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    White Night
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    White Night
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    White Night
    Audiobook14 hours

    White Night

    Written by Jim Butcher

    Narrated by James Marsters

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The inspiration for the Sci Fi channel television series

    In Chicago, someone has been killing practitioners of magic, those incapable of becoming full-fledged wizards. Shockingly, all the evidence points to Harry Dresden's half-brother, Thomas, as the murderer. Determined to clear his sibling's name, Harry uncovers a conspiracy within the White Council of Wizards that threatens not only him, but his nearest and dearest, too...

    From the Paperback edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateApr 30, 2009
    ISBN9781101052990
    Unavailable
    White Night
    Author

    Jim Butcher

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He lives mostly inside his own head so that he can write down the conversation of his imaginary friends, but his head can generally be found in Independence, Missouri. 

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    Reviews for White Night

    4/5

    1,950 ratings68 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Another entry in the "Dresden Files" series which I would classify as "not bad, but not stunning, either". I'm enjoying the series, but I also had no problem putting the audiobook down for a couple of days in the middle of the final confrontation.
    • 4/5
      Every time I pick up one of the Dresden Files books, I always get my hopes up. Let me tell you this much as well. There has yet to be a time where I am let down.Book 9 of the series was no exception to that rule as well, although I did find at times that I forgot what the main plot of the story was in this one, especially at one point where I felt I skipped a chapter or two, but at the end, it all came to again.Poor Harry Dresden, always getting himself into trouble, needing others to pull him out. We see more of Marcone in this book, as well as some of the other smaller characters, which is something I do like. I dislike when people are brought into a book, only in the one of the series, and never talked about again.Women are going missing and being murdered. The Police see it as suicide, but soon Harry is able to see that it is not the case. These poor women are all being murdered! Who is it that is causing all of this to happen? It left me surprised actually. As the book continued on, I kept getting ideas in my head about what could be happening, but what really was was not something I had expected.This was a good read, not my favourite out of the series, but it was still good. There was not enough Mouse and Mister in it for my tastes. I want a book all on Mister's escapades with Bob sometime. Even a small novel.Reading this book made me happy, and it made me laugh out loud at the very end. Let me tell you, This book is worth reading. The whole series is worth reading.
    • 5/5
      UPDATED: Second time around and I liked this one a LOT more. The final fight is pretty exciting, but it does go on a bit long.

      3.75 stars. Super entertaining Dresden entry, but I felt like Butcher's writing is a notch lower than it was for the previous two books. Also, the insanely long battle at the end of this book just wore me out.
    • 4/5
      Harry discovers that someone is preying on low level magic users and somehow gets dragged into a civil war among the vampires (because when does Harry not get dragged into "end of the world" situations??). There are some throwbacks to the past and more about the relationship between Harry and his brother, Thomas. Harry always amazes me with his resiliency and his strength. There's also a nice resolution to the fallen angel aspect.
    • 5/5
      This is my favourite of the Dresden Files series. It has everything - Harry getting beaten up (a lot), roles for Lara, Thomas and Lash, and Ramirez. Harry is having to cope with his own problems, plus try to keep his rather-too-eager apprentice under control.

      This book has some of my favourite scenes out of the series - Ramirez and Lara (classic), and Harry and Thomas.

