“But they were doughnuts of darkness. Evil, damned doughnuts, tainted by the spawn of darkness . . . . . . which could obviously be redeemed only by passing through the fiery, cleansing inferno of a wizardly digestive tract.”

In one word: Fun
Cannonball Read Bingo: Gaslight

I took a mini-hiatus from my Dresden Files read because Butcher’s casual sexism was grating on my nerves, and I wasn’t having much fun.  (When reading becomes a chore, you know it’s time to move on or take a break). I knew I’d be back though because I’m already too deep into the series but more importantly, I don’t know how to quit James Marsters on audio. (Swoon).

Disclaimer: it’s increasingly harder to talk about this series without being spoilery for the previous 14 books, so if you’re not caught up, there be spoilers ahead, matey.

So what’s the book about? Well, I used Gaslight for my bingo card because just about every character in this book has secrets and hidden agendas they are keeping from one or more other characters, so they are all lying to each other the whole time as they remain focused on their own aims, nefarious and otherwise. It’s basically a whole pile of unreliable narrators, thrown into a blender. No one is to be trusted, not even our main character, Harry. In fact, we especially can’t trust Harry as he teams up with a VERY unlikely ally and big baddie to do Mab’s bidding, in support of said baddies’ planned thievery. But is Harry really going to see the plan through or double-cross? Or will he be double-crossed instead by one of the many players?

I’m a sucker for a good heist story and that’s where most of the action of this book is centered, in the planning and execution of the said heist, though the planning bit drags on a beat or too longer than I think is necessary. I’m happy to say this book was just a lot of fun, starting with Harry’s “PARKOUR” solo workouts on the island of demon reach. The book is peppered throughout with Butcher’s witty dialogue and character banter. It’s not all fun and games though; this book also has a lot of heart as Harry must finally confront everything that he left behind when he died. There is a lot of fallout both to his Chicago and his close circle of friends who were left to pick up the pieces in his absence.

Overall, it’s a strong showing for our wizard detective, his motley crew, and Butcher, and I’m going to keep going to see where it all ends. I’m both surprised and a bit crestfallen that I don’t have far to go because Butcher has only written 17 books of the planned 23-24 book series, so I’m almost caught up.