleton.

Each Harry Dresden book seems to get better and better. The beginning couple of books from the series were very good, the next couple were even better, and the next really great. When I brought Dead Beat home, I was looking forward to reading it, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the story surpassed even my high expectations. I couldn't put this book down.
Harry is becoming a real person, fascinatingly complex and likeable. Our increasing familiarity with his fellow characters and his growing capabilites and problems make us really care for him, make his character seem real.
Jim Butcher just keeps getting better and better at this! Outrageous fun, and thrills galore. I can hardly wait to read the next ones! Thanks, Jim Butcher. Please keep them coming!

I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me, but I actually think this may be the best of the Harry Dresden books so far. Harry in this book is facing up to some serious issues: He's looking at the consequences of past arrogance; he's looking at serious questions of the temptations and corruption of power; he's looking at relationships and what they mean to him (friends, family, love); he's facing some serious questions of his own mortality and what it means to really put others before himself. To me, the book has less of the "explanatory" phases of prior books and does a good job of moving the story along with lagging very much at all in any particular place.

All in all, a very good book.

It took 7 books, but Butcher finally matured Dresden. I like this series but I kept waiting for some Dresden character development and maturity. Butcher developed all the other characters and grew them all, book by book, except for Dresden. So I was overjoyed when just pages into the 7th book, Harry Dresden become MORE. I saw that some peeps didn't like this one, but so far, it's my favorite, I read half of it in one night. I am finally looking forward to the 8th, and hopefully more, as well as the series on the SciFi channel.

I didn't read any of the previous works in the series - just Dead Beat. This book stands on its own extremely well. Harry is an affable character that is easy to like. He reminds me of so many people I know - you know the type: hell-bent on doing what is wrong because it is right. The book is laced with all types of interesting characters. There is a half-blood brother that also happens to be a laid-back vampire. Butcher also introduces us to a goofy medical examiner that reminded me of the quirky professor in the animated film Titan A.E. This list goes on.

All-in-all the book is just plain fun to read. I can't wait to dive into the next in the series. If it is anything like Dead Beat, I'll most likely read the entire series from the start. Besides, I need to find out more about the origins of that whacky skull.

Jim Butcher may be a terrible writer, nonetheless he has some great stories to tell. This is a solid entry in the emotionally stunted Harry Dresden series.

The story makes one overlook the bad writing, cliche characters, and lousy dialogue.

Rating 4 out of 5 stars.

Plus a non-gratuitous appearance of a famous reptile, and the usual/unusual creatures of his world. It is funny and a thought provoking exploration of morality as well. And Harry grows through his previous issues into even more responsibilities.

I am always surprised how many people get upset when fiction isn't, well, accurate. It is fiction people! For some reason, no one questions how Harry wields magic or zombies exist, just that he is using a gun irresponsibily or that the author has Chicago wrong!

But I digress. This book is magnificent. I have been with the series now for a year or two, and every single book is better than the previous one, with the exception of Fool Moon. If you are a fan of the x-files or Harry Potter (I happen to like both) or just of good stories, I'd recommend these books. Start at the beginning of the series, and look forward to this one--cause it is the best!

I love this series, love the character of Harry Dresden and all his friends. This was an action filled book and carried on the series very well. The audio books read by James Marsters are very well done also. I've listened to the first four he read. This book continues the war between the White Council and the Red Court of vampires. You find out more about the White Council and it's members. Harry is developing more in each book. Highly recommend this book and the whole series. It's one of my favorite series of books. My favorite book so far in the series is probably Summer Knight.

He has a way of making you believe, and getting you past some of the more gruesome scenes with other visually wonderful scenes and some fabulous lines. There are some wonderful characters, and certainly suspense reigns throughout. This book did not have the same emotional pull as some of the previous, but I very much enjoyed it and will be waiting for the next.

I started reading Butcher's books as an antidote to the Katie Macallister mess, as avoidance of the Kim Harrison slop, and was hoping for a rescue from the Charlaine Harris body snatching. His books are pretty good. I was really surprised by the series. The book was full of enough action for any reader. I was a little disappointed at the failure to conclude the fallen angel aspect, but hey then the series would end.