      Can't think how many times I've read/listened to this - and there will be many more times.
    • 4/5
      Another solid Dresden Files novel. Not my absolute favorite, but I loved seeing more of Ramirez and Thomas.A bunch of witches have gone missing or have mysteriously killed themselves and Dresden and Murphey decide to investigate and put an end to whatever is terrorizing part of the magic community. Of course, it ends up going way deeper and darker than they imagined and lots of old players are re-introduced. It's fun and violent, and full of laughs. I particularily dug the end of it. Now on to the next one! Slowly, but surely I'll knock this series out!
    • 4/5
      When his brother seems a possible suspect in a series of murders, Harry Dresden teams up with his apprentice Molly, Sergeant Murphy, gangster Johnnie Marcone, and Elaine Mallory to clear Thomas of all suspicions, only to be dragged into the political mayhem of the various vampire Courts. Another entertaining installment in the series with the same great characters. If you like the style of the series, this won't disappoint. The plot is tight and there are a few tense and a few hilarious moments that'll keep you turning the pages. Mouse is still my favorite character, no change there.
    • 5/5
      As always, very entertaining if not totally original. I always appreciated the dark overtones associated with Harry Dresden, which sets these series aside from other somewhat similar novels. I enjoyed this book even more than previous ones from Harry Dresden files somehow.
    • 3/5
      Harry never fails to provide entertainment, and this far into the series it's "comfort food". Or comfort reading.

      Nice to see more of old frenemies, sad about the one who may be lost, my favourite of recent additions. Thoe-mass is delightful as always, and the hints of higher destiny (ok, not hints, it was stated outright) keep me looking forward.

      On to the next then.
    • 4/5
      Ok Mr. Dresden, you have me hooked right now where I am engulfing your novels at a record pace. At White Night fit in perfectly. The pace was fast, the characters witty, the combat engaging, and the drama ensues. The intrigue between the war, the mysterious Cowl and the Black Council, Molly's training, Mouse!, and many more have layer out a recipe for success. What's next? Small Favor? Bring it on!
    • 5/5
      Ok, I'll admit it. I love Harry Dresden. Shocker, right?Mr. Butcher, you've got yourself a die-hard fan here. Your characters rock. Your battles leave me breathless. And the world you created is fascinating -- though I wouldn't want to live there! Just one request: Can you let Harry sleep a little more?And great lines in this one:"Damn, there ain't nothing like a good entrance."And an entrance that was. Awe. some."I was going for cool and strong, but my voice came out sounding angry and not overly burdened with sanity."Harry's pretense of being Thomas's boyfriend to get out of the apartment was priceless.HERE BE SPOILERSInteresting developments with Molly. And Lasciel. I wonder if this is the last we'll see of her. And when we thought they'd saved the women and gotten the bad guy, there was more to do! But the plan for taking down the White Court, well, they didn't reveal much beforehand, but I figured it would be as nuts as Murphy thought. Hah! Possibly was worse than her imagination could conjure up. During the big battle scene, I kept waiting for Murphy to show up. I knew she had to, since Harry specifically asked if she was "in." I couldn't wait to see how she'd come riding in on her motorcycle or something -- it was so worth the wait! Marcone and his mercenaries added an interesting element to their exit strategy -- kind of emphasized how desperate they were. And speaking of exits, nice one, Harry! I'm sure there was no other way but to kiss her, huh?This was hilarious:"Welcome, sir," the redhead said. "May I take your coat and...and stick?""That's the closest I've come to being propositioned in years."Poor Harry! And right in front of Murphy! Hint, hint! Murphy and Dresden continue their strictly "friends" policy. I'm hoping for a change in that. Thomas sure thinks they should. They have grown on me!END SPOILERSPerhaps the only thing I missed from this one is a bit less in the Bob department. But the next story, which I've already started, is making up for it!
    • 4/5
      When Harry Dresden, professional wizard, discovers that a serial killer is targeting low-level female magical practitioners in Chicago, he is catapulted into a case which threatens to force him into choosing between family loyalty and his chivalric (read chauvanistic) impulse to protect the women of the city.

      Consumed by his duties as a warden of the White Council and by his responsibilities to his rebellious apprentice, Harry has practically lost touch with the magical community of Chicago. When he discovers that a killer has been systematically targeting female practitioners of magic, he is shocked to discover that in the eyes of the magical community, he is the main suspect: a man dressed as a warden has been seen speaking to many of the women who have disappeared or died. Fighting the mistrust of the community, Harry starts his investigation in his standard fashion: poke around until the situation explodes. As he is catapulted from one crisis to another, he discovers more and more evidence that implicates his own half-brother and begins to unravel a plot that threatens the entire White Council of wizards--and all of humanity.

      I enjoyed this book, but for me, it has an unusually dark tone. One reason is that Harry's increasing slips into his darker nature. Several books ago, in Death Masks (book 5), Dresden becomes the unwilling host of the shadow of a fallen angel. Lash, or Lasciel, has attempted to tempt him with power and information into consciously succumbing to her influence, but he has attempted to use her aid as sparingly as possible. However, the destruction she has caused is more insidious. Her influence is immediate: from book six onward, Dresden becomes more savage and cruel, and the moments in which he revels with a bizarre, sick pleasure in holding power over his enemies have steadily increased. Dresden, a deliciously unreliable and not particularly introspective narrator, has reported his actions and emotions, but has failed to connect them to the influence of the fallen angel. In this book, he is finally confronted with the increasingly strong hold his dark nature has over him, and with the angel who has so influenced him.

      Another cause of the somber mood is Dresden's inner conflict and isolation from the other characters. As he struggles between his bone-deep desire to protect his brother and stop the killer, Harry's path is darker and murkier than usual. Although the usual cast is present, mistrust and conflict create a barrier between Dresden and most of his erstwhile companions. Sgt. Karrin Murphy is at his side, kicking ass in her inevitable fashion, but her attempts to confront Dresden with his increasingly savage actions disrupts the typical easy-going camaraderie. Molly Carpenter, Dresden's new apprentice and erstwhile warlock, adds a new tone of teenage sulk and wilfulness to the atmosphere. Although Dresden is ready to forgive his old flame, Elaine Mallory, I found her character tainted by her past lies and betrayals, and her completely unapologetic and unrepentant attitude. Harry's half-brother, Thomas, has disappeared, and is increasingly tainted by suspicion of involvement. The book does not stint on villains, either. Lara Raith, one of my absolute favorite villains in the series, makes an appearance and dominates the power games in her usual deliciously immoral fashion.

      One of my biggest issues with the book was actually a small incident in terms of number of pages, and actually intended to be lighthearted. Continuing on an ongoing joke, Dresden is again cast as Thomas's boyfriend. This time, he purposely plays the role as a disguise, and pulls out practically every negative stereotype of a gay man possible: a bitchy, whining tone, fluttering hands, even a lisp. The characters he tries to deceive show absolute intolerance, not even wanting to touch his hand, etc. Sure, Harry comments that he played up to the role, trying to encourage the bigotry so people would assign him to a stereotype and stop thinking--but that wasn't the only instance, and not the one that left a bad taste in my mouth. Dresden implicitly congratulating himself, points out the bigotry of an individual who thinks gays are so disgusting that he refuses to touch the hand of one. Ironic, since all of the characters, good and bad, including Dresden, constantly assign passe negative stereotypes to gay men. When Harry leaves, he is "secure in [his] own heterosexuality"--because clearly being cast as gay was an insult he had to insulate himself from. When news of Harry's act get back to Karrin Murphy and the police, and they also rib him, again using every sick stereotype of a gay man possible. I increasingly feel that bigotry against gay men is ingrained in the series. Throughout, Dresden constantly defends himself with remarks like, "I'm not a pansy," etc. In a previous book, which also contains a riff on Dresden and Thomas being partners, a friend of Dresden's comments that he won't "judge"--implying that homosexuality is something to be judged. In this book, when Murph teases him and ascribes 'girly' interests to him because of his supposed homosexuality, Dresden is humiliated and feels he will "never live this down". The series contains absolutely no examples of a positive male homosexual relationship. There are several references to lesbian/bi women, but considering how men (including our narrator) find "girl on girl" to be titillating, this doesn't exactly speak of open-mindedness. I find bigotry most repulsive when it is combined with self-congratulation on tolerance.

