White Night
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4.7 • 838 Ratings
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Wizard Harry Dresden must investigate his own flesh and blood when a series of killings strike Chicago’s magic practitioners in this novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.
Someone is targeting the members of the city’s supernatural underclass—those who don’t possess enough power to become full-fledged wizards. Some have vanished. Others appear to be victims of suicide. But now the culprit has left a calling card at one of the crime scenes—a message for Harry Dresden.
Harry sets out to find the apparent serial killer, but his investigation turns up evidence pointing to the one suspect he cannot possibly believe guilty: his half-brother, Thomas. To clear his brother’s name, Harry rushes into a supernatural power struggle that renders him outnumbered, outclassed, and dangerously susceptible to temptation.
And Harry knows that if he screws this one up, people will die—and one of them will be his brother...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the start of Butcher's superlative ninth Dresden Files novel (after 2006's Proven Guilty), hardboiled wizard detective Harry Dresden learns that someone is killing Chicago's minor wizards. Joined by his police friend, Sergeant Murphy, and his Amazonian apprentice, Molly Carpenter, Harry discovers that his brother, Thomas, is a prime suspect. As a Warden of the White Council, at war with both the Red Court of blood-drinking vampires and the White Court of psychic vampires, Harry has to go into action. And there's plenty of that, including a battle with ghouls on the lakefront that turns into a gripping flashback of another encounter with ghouls some years before in New Mexico. The large cast features such finely drawn characters as gangster Gentleman Johnnie Marcone and Harry's first love, Elaine Mallory. This installment is sure to get a lift from The Dresden Files TV series, which debuted on the Sci-Fi Channel in January. Author tour.
Customer Reviews
Another banger, a few hiccups, but still amazing!
By the ninth Dresden Files novel, Jim Butcher has moved past setting the table and is now feasting on the banquet he’s laid out. White Night is a continuity-heavy installment, the kind you can’t hand to a newcomer, but for readers who’ve stuck with Harry since Storm Front, this one delivers a rich, layered story with both action and payoff.
The hook is strong: minor practitioners across Chicago are being killed, their deaths staged as suicides. Murphy pulls Harry in off the books, and all signs point toward Thomas Raith, Harry’s half-brother and occasional partner in chaos. Of course, Harry doesn’t buy it, which drags him deep into the politics of the White Court, where Houses feed not just on lust, but also fear and despair. It’s a perfect backdrop for a story that mixes murder mystery, family loyalty, and supernatural intrigue.
The highlights are many. Ramirez continues to be one of the best supporting characters, snarky and clever, with a magical style that contrasts Harry’s brute force in all the right ways. Elaine’s return is handled well, Molly begins to emerge as more than a sulky apprentice, and Mouse shows he’s much more than “just the dog.” The duel sequence is a standout—creative, tense, and showing off the diversity of magical combat. And the Lashiel subplot, which has been simmering for several books, comes to a surprisingly emotional conclusion, even if quieter than expected.
But it’s not all sunshine and butterflies. The antagonists feel underdeveloped, especially compared to the vibrant supporting cast. The Lashiel resolution, while satisfying, lands with less impact than the long buildup deserved. Harry’s habit of describing women entirely in terms of his attraction to them (or his insistence that he’s not attracted) gets repetitive, and his maneuver with Lara to save the day veers into hyper-sexual even when the prose itself isn’t graphic. It’s not malicious, but after nine books it’s noticeable. And the ongoing Murphy/Harry tension is stretched further than it needs to be.
That said, White Night still delivers more highs than lows. It builds out the White Court mythology, gives space for beloved side characters to shine, and keeps the action exciting without feeling like a retread. For me, this one was impossible to put down, and even with its flaws, it’s one of the stronger installments in the middle stretch of the series.
Bottom line: White Night isn’t perfect, but that’s part of its charm. Like Harry himself, it’s messy, intense, a little frustrating at times, and completely addictive. Four and a half stars rounded up, because when this series hits its stride, it’s still some of the most entertaining urban fantasy out there.
Excellent read
Dresden files. Read em nuff said
Pretty good story
I didn’t like this novel as much as Proven Guilty. It started off with an interesting mystery involving some magical deaths but I felt like the mystery got pushed aside and I found the final battle a bit confusing to follow. The last section of the last chapter is a good laugh thought and it ended the book on a high note.