Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

Dead Beat

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
“The wildest, strangest, best Dresden adventure to date...Butcher’s blending of modern fantasy with classic noir sensibilities ensures that there’s never a dull moment.”—SF Site
 
Paranormal investigations are Harry Dresden’s business and Chicago is his beat, as he tries to bring law and order to a world of wizards and monsters that exists alongside everyday life. And though most inhabitants of the Windy City don’t believe in magic, the Special Investigations Department of the Chicago PD knows better.
 
Karrin Murphy is the head of S. I. and Harry’s good friend. So when a killer vampire threatens to destroy Murphy’s reputation unless Harry does her bidding, he has no choice. The vampire wants the Word of Kemmler (whatever that is) and all the power that comes with it. Now, Harry is in a race against time—and six merciless necromancers—to find the Word before Chicago experiences a Halloween night to wake the dead...
  • Creators

  • Series

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 4, 2005
      Butcher's seventh comic supernatural Dresden Files novel makes a welcome leap to hardcover (after 2004's Blood Rites
      ). Harry Dresden, a wizard PI living in Chicago with his half-brother, who's an incubus, and his dog, Mouse, learns that his girlfriend, a Chicago police officer specializing in occult investigations, is being blackmailed by a vampire. Unfortunately, every dark-magic wielder in Chicago apparently wants the same thing as the vampire—the spells of an unpleasant necromancer, Kemmler, whom Dresden's employers, the White Council, eliminated some years earlier. With Kemmler's spells one can summon the Erlking, the leader of the Wild Hunt, and draw on his magic to achieve godlike powers—at the cost of thousands of lives. To thwart the various ghouls, sorcerers and body-stealers in their evil quest, Dresden must turn for help to a reluctantly heroic medical examiner, Waldo Butters; a pack of werewolves, the Alphas; and a fallen angel, disguised as a bookstore clerk. Horror fans with a sense of humor will be pleased. Agent, Jennifer Jackson at DMLA.

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from April 15, 2005
      Practicing wizard Harry Dresden dedicates his life to protecting mortals from the unseen world of vampires, werewolves, zombies, and other supernatural creatures that inhabit present-day Chicago -and the rest of the world. When he discovers that a half dozen evil necromancers are all vying for possession of an ancient manuscript that promises to endow one of them with supreme power, Harry's life becomes a fast and furious race against time to find "The Word of Kemmler" before they do. With an incubus for a half-brother and a talking skull for a companion and advisor, the antiauthoritarian Harry manifests an infectious charm that will appeal to fans of Tanya Huff's "Blood" novels and readers who enjoy noir mysteries or supernatural crime series like Charlaine Harris's "Southern Vampire" series. Mixing offbeat humor, a hard-boiled style, and rich detail, Butcher's first hardcover in his "Dresden File" series (there's enough background information for new readers) deserves a spot in every library's fantasy or dark fantasy collection. Highly recommended.

      Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      May 15, 2005
      Harry Dresden's first hardcover adventure finds Chicago's preeminent wizard coping with his new roommate--vampire half-brother Thomas. Harry soon has problems bigger than Thomas' clutter to deal with. Marva, one of Harry's vampire foes, summons him with a threat to his police-lieutenant friend, Karrin Murphy. Marva demands Harry get the" Word of Kemmler" for her, or she'll frame Murphy for murder. Harry doesn't even know what the " Word" is, but while he's trying to find out, and also what damage Marva will be able to do with it, several necromancers descend on Chicago. When Harry learns that the newcomers are students of Kemmler, an evil wizard who mastered ancient spirits in a way no one has since, he discovers that they are seeking the " Word," too, in hopes of seizing the powerful knowledge within it and calling forth a powerful creature known as the Erlking. Butcher's latest maintains the momentum of previous Dresden outings and builds the suspense right up to a rousing conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Loading