Death Masks By Jim Butcher

Summary

Overall Death Masks is the fifth fulllength novel in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and my favorite of the series thus far. I love how the author was able to take multiple
plot threads and weave them all seamlessly together into an exciting story. First you have Harry forced into fighting a duel with the champion of the Red Court of Vampires in order to put an end to the war that is raging between the Red vampires and wizards. Then Harry is hired by a priest from Rome to find the Shroud of Turin that has been stolen and presumed to have been brought to Chicago. After that, Murphy brings Harry in on a case involving a headless and handless corpse that the police have found. And last but not least, Harry's old girlfriend, Susan, finally returns to town after more than a year's absence, with another man in tow, leaving Harry feeling quite jealous. Believe it or not, as disparate as these plot threads seem, they do all bear some relevance to one another, and made for a nailbiting story in which the action barely lets up for a second. Harry is an intriguing and complex character who seems to grow and change with each story of the series. He reminds me a bit of Malcolm Reynolds, the ship's captain on the TV show Firefly, because he has both a good side and a bad side. His good heart makes him do what he does for the greater good of humanity, but he's been tempted by the darkness before and it happens again in this book. Unlike his Knights of the Cross friends who try to show mercy, he's also not averse to roughing up suspects when he feels the situation calls for it. While we didn't necessarily learn much more about Harry's past in this book, I have a feeling the events themselves will have a farreaching effect on him that will probably play out over the books to come, and I can't wait to see where it leads him. As I mentioned before, Susan finally returns, wreaking havoc on Harry's emotions. He still loves her and longs to be with her, but her pseudovampire condition hasn't changed. She, however, has changed as a person, and for the first time in the series, I can truly say I liked her. It's not that I disliked her before, but there were times when she seemed a bit selfserving in her motivations. Not to mention, she was working as a reporter for a sleazy tabloid. Now she's found a greater purpose in life and is making the best of a bad situation by using her condition for a good cause. She helps Harry in a number of different ways throughout this story. In fact, he might not have made it out of some scrapes alive if not for her. Susan and Harry also get to share a passionate interlude, which kind of surprised me by how wellwritten it was. I guess I didn't expect a guy to be able to write a love scene that was so intense and emotional that it rivaled some of my steamy romances, but that's exactly what Jim Butcher accomplished here, which made me very happy.:) In addition to Susan, there are a number of other memorable secondary characters, some old and some new. Knight of the Cross, Michael, returns with two new Knights, Sanya and Shiro, in tow, searching for the Shroud too. Despite only interacting with him for a few days, I have a feeling that Shiro's influence is going to stick with Harry for a long time to come. We also get a little closer look at Michael's large family. Mob boss, Gentleman Johnny Marcone, is back too, and by the end, more depth and complexity had been added to his character. Much like Harry, I can't really justify all the nasty things he's done, but I do understand him better now and can't really hate him. Murphy is largely sidelined by the department in this book, but it doesn't stop her from helping Harry as much as she can. We're introduced to the Denarians, a group of demonic baddies who get their power from the thirty pieces of silver Judas received for betraying Christ. With thirty of them out there and only a fraction of the silver coins recovered thus far, I'm sure they'll be back trying to kick Harry's butt in the future. My favorite new character though is The Archive, a little girl who is the keeper of all human knowledge and memories. She is sent along with her bodyguard/babysitter, Kincaid, to act as emissary in Harry's duel with the Red Court champion. I absolutely loved this kid who is equal parts sweetness and serious – possibly deadly – intent. She sort of reminds me of a kinder, gentler version of Hit Girl from the movie KickAss, and I can't wait to see more of her. Overall, Death Masks was a truly awesome book. I have no complaints about the story at all. It was very wellwritten and kept me thoroughly engaged throughout with a nice balance of intense action and calmer moments where we get
to meet new characters and get to know old characters better. And as I mentioned before, there's even a little romance, which pleased this romancelover very much. There
were some loose threads left hanging at the end which I'm sure will be picked up in future stories and woven into the greater tapestry of the series, and I'm very excited to see where things go next for our intrepid hero, Harry Dresden. Review provided by The Hope Chest Reviews (http://www.thcreviews.com)
Violence Quite a bit of stylized fantasy violence in this one. The action barely lets up before Harry is engaging in another battle with a demonic baddie. A few more
gruesome moments including the examination of a headless and handless corpse.
Language Moderate use of profanities.
Sexual One fairly steamy love scene.
Drug & Alcohol One or two instances of social drinking.