      Despite my reservations above, I really did enjoy reading this one. There are some very enjoyable interactions between Lash and Harry, and although it added tension to their relationship, I loved that Murph takes on the role of conscience when Harry steps out of control. Speaking of out of control, there are some excellent action scenes and (of course) a burning building or three. This book also features a fantastic and very visually captivating duel sequence. Plotwise, it felt to me like a return to its noir roots, which can be seen as either good or bad. Like Chandler's stories, a man must step in to rescue the defenseless damsels in distress, homosexuality is treated as repulsive, the femme fatale makes her usual appearance, and men apparently should be as "manly" as possible. In a later subplot, a character is continually mocked for his virginity--because that is clearly something shameful. Overall, I felt this book had one of the least thoughtful, intellectual, and tolerant takes on sexuality and gender that I've seen in the series for a while. At the same time, the mystery took central stage and Harry and Elaine's detective duo was very entertaining.

      Overall, White Night is a fun book, with some entertaining scenes, an enjoyable set of villains, and a tight plot. It also contains some amount of resolution to Dresden's continued conflict with Lasciel. However, for me it was somewhat tainted by a dark tone and casual slurs on homosexuality that left a bad taste in my mouth.
    • 4/5
      White Court politics, the murdering of female practitioners of magic. Molly looks like she might be more than just a twit. Collapsing the deeps, Marcone's assistance = signing on as free lord on the accords.
    • 3/5
      Every one of these Dresden books is the same. They all blur together. I have no way to tell them apart. I've read about 6 of these books, and they really are pretty good. But, they are all in the average category. None of them stand out as really that awesome.

      After reading this particular book, I was like, why do I keep reading these things? I mean, it's not like they're really that good or anything. It was okay. I mean, I wouldn't recommend it, really. Or would I?
    • 3/5
      Still loving my Dresden Files journey. Book 9 doesn't disappoint. Harry is still deeply flawed with a heart of gold, solving crimes and keeping the streets of Chicago safe from the supernatural.

      It begins with Harry reluctantly continuing to be a warden, and also tutoring Molly so she doesn't turn to the dark side. Murphy has been busted down to Sergeant, and she brings Harry in covertly on a murder masquerading as suicide. Harry catches the clues, naturally, and it's off to catch another supernatural killer. Yes, the White Court is still up to their shenanigans, and Laura Raith is still running the show. It ends in a fantastic battle that will not disappoint.

      Things I loved: Gentleman Johnny Marcone. I like him now that we see more of his layers. He's complex, conflicted, and the enemy Harry knows. Rameriz as Harry's warden partner (love him even more now that Laura outed his secret). Thomas as a White Court knight in shining armor (literally). Murphy because she kicks ass, always. Mouse. He's simply the best part of Harry's life. The conclusion with Lasciel was more satisfying than I would have imagined.

      Things I didn't love: Not enough Bob. Elaine. She's bad news for Harry, and I don't want her around. No Michael Carpenter--every book should have Michael.