I love the Dresden Files series enough to make room on my small bookshelf for them -- yes, I will eventually own them all in hard copy. However, the store's supplier prices are too rich for me. I get mine on ebay.

I was catching up on some of the books I had missed for one reason or another and finally got to this one. While I don't think this was one of the better in the series, it was very entertaining. I just finished Fool Moon and Grave Peril so I was ready to fill in a few blanks. I thought this one had a few slow spots, but I laughed at a number of lines that only Jim Butcher can give, loved the descriptiveness of the final battle and generally felt like this did in fact fill in the blanks in a number of areas.

I think some folks are a bit to serious about getting a perfect novel every time, enjoy it for what it is, good solid entertainment. Better than blowing $8.50 on a crappy movie.

Easily one of the best books in the series so far - basically, Harry is ratcheting up the power without becoming incredibly annoying. More bad guys, more introspection, more difficult choices. Portions of it do get a bit belabored at times, but those patches are entirely forgivable, especially given the action sequence at the end. I was laughing hysterically. So well done.

I've been a huge fan of Butcher's work, but this is still my favorite. After reading it again with my husband, I began to remember why. Like all of the Dresden Files, it is filled with action, comedy, and plot twists. Butters is a great foil to Harry and their dialogue busts me up every time. Most of all I like the character growth in this book. (Yes, I have a soft spot for the medical examiner.) It is also, I think, the most hopeful.
All in all a great read.

This is the seventh in a series of books that pits Harry against the wizards, demons, and black magic around Chicago. This is a easy read that will sink it's claws into where you want to know if Harry will survive against evil.

These books are not G rated, but also not an excuse for porn like other urban fantasies. Interesting story lines with characters you like. This book is one of the best in the series, with a surprise I won't spoil for you. It made my son very happy (me too)!

Lots of fun as Harry has to battle a bunch of Necromancers and gets further entangled in White Council business. Quite a bit of humor as well; Sue and the Polka Suit were particularly funny. The characters get better with each book and Harry grows better and better. Nicely done plot with good twists.

Being a fan through the late 80's till now of Glen Cook's Garret novels, Alan Dean Foster's complete works and also being a scholar of Raymond Chandler's Marlowe, Doyle's Holmes, Hammet and Spade, the progression of the two genres of Detective Noir and Fantasy has now come to perfect fruition in Jim Butcher's Dresden books.

What enamored me originally was watching Bogart say to Bacall such classic lines like :

"Vivian: I don't like your manners!

Marlowe: I'm not crazy about yours. I didn't ask to see you.

And I don't mind you ritzing me or drinking your lunch out of a bottle. I don't mind you showing me your legs. They're very swell legs and it's a pleasure to make their acquaintance. And I don't mind if you don't like my manners. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them during the long winter evenings."

Right from Chandler's typewriter.

I thought there could never be a more perfect example of the 'smart-a**/verbage fisticuffs' than Chandler expressed through Marlowe, Spillane talking through Hammer, Cook through Garret, until I read Butcher's Harry Dresden.

Now, being only on the fringes of 'character role play', i.e the dungeons and dragons role playing games that my generation of people who now run the Tech business(sweet revenge/irony), Butcher has embraced that and has created the most original and complete person on a page, Wizard Harry Dresden, since the classics stated above. He encapsulates so many genres and characters, without imitating any that preceded him, it almost feels like Hammer, Marlowe and Holmes evolved, through Butcher's mind, into the next greatest sleuth and magical person. With the current mood and methods of sci-fi/fantasy authors over the last 3 decades, and given the innovations of science, technology, religion and pure imagination, Butcher's Harry Dresden embodies and captures all of it. Maybe most importantly, the rebellious, snide, moral, human, flawed, character of Dresden. He always comes back to the basics of ethics,family, and most especially...love.

Mr. Butcher through this series of novels seems to have bridged the gap between old school noir, and new age fantasy, and is sooooo much fun to read, and I hope his future works can take us further into the world of Harry Dresden,and especially...Chicago.

Ignore the frothing screed that gives the book one star based on a) a typo (the trigger thing) and b) one throwaway line where the main character echoes a sentiment about McCarthy that's shared by 99.9% of the population. How a mis-typed word and a snarky utterance can ruin an entire series for someone, I'll never understand.

