PROVEN GUILTY sounds like a catch-all title for any generic legal thriller out there, but – as fans already will know – it’s the eighth novel in Jim Butcher’s DRESDEN FILES series. And there’s far too much going on for it to be labeled generic.
For newcomers to the franchise (like me), Harry Dresden is a wisecracking private investigator in Chicago who has the distinction of also being a wizard. So while he’s consulting on cases of the supernatural, he’s whipping up various spells to solve crimes and emerge as the victor. It’s a terrific idea, trying out fantasy within the gumshoe genre, and Butcher largely makes it work.
In PROVEN GUILTY, we find Dresden at odds with a court of wizards to which he belongs. He doesn’t see eye to eye with them on their policy of executing youngsters who violate the rules of magic. Before he has too much time to dwell on it, however, he’s asked to bail an old friend’s daughter out of jail, a result of a skirmish at the inaugural “Splattercon!!!,” a local horror convention, that left one man dead, mauled in the bathroom.
Harry’s investigations lead him to determine that fear is making some fictitious fright-flick icons come to life – including the Reaper, the Scarecrow and (most brutal of all) Hammerhands – and attacking attendees. So the mystery gives way to a hunt, with numerous spells aiding the good guys, and eventually arriving at a courtroom drama, albeit wizard-style. It is this latter section in which my interest waned, but until then, PROVEN GUILTY has all the earmarks of a guaranteed good-time, provided that vampires, trolls and homicidal maniacs are your thing.
However, there is a bit of a learning curve. This being the eighth of a series, characters and situations from previous books are referred to that didn’t mean anything to me, and this being fantasy, you can expect some Dresden-specific terminology. But neither are utilized to the point of being frustrating or inaccessible to newbies. In fact, I enjoyed my first trip with Dresden so much that I’ve already ordered the previous novel, DEAD BEAT, as well as the Science Fiction Book Club’s two omnibus editions, which conveniently and cheaply collect Dresden’s first five adventures.
Butcher has an ever-growing following thanks to the THE DRESDEN FILES, one that likely will embrace this summer’s two-hour pilot on the Sci-Fi Channel, produced by none other than Nicolas Cage. That will likely bring Butcher and his creation scads more fans, but if you get on board now, it’ll be the equivalent of liking U2 pre-JOSHUA TREE. –Rod Lott
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I discovered Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden Files after reading Simon R. Green’s “Nightside” series. Although I prefer Simon R. Green, Harry Dresden has grown on me. He’s getting more complex. He’s become more the Private I. and less the “wizard consulting and educating the muggles”, so to speak. I’ve never been to Chicago, but it seems he knows his neighborhoods over there very well.
You’re batting two-for-two on recommendations! I picked up Christopher Fowler’s “The Water Room” on your say-so and have just finished reading the third excellent Bryant & May mystery, “Seventy-Seven Clocks.” I started on the Butcher book, “Proven Guilty” yesterday and I’m already into it. Of course, seeing as how you guys are such boosters of Charles Ardai’s Hardcase Crime series, Ed McBain and the rest of the classic mystery writers, I shouldn’t be surprised that we’re on the same page.
That’s great to hear, Paul. I’m anxious to get into SEVENTY-SEVEN CLOCKS as well as next month’s new Bryant & May, TEN-SECOND STAIRCASE.
Glad you’re liking PROVEN GUILTY. If you start reading any others in the Dresden series, let me know what you think, as you’ll probably get to them before I’m able to.
I found The Dresden Files while searching through some online site for radon sci-fi and fantsy books to buy, they seemed like my type of book so i went ahead and bought all 9 of them. I have worked my way through them in the last monthe or two when i have the chance and i finished Proven Guilty about 2 hours ago. I found every book in the series to be very well written and the plots to be thick enough to keep you on your toes. Butcher does a decent job at forshadowing without giving you enough to guess the rest of the book but keep you intrigued into how the plot will unravel. I am looking forward to starting White Night…. as i am sure i will start reading it later on tonight. I also recently purchased season one of the Sci-Fi series that was modeled after the book. As with all television versions of good books it leaves something to be desired for anyone who knows the books well enough to know how much is left out of the cenima version. Overall it is a decent rendition of the book series for those who would just like to get to know the characters and general plots. But for the true nature of Harry dresden and friends… start at book one and work your way though as harry grow and comes into contact with a lot of things that change his overall attitude towars the world along his adventures.
Highly recommended book series for all those who like Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Gumshoe book serieses