      Butcher has set things up for an interesting showdown between the White Council and the Black Council, but I'm ready for the war with the various vampires to be over. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
    • 5/5
      Did I mention that I am hooked on these? I read the first 6 last week and I am now on book 9, Small Favors. Butcher is a genius. Action, adventure, characters familiar and fun, humor, sarcasm. loyalty, friendship, pets, these books are some of the most rip roaring fun I have had reading in a long time. It is Dresden himself that drives the action, these are written in the first person from Harry's point of view. Reminiscent in flavor of the classic gunslinger spaghetti westerns at no point do these become predictable.
    • 4/5
      Continues story of Dresden's struggle to prevent an all out war between vampire clans and humans. Dresden is a fully-developed character by now that garners interest no matter what situation he is in. I sense this series is heading for a jaw-dropping turn soon.
    • 4/5
      Low level magic practitioners disappear or commit suicide. Or so it's supposed to look. Murphy gets suspicious and consults with Harry. As they start digging, the prime suspect turns out to be his brother who's very hard to find. Add in Vampires and other assorted bad guys, and Harry is once again between a rock and a hard place and has to pull in help from all sorts of allies. Full of the usual wisecracks and lots of action, this entry in the series delivers as usual. And I absolutely love Mouse.
    • 4/5
      The series is still going strong. Jim Butcher brings in many new elements and Harry Dresden and his companions get better and better. It's a fun series that keeps me excited for the next one.
    • 5/5
      Since the first The Dresden Files book I have been waiting for a book that would finally, finally captivate me enough to give it the highest rating (because my ratings of the series gradually and certainly went from 2 to 4 stars), and BINGO - White Night is IT! Unputdownable and so engrossing that I could not stop reading it, this story has made me ridiculously excited to read the next book in the series.101 The book has some of the best metaphors EVERThis was the room we'd been in when a necromancer and a gaggle of zombies had put a bullet through the head of Butters's capacity to ignore the world of the supernatural.It is surprisingly quotable...when writing a book reviewI read the words, but there was an odd sense of blankness inside. I read them, understood them, but they somehow didn't seem relevant....when you just HATE that BIACHThe reflection of light from her teeth could have left scars on my retinas....when you need to explain your need for swearing to your mom or your bossHell, the whole practice of invective was developed to add extra emphasis when the mere meaning of the words alone just wasn't enough. And I was [AM] feeling plenty emphatic.It has very important life lessonsJust because you start out as one thing, doesn't mean you can't grow into something else.You don't leave an injured friend all alone.It has genuinely funny, laugh-out-loud momentsWelcome, sir [...] May I take your coat and... and stick?All in all, this instalment is darker, angrier and urges you to pray to God [or to Jim Butcher] to finally get Harry Dresden laid. *fingers crossed*
    • 3/5
      it was the same old, it feels familiar which is nice to visit and it was a bit more coherent than the last couple. But still just "going through the motions". Took me a lot longer to finish
    • 4/5
      Harry gets hauled into Whtie Court politics again as he investigates the disappearance and possible murder of small time magical practicioners.
      Add to this, the return of an old girl friend and his worry that Thomas might possibly be getting back to his feeding habits, plus the renewed temptations of his fallen angel, Harry, as usual, has his work cut out for him.
    • 5/5
      I like The Dresden Files TV series, I really do. But I find I resent the little scifi series graphic on the book and I resent even more that I have a hard time separating book Dresden from TV series Dresden. But on to the book itself.I think Butcher did a much better job of not doing a "previously on Dresden Files" info dump that I've noticed in other books. Or maybe it's that it's been a while since I read the last book so I didn't notice it this time. But we didn't have an explanation of the White Council or magic or that he's a wizard/PI.On the other hand, we also start off a year ahead of where Proven Guilty ended and I find I'm getting annoyed by the fact that we're skipping a year or more between each book. Jim Butcher claims to have through book 20-23 plotted out and I can't help but think by then Murphy will be an old folks' home. So while I understand why he's doing it, at the same time, it's starting to irritate me. Especially since I felt that "Proven Guilty" ended in such a way to leave all kinds of paths open for new books. I felt like this book didn't really follow through on that promise, but it did answer some other burning questions, so I'm not as disappointed about that as I might have been.There are some great scenes with and about Thomas that I know the slashers will absolutely love.So all in all I thought it was a good book but not as good as "Proven Guilty." Also, Ramirez kicks ass..