If you're a Dresden fan, I rank this one amongst the best in the bunch. This book features the fleshing-out of the supporting cast, some exciting (and, yes, over-the-top) action, and--best of all--several startling changes to the status quo. I was genuinely surprised at some of the developments, and I'm anxious to see where Butcher takes them next.

Except for the dialogue, which is certainly Jim Butcher's strength, this book almost seemed to be written by someone other than the guy who wrote the first six books. The other six flowed from chapter to chapter, Dead Beat's prose was halted the flow and the over the top introspection slowed the book to a crawl at times. There was little to no flow. Was there a different editor on Dead Beat? It was very "Stephen King-like" when King is at his worst; choppy narrative that brings a Dead Stop to the over all flow of a book. Still good, but this ranks as my least favorite Butcher book.

Okay I'm only on page 109 but here are my beefs, as a chicagoan:

U of C is located in hyde park, not lincoln park. I just got to a scene where he's running at north avenue beach and the sun is 'just peeking through the chicago skyline'. Well, chicago FACES east so actually the sun will be coming up over the lake. They could see the sun peeking over the skyline if they were in the western suburbs. So, north is south and east is west?

Sorry for the chicago ramble...otherwise seems a rambunctious and fun new sci fi. I'm new to the series and will give the others a chance, if he gets an editor who knows chicago better, or at least a map!

short and sweet, dead beat is a great read. despite the fact that you have a few characters popping in and out from time to time, it's still the same beat on, sore, but still laugh out loud harry

there are some definite surprises in this book with bob, and the coin harry buried in his cellar, and his injured hand

and yes, you get to cringe as harry gets his butt kicked hard again

but console yourself with this, gentle reader. there is a new battle cry to be heard through the ages;

POLKA WILL NEVER DIE!!

Let me say it right off: "Dead Beat" is not the best in the series, but it is damn good nevertheless. In all fairness it has several weaknesses, which I will briefly mention below, but it certainly doesn't betray the usual strong plot, fun adventure and high quality writing we came to expect from Jim.

The previous installment, "Blood Rites", had Harry discover new and disturbing facts about his life. In this book, Harry turns to introspection. Faced with a bunch of necromancers in a mad race after a lost artifact of unspeakable power, all of them much stronger magically than Harry, our hero has to make choices and compromises which are morally ambiguous. As with real life, there are no clear-cut `right' solutions (high points for realism, Jim). But hey, nothing like moral dilemmas to have a character grow. Indeed, here we find Harry gradually losing the naiveté and bumbling enthusiasm of the first volumes; this is a world-weary Harry who has to undergo a painful examination of his weaknesses of spirit in order to be able to live with them. Nicely done.

If the hero gets all the attention he deserves, that can hardly be said about the rest of the characters we came to love, or love to hate. Thomas pops in and out of the plot at random moments; some old characters get cameo appearances, others are conspicuously absent for the entire duration of the plot, which was decidedly odd. Also, there should be a limit to how many artifacts Harry is able to locate during the course of a book ... and then lose to the bad guys rather immediately! I am not saying this makes for a bad plot, but boy was I gritting my teeth in frustration. Finally, some small inconsistencies (an attentive reader will no doubt notice them, so I won't go into that). All these do not change my impression of the series, which is among the best out there now that Anita went bananas and Meredith will soon collapse from sexual exhaustion. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and can't wait to get my hands on the next one. Go Harry!

First,I admit I'm biased and probably would enjoy any book to come in this series. This one is the best though. One of the frustrations from the previous books in the series is the lack of respect Dresden gets from his peers. Finally, we see him coming into his power and the White Council accepting him. I can't wait for the next book to come out.

If you have never read one of the Dresden File books, I must warn you, that you will be hooked after just a few pages. The series captivates and doesn't let go. Anyone with even a mild interest in mysteries, magical beings, or adventure will enjoy getting to know Harry.
Please don't judge the books by the horrible and thankfully, short lived television show. The names are the same but the people responsible for its creation, I'm sure, had never read the books.

My teenage son and I have taken on reading of the Dresden Files as a summer reading project. Its a quick read and appeals to our interest in the supernatural. Dead Beat shows Jim Butcher maturing as a writer and really finding his stride in this series. So far, this is the best one in the lot. Its a good transition for children moving out of the youth genre into more adult material. Though there are a few racy scenes and some interesting language, its no more than what the kids are exposed to in other media these days. If you enjoyed Harry Potter and Eragon as a youth, you'll enjoy Harry Dresden as an adult.

...with the writing style and the characters and the atmosphere and oh... everything. highly enjoyable series - now Harry just needs to get his head on straight and ask Murphy out! Dead Beat is a little darker than the earlier books and a lot more introspective, but that's kind of to be expected at this point - Harry just found out crazy stuff about both his biological family (mom's past anyways) and his emotional family (Ebenezer), not to mention burned his hand beyond recognition all in the last book - the boy has got a lot to think about. All in all, an excellent, if expensive, addition to the Dresden files.

Let me put it as simply and clearly as possible: read this book. In my opinion, it's the best of the series so far.

But really, you should read the whole series, because it's some of the best fiction ever written. Want more details? See my review for book 6.

I was nerver really much into this type of book, till my good friend read one and recommended them. She liked them so much I read one and enjoyed the story line so well, I got the idea to buy her the set so I could borrow them to read! The set came in perfect conditon, quick deliver and on time for my friends birthday. Will check you out for future purchases!

Happy New Year!

Good book. Great twists in the plot. Harry is gaining strength and his opponents are getting tougher to dispatch making for some interesting battles. I wish he could have fleshed out the bad guys a little more it would have been nice to know more about Cowl and Komuri.

Jim Butcher carries on his tales of Harry Dresden, Wizard Extraordinaire, in this latest book. The Dresden Files are all very entertaining and leave you hoping for the next issue.

I recommend reading all of the books in the Dresden Files if you are at all interested in magic and the things that go "bump" in the night. Jim Butcher brings new dimension to Vampires, Werewolves, Fairies, Demons, Ghouls, Ghosts and more magical folk. I look forward to the next installment.

The book is a good read. A bit repetitious in certain areas of introducing people, places and things. If a reader hasn't learned of some of these portions of Harry's world by now, they aren't interested in the series.

The Dresden files are a wonderful series of novels. The stories are exciting and always leave you wondering how he was able to get himself into so much chaotic trouble. A page Turner from cover to cover as you accompany Harry through another adventure of epic proportions.

This is a great story. I especially like the character Butters in this book, as he is really just an average guy, and he finds out some stuff about himself. All the Dresden File books are exciting, and the ending to this one is literally a really wild ride. Anyone who likes action with a sense of humor will really enjoy these stories.

Harry Dresden, Wizard-for-Hire and self-assigned protector of Chicago, gets called upon by an old foe and blackmailed into hunting down an old relic. The only catch is that there are three other necromancers also fighting with Harry for control of the object, and whomever gets it will have access to harness the power of undeath. Can Harry track down the artifact and stop doomsday?

I've yet to be dissapointed with any of Jim butchers books. I really enjoy the way his charaters are coming along. Dead beat has given us a little more insite on what's been going on with Harry Dresen. A fun adventure with darkness.

Awesome. Completely awesome. This book is funny, it is exciting, and it is cool. I have never given a book a 5 star rating but this one deserved it. From the first page the book is great. Any fan of reading good books will love this one.

I can't recommend the Dresden files enough. It's a sleek, often sexy, ride through the dark imagination of Jim Butcher. It's very much the alternative to, often poorly realized, fantasy fiction that is glutting the market of late.

I liked this book well enough but I've couldn't help but notice that Mr. Butcher has a tendency to repeat words like 'Forzale?' for every spell that Harry Dresdan does. I meen couldn't he put a variety in it? I also didn't like how the author sometimes throws his personal religious beliefs into the book. Oh well I hope to see the next book come out soon!

I have read all of the Dresden files books to date, and will probably read the rest, too. I am far too lazy to rate all of them - so I'll settle for just this one. This series is not terribly original, intelligent or believable. It is however, very entertaining. It's the mental equivalent of popcorn - not too filling, heavy, or time consuming. I should also note that I read these books despite the authors annoying "About" blurb; come on, this sounds like every insecure, wannabe D&D nerd I've ever met...