Rating: 
Summary: A Fun and Fantastic Read!
Review: "Grave Peril" by Jim Butcher is the third instalment in the absolutely enchanting Dresden Files, and it is another excellent read. Butcher has yet again created a compelling mix of horror, mystery, fantasy, romance and comedy, and these elements are expertly blended into one un-put-downable tale. Our hero, Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, continues to evolve as a character, and his tongue-in-cheek narration is a delight. Harry is an immensely likable hero, and despite his haplessness, readers will really enjoy getting to know him."Grave Peril" begins with Harry and his friend Michael, a Knight of the Cross with a sword blessed by God, running all over Chicago trying to control an outbreak of malicious spirits. Indeed, the spirit world has gone postal, and countless rampaging ghosts have been attacking unsuspecting individuals. As the book opens, Harry and Michael must rush to the hospital in order to stop a dangerous ghost with an unhealthy affection for infants. Their attempt to destroy the ghost doesn't go as planned, and Harry and Michael are forced to follow her into the Nevernever. And though Harry eventually succeeds in destroying this particular spirit, his troubles are only just beginning. He discovers that these ghosts aren't going crazy of their own accord, that someone or something is placing a torture spell on them. And while Harry's trying to digest that disturbing bit of new information, he has a terrifying run-in with his faerie godmother. Harry made a deal with Lea, his godmother, when he was much younger and in a lot of trouble, and now she wants to collect her payment. The only thing is, it's Harry she wants to collect! After managing to escape from the Nevernever and his godmother (for now) Harry sets about trying to discover who could be responsible for the horrifying torture spells being placed on Chicago's spirits. Evidence of a frighteningly powerful and vicious spirit has Harry feeling distinctly nervous, since this spirit has done things that just shouldn't be possible. And then Harry is accosted by two vampires representing madam Bianca; the vampire Harry made a mortal enemy of in "Storm Front". Bianca has been promoted in the ranks of the Vampire's Red Court, and as a member of the White Council of wizards, Harry is obliged to attend the celebration. Harry's girlfriend Susan, a reporter for a paper specializing in the supernatural, is desperate to attend for the story, but Harry knows just how much Bianca wants her revenge and that attending is out of the question. So Harry just won't go right? Wrong. A series of disasters and nasty encounters leaves Harry between a rock and a hard place. Whoever is doing these torture spells is now putting them on people as well, Harry's friends no less, and Harry needs to catch the culprit right away. After nearly getting killed several times and losing Michael's holy sword, making things even worse with his godmother, and letting a young and frightened girl who he agreed to protect fall into the hands of some very nasty people, Harry's last hope is to attend Bianca's party, where he's sure the person or thing causing all of this will be. From this point on, "Grave Peril" takes readers on a thrilling and suspenseful adventure filled with unexpected twists and turns. Harry gets himself and those around him into deeper and deeper trouble as the story builds towards a gripping climax. "Grave Peril" kept me riveted the whole way through, and I couldn't wait to start the next in the series, "Summer Knight", when it came to a close. The secondary characters, such as Harry's friend Lieutenant Karrin Murphy and Bob, Harry's over-sexed air spirit assistant residing in a human skull, are wonderful and always amusing. Harry is a fabulous character, and his witty narrative makes "Grave Peril" just that much more enjoyable. So take my word for it, Jim Butcher's Dresden Files is a series you don't want to miss. "Grave Peril" is a fun, exciting, and hugely entertaining mix of mystery and fantasy, so buy it today!
Rating:
Summary: Another terrific addition to this wonderful series!!!
Review: "Grave Peril", book three of the Dresden Files, is the best of the three books. Wizard Harry Dresden's world is never boring, but this book,(complete with tortured ghosts, evil god-mothers, rampaging vampires, and old enemies bent on revenge)is SO MUCH FUN!!! The three books that make up this series have some common characters, but each will pretty much stand alone, and you won't be lost if this is the first "Dresden" book you read. (Trust me, you will be combing the shelves for "Storm Front" and "Fool Moon" if you read this latest offering).
Great imagination, plotting, character development, and yes - (Thank you Jesus)- the man can write. Good Luck, Jim Butcher!! I hope this book catches fire, and you can continue to supply us with your wonderful tales for a long time to come.
Rating:
Summary: Another terrific addition to this wonderful series!!!
Review: "Grave Peril", book three of the Dresden Files, is the best of the three books. Wizard Harry Dresden's world is never boring, but this book,(complete with tortured ghosts, evil god-mothers, rampaging vampires, and old enemies bent on revenge)is SO MUCH FUN!!! The three books that make up this series have some common characters, but each will pretty much stand alone, and you won't be lost if this is the first "Dresden" book you read. (Trust me, you will be combing the shelves for "Storm Front" and "Fool Moon" if you read this latest offering).
Great imagination, plotting, character development, and yes - (Thank you Jesus)- the man can write. Good Luck, Jim Butcher!! I hope this book catches fire, and you can continue to supply us with your wonderful tales for a long time to come.
Rating:
Summary: The best yet
Review: 'Grave Peril' is definitly the most entertaining installment of the 'Dresden Files' series so far. We learn more about Harry, and Butcher brings in a strong cast of new and returning secondary characters, as well. I really enjoyed meeting Michael, the Holy Knight whose powerful faith is an interesting counterpoint to Harry's powerful magic, and Thomas, the delectably written vampire whom even Harry notices looks awfully good in a loincloth. Is he a charming con-vamp, or a monster with his heart in the right place?--Harry's life might depend on whether he judges correctly. On top of all this, Harry and Susan's deepening romance hits an unexpected curve. 'Grave Peril' took a quantum leap forward in quality and depth from the first two books of the series, and left me eager to read the next.
