Proven Guilty
4 1/2 out of 5 Black Stars
"Ding, ding. Round one."
As always with any The Dresden Files novel, we jump right into the action on the first page. Butcher continues developing Harry's story with the finesse and wonderful execution that we've come to expect from him, and Proven Guilty is another great installment into an epic series.
"Do you know what part of the movie this is?" I said to myself as I moved forward. "This is the part where the old farmer with the torch and the shotgun just can't keep himself from walking forward into the dark cave, even though he damn well knows there's a monster in there."
Plot-Line:
There's black magic afoot in Chicago again (when isn't there?) and Harry's once more on the job to protect his city and his friends. Along with his Warden duties, he also has to deal with a Fallen Angel's shadow that's taken resident inside his head and the Courts of Faeries lack of help in the war against the Red Court of Vampires. Harry's already got his hands pretty full, as per usual, and the appearance of the daughter of an old friend isn't helping matters. Harry agrees to help her, but gets a bit more than he bargained for in the process. Fetches and phobophages are attacking the horror movie con called SplatterCon!!! and more people are going to die unless Harry does something to stop it. Movie monsters coming to life don't really make for a good party. Harry's getting the feeling that he's being played, but for now, all he can do is fight the bad guys. There's more going on than what's shown on the surface; new powers are shifting and making their move, and it's all Harry can do to keep his head above water and protect his friends.
"I don't care whose DNA has recombined with whose. When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching -- they are your family. And they were my heroes."
Notable Parts:
One factor I really loved about Proven Guilty is how even though our protagonist is facing nightmare monsters, he's also facing very, very real ones, too. In the previous novel, Dead Beat, Harry killed in cold blood for the first time, and he's feeling the effects from this decision. He feels like he's losing control of himself, that his rage is taking over, and finds himself relying more and more on Hellfire and the knowledge provided by Lasciel. It's an ongoing battle against temptation against this Fallen Angel, and Harry's already got a lot to deal with. Like Molly Carpenter, for example. Tattooed, pierced and all grown up, Molly is becoming an interesting character. She's going to be playing some major roles in future novels, and I'm excited to see how her character grows and turns out. And, as always, we're given more preternatural information. Harry's experimenting with more advanced magic, finally gets a new blasting rod, and Butcher even throws in a little bit of old Billy Shakespeare.
"You can never tell how someone is going to handle power -- not until you hand it to them and see what they do with it."
Overall:
Proven Guilty gives us more questions than answers, providing great set-ups and story arcs for future novels. The only reason I'm taking off this 1/2 star is because I feel something is missing from this installment. Perhaps that is because Butcher did such an awesome job on Dead Beat that I had some high expectations. That's not to say that Proven Guilty isn't a good book -- it's amazing. Just not as amazing as Dead Beat. Which is probably a bit unfair of me, but I can't help it. Dead Beat is that good. There's an overlying mystery throughout this installment, and I can't wait to solve it and see how it plays out in future novels. And once again, as always, I'm very excited to start the next book -- White Night. I know I will not be disappointed.
"Free will. You can't change what has already happened. But you choose what to do next. Which means that you only cross over to the dark side if you choose to do it."
