Turn Coat by Jim Butcher

I've been doing quite a bit of reading lately. Nothing was really standout, other than Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. If you haven't read these, please, please, please pick them up! They are absolutely fantastic. Turn Coat is the most recent of Butcher's series, number 11! I am seriously impressed by Butcher's ability to keep his readers entertained book after book. This book was just as good as the first, in my opinion.

The Major Players:

Harry Dresden, professional wizard
Karrin Murphy, former lieutenant, current sergeant of Chicago PD's Special Investigations squad
Bob, Harry's air spirit advisor who lives in a skull in his basement
Mister, Harry's 30 pound cat who sometimes provides a corporeal body for Bob
Molly, Harry's apprentice
Mouse, Harry's St. Bernard-sized Temple dog
Thomas, a vampire of the White Court, feeding off the life essence of others during the sexual act
The naagloshi, a Native American skinwalker out to collect a bounty on Harry's head
The White Court, the Black Court, Blackstaff McCoy, the Merlin, and a score of others!

If you're going to start reading this series, go back to the beginning. There's so much back story that you're going to be seriously confused. There are a lot of characters whose lives intertwine with Harry's.

Harry is kind of a reluctant good guy, almost to the point of being a martyr. He has magic and considers it a responsibility of that magic to help those in need. He ends up battered, bruised, and broken in every book. I feel sorry for the guy. At the same time, he's the one I'd definitely want on my side if I found myself involved with the supernatural community. On top of that, he just seems like the nicest guy. He's very chivalrous, but only somewhat in a chauvinistic way. He wants to protect all the people he cares about.

If you like the Harry Potter series, give the Dresden Files a try! I am sure you'll like it!