A Rolicking Summer Read

I've discovered Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series. Imagine a fantasy take on the noir private detective story. Harry Dresden is a wizard who consults for the Chicago police department on things that go bump in the night. He is a compelling character and in each book, Butcher shows us more and more of the complex history of this man, driven to do the right thing for the right reasons and for whom situations seem to spin from bad to worse. Finding out how Dresden is going to get himself out of each bind is part of the joy of these books. The voice is another. Butcher has written a flawed hero who has an honest streak a mile wide. A gentleman in an era where such behavior is passe.

These fast-paced books are a pleasure to read. If your taste in books runs to the quirky and the gritty, give Harry Dresden a try.