Rating:
Summary: The best yet
Review: 'Grave Peril' is definitly the most entertaining installment of the 'Dresden Files' series so far. We learn more about Harry, and Butcher brings in a strong cast of new and returning secondary characters, as well. I really enjoyed meeting Michael, the Holy Knight whose powerful faith is an interesting counterpoint to Harry's powerful magic, and Thomas, the delectably written vampire whom even Harry notices looks awfully good in a loincloth. Is he a charming con-vamp, or a monster with his heart in the right place?--Harry's life might depend on whether he judges correctly. On top of all this, Harry and Susan's deepening romance hits an unexpected curve. 'Grave Peril' took a quantum leap forward in quality and depth from the first two books of the series, and left me eager to read the next.
Rating: 
Summary: A Little Jarring At First, But Takes Off Nonetheless
Review: At the beginning of the book, I felt like I'd missed a book between "Fool Moon" and "Grave Peril". Butcher introduces a new sidekick for Harry without giving the reader any idea of how these two met and the new character's backstory. I was also confused because the book drops you right into the middle of the action, then tells the set-up in a flashback. However, once I got into it, "Grave Peril" was just as exciting as the other Harry Dresden books. The thing that I like about this series as opposed to other supernatural mysteries is that Butcher gets magic RIGHT. It's a power, neither good nor evil. It's the user's intentions that are good or evil. Mr. Butcher, KEEP WRITING!
Rating:
Summary: Most Entertaining Dresden File to Date
Review: Book Three of the Dresden Files begins a year after Fool Moon. Where Book Two was all in shades of wolf, the palette here is considerably more varied. Harry himself is back in full-color, wise-cracking form. The central themes are ghosts and vampires, but Butcher throws in a sprinkling of other paranormal phenomena as well, just to keep everybody on their toes. An unknown agent has been raising ghosts all over Chicago, torturing them into murderous rampages. Tired of vanquishing a different ghost every night, Harry's determined to attack the problem at its source, especially after the same torture spell is used on a living victim. An unidentified beastie, too powerful to be just another ghost, tries to tear apart a church where Harry stashed a young woman who came to him for protection. The attack fails, the woman disappears into the night, and the beastie is still around. Vampire madam Bianca, celebrating a promotion within the vampires' Red Court, invites Harry to the bash. Diplomatic protocols between Court and White Council virtually require attendance, and girlfriend Susan is eagerly contemplating interview prospects, but Harry's sure that Bianca is looking to settle an old score with him. Speaking of which, Harry's real-life faerie godmother is determined to collect on a deal he made with her as a teenager. Problem is, it's Harry she expects to collect. These plot lines are all set up in the first hundred pages of Grave Peril. It takes the other three-quarters of the book for Harry to work out who's really doing what, and why. Along the way, he and several of his nearest and dearest fall prey to various bad guys; nobody gets away without some physical and psychological scarring. Butcher writes like a master gamesman here. Things start happening with no apparent purpose or connection, and only gradually does an overall game plan begin to emerge. This being his third book, readers by now can guess that everything is going to come together eventually-short term events before the book's end and long term plots in future books-but that takes nothing away from the enjoyment of seeing how Butcher actually manages to make the pieces fit. There are more minor plotting issues in Grave Peril than in the first two books, and it seems like a bit of a cheat to have two personal, apparently long-standing relationships suddenly pop up with no previous mention. Technical writing errors, fairly unobtrusive before, are more overt here as well (note: never flaunt tony words like "dais"-especially not 21 times-without confirming their proper spelling). Picky, picky; this is the most entertaining of the Dresden Files to date. All of the "things are not what they seem" plot twists once again call to mind Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos, as does the personal and political mess Harry creates over Susan; a habit of pensive lip-chewing would not seem at all out of place for Harry.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: Grave Peril is a funny, witty, rip-roaring, seat-of-your-pants, stay-up-and-read-it-in-one-night kind of book. Once again, Wizard Harry Dresden is up to his elbows in trouble, this time he's assisted by the ever stalwart and faithful co-hort, Michael -- a Knight of the Cross. The streets of Chicago have become a battle ground for terrozing ghosts and other otherworldly problems. All in all, a fine read, lots of fun. Grave Peril flows easily like an excellent mystery novel, keeping you on the edge of your seat, wondering what is going to happen next. It's filled with wit and sarcasm from Harry's point of view. 5 stars. This is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Dresden series takes a dark turn
Review: Grave Peril is a much darker book than either Storm Front or Fool Moon. This book has a sense of hopelessness to it that neither of the others contained, even in their darker moments. Read with caution, and read slowly. The bad guys are bigger, badder, and there are certainly more of them. The problems start even before page one, and never let up, or give room for breathing or for Harry's usual wisecracks. Michael is a welcome character addition, especially when the only other returning male character, Carmichael, was killed in Fool Moon. Murphy is noticeable by her absence, but I guess there is only room for 1 woman in Harry Dresden's life, as Susan, the reporter for the Arcane and Harry's love interest is more prevalent in Grave Peril. This is a good read, but I can't help hoping that the 4th book in the series gives Harry a little bit of a break from the nonstop terror and evil.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent third installment
Review: Grave Peril, the third in a series that now includes the latest fifth installment(Death Masks), is quite possibly the most well written of the series so far. The characters are more fully developed, with the addition of powerful character in Micheal. This book, as with the others, carries Dresden's humor and attitude into each situation, no matter the situation. Partying with vampires, summoning demons, or being greeted by his cat, he takes all of this, perhaps not in stride, but at least at a good sprint. A good read on all accounts.
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