    • 3/5
      Last chapter and author's notes at the end bumped up this book rating to 3.5 -- I liked it!
      Butcher is a good writer. However, I find myself annoyed by phrasing such as "fairly pretty girls."
    • 5/5
      Harry Harry Harry, what an extremely entertaining life you lead. Lash is still hanging around, waiting. Someone is killing witches, someone that looks familiar....and a love is back what's up with that, hmmm ? Thomas stole the show from you Harry, at the end it grabbed it and ran. I loved it Harry ! I'm off to the next adventure. : )
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable continue the series and creates greater depth to the growing world
    • 5/5
      Book Info: Genre: Urban FantasyReading Level: Adult Recommended for: Fans of Urban FantasyMy Thoughts: Shit is really hitting the fan now, Dresden followers. The war is heating up, the vampires are attacking and killing children, and someone is tracking down and murdering women who are magic-users, while making it look like suicide. Darkness... and Harry is, as always, right in the middle of it.However, you can’t go wrong with a little Bohemia Polka, which Butters has playing upon his first appearance. This is always a great thing, my friends... I wish there had been more Butters in this book, but you take what you can get.This book takes a curve and runs with it. I have forgotten how the next one goes, but I have a feeling it’s a bit lighter. We shall see...Disclosure: I purchased this book in hardcover for myself, and backup e-book copy. All opinions are my own.Synopsis: Professional wizard Harry Dresden is investigating a series of deaths in Chicago. Someone is killing practitioners of magic, those incapable of becoming full-fledged wizards. Shockingly, all the evidence points to Harry's half-brother, Thomas, as the murderer. Determined to clear his sibling's name, Harry uncovers a conspiracy within the White Council of Wizards that threatens not only him, but his nearest and dearest, too...
    • 5/5
      *Book source ~ Library/audioHarry Dresden, wizard and PI extraordinaire, discovers that witches in his city of Chicago are committing suicide at an alarming rate. Not just alarming, but suspicious. Digging into the matter Harry finds out the magical community is afraid him now that he’s a Grey Cloak or Warden of the White Council. If someone had only talked to him about the suspicious deaths then lives could have been saved. But digging into the matter doesn’t just involve finding who is responsible. Oh, no. That would be too simple and nothing in Harry’s life is ever simple. Harry needs to figure out the players and the end game fast before more people, himself included, die.Guest reviewers:A ~ my 16-yr-old daughterT ~ my 15-yr-old sonK ~ my 13-yr-old sonThis series continues to entertain, but I’m sure that’s no big surprise. The humor, as always, is a big hit and the mystery kept us guessing and involved. We learned more magic and with Harry training Molly we like how he’s becoming more focused and disciplined with his powerhouse talent. Learning about the magical community was interesting since not much has ever been mentioned about the lesser powers in Chicago. Elaine is back in town and we find out what she’s been up to and there are more machinations by the White Court.Favorite characters are back: Thomas, Murphy, Marcone, Ramirez and, as always, Mouse. Everyone agrees the magical fight towards the end was awesome and Harry’s solutions are always so fun to read. Lasciel is also back and what she does is…unexpected. New baddies are introduced and an unexpected baddie turns up, one we thought was dead. Also, everyone agrees that Harry’s idea of setting up a network for the magical community is a good idea. He doesn’t like being seen as a boogeyman for the paranormal community simply because he has to be a Warden.Favorite quotes:“Bring it, Darth Bathrobe!”“She gave me a hard look. ‘No one likes a wiseass, Harry.’“Are you kidding? As long as the wiseass is talking to someone else, people love ‘em.”“There was a sound like a human yawn, and then the skull turned slightly toward me and asked, ‘What’s up, boss?’‘Evil’s afoot.’‘Well, sure’, Bob said, ‘because it refuses to learn the metric system. Otherwise it would be up to a meter by now.’”
    • 5/5
