Recently, I finished reading the newest book in the The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, I highly recommend this one. Butcher has created a list of characters that are truly remarkable. Harry Dresden is one such character. He's a wizard who's thrown out the norm of keeping magic a secret and, instead, placed his name and qualifications in the yellow pages. In short, he's a private detective dedicated to any case that can't be solved by regular means. Throughout the series, he's invested in friendships from police detectives, to werewolves, from vampires, to doctors, from fairies, to Knights of the cross; all of which have shaped the world of Dresden.
Proven Guilty is the latest edition of that world. Stuck with the job as one of the wardens of the White Council (the policing group responsible for the magic world), Harry finds himself stretched to the max as he tries to complete duties assigned to him by the Council while he also attempts to work independently as a private detective, all while trying to complete a favor for a friend. Did I mention he's also trying to stay sane throughout all of this?
The Dresden Files have been compared to Harry Potter by some, though I'd have to disagree. Both characters are wizards sharing the name Harry, however, