Review - Storm Front

Title: Storm Front
Author: Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden is a wizard.  But don't think "wizard" in the style of that other wizard named Harry.

While this novel, which starts a series, does match the Potter mythos in the idea that magic exists in our world, that's pretty much the end of the similarity.  Harry Dresden is not trusted by most people -- whether they believe in magic or not.  Harry Dresden scrapes by as a sort of private investigator who takes cases which can't be handled by your typical PI.  He works with one detective who happens to be open to the idea of sorcery, only because she gets assigned cases which can have no other explanation.

In Storm Front, two people have been found dead -- in a very gruesome manner which has no possible explanation, unless you are willing to consider the idea of magical attacks.  Harry is brought in on the case, and before long is not only trying to solve the murders, but is dealing with vampires, demons and mystery -- while trying to keep the wizards who know him from giving him a death sentence for breaking the Laws of Magic.

This is a very "noir" mystery.  It was very fast-paced, and I really liked the character as well as the description of how magic works.  I've had it recommended to me several times, but this time Tyler just gave me the book and said "I think you'll like it."

I did.

Now I want more.