      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 extent, 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.Karrin Murphy has taken a vacation day and she has chosen to spend that day showing Harry a supposed suicide crime scene. She has her doubts and Harry Dresden, Chicago’s wizard PI, has his ways of accessing info that most people aren’t privy to. Now Harry finds himself drawn into a series of murders (which look like suicides on the surface) of low-level magic users. As he starts chasing down leads, he and Karrin can’t help but turn a questioning eye towards Thomas Wraith as a man matching his description was last seen with several of the victims.Harry is now in charge, officially, of Molly’s magical training and this is the first murder investigation he takes her on. The first step is the morgue and a visit with the mortician Waldo Butters. Harry takes the time to teach Molly the basics about reading a corpse of some of it’s final memories. Molly was pretty nervous but her first foray into this little magic trick isn’t what any of them expected. Ha! It does give Harry one more piece of info on the killer but not near enough to figure out who it is.This book brings back some old enemies and frenemies and brings in some new ones. There’s gentleman John Marcone, Chicago’s crime lord, and a personal favorite of mine. Harry and Marcone often grudgingly swap info and this time Harry will need Marcone’s muscle. Then there’s Thomas’s sister Lara Wraith. A new enemy plus an enemy Harry thought was dead bring some ghouls to the party and the festivities are well underway.Murphy and Harry have messed with ghouls before. Pretty messy things and hard to kill when they are in a group. In this book, Harry has some flashbacks to one of his side jobs during a summer in New Mexico when he was training some of the new Wardens in combat magic. Ghouls are gruesome and Harry has it out for them. I like that we have this degenerate enemy that we can feel guilt-free in totally hating but I also like that Butcher doesn’t make them mindless.Harry and a few other wizards have suspected for a while that there is some evil force working within the White Council but Harry has had no proof and no person to point the finger at. In this book, Harry gets a few more hints and some definite indicators that this nebulous evil force wants Harry out of the picture. This being a reread for me, it’s great to see how well Butcher lays some ground work here for some big things that come later.Harry’s old flame Elaine returns to the storyline and provides Murphy and Harry with some help on their investigation. Now, I’ve never quite gotten around to trusting Elaine fully. But Harry does and for now that will have to be good enough for me. On one hand, I find her hard to trust because she doesn’t have an allegiance to any group and she works hard to stay under the radar. On the other hand, I think younger Harry might have done much the same if he had gotten the chance. So until Elaine proves to be a bad guy, I have to mark her down as an asset and a good guy.Ramirez strolls back in to the plot and strikes up a flirt with Molly. Ramirez talks a bit of a game but once he’s faced with the White Court vampires, his sexual prowess is revealed in detail. Ha! Still, Ramirez stands besides Harry in the thick of it at the end of the book. It’s quite a show down. It is one of my favorite fight scenes in the series, and a lengthy one at that too. Harry’s snark is allowed to run lose and Lara takes the brunt of it at one point. Mouthwash indeed!At the end, Harry discovers how Thomas has been keeping himself so well fed and he’s quite surprised! So was I the first time around. Molly has learned a bit about her own limits when it comes to combat magic and situations. Mouse, Harry’s dog, is more than he seems. And there’s tons more fall out from the happenings in this book but I don’t want to get spoilery. Over all, this book has a bit more serious tone to it. Harry is still a smart mouth and that brings some much needed comic relief to certain scenes, but the stakes have gone up. With that, the characters are all getting a bit more serious, pushing on each other harder, lines are drawn in the sand. All together, this is one of my more favorite books in the series.Narration: James Marsters continues to give this series a fine performance. I greatly enjoyed his voice for Thomas especially when Thomas is putting on a fake French accent. His ghoulish voices sound just as demented, wet, slurred, and deceitful as I imagined they would. Once again, he does a very convincing seductive and charming Lara Wraith.
    • 4/5
      White Night
      4 Stars

      Harry’s search for a serial killer targeting female magical practitioners takes a dramatic turn when the murders are revealed to be part of a larger, more sinister plot to destroy all of wizard kind.

      The world building and characterization are highly entertaining as usual, and there are updates on several characters from earlier books, including Helen Beckitt, John Marcone and Lara Raith, There are also developments for Harry’s new apprentice, Molly Carpenter, who is slowly coming to realize the responsibility that comes with power, Harry’s brother, Thomas, whose new profession is unusual yet strangely appropriate, and fellow warden, Carlos Ramirez whose wit makes him a particularly amusing addition to the cast.

      Harry is still having trouble in his personal life with love interests, both old and new, playing a role and the storyline is quite complex with much intrigue and revelations surrounding the mysterious Black Council as well as unexpected betrayals and alliances amongst the White Court vampires.

      All in all, White Night resolves some ongoing issues and introduces some new conflicts. It will be interesting to see where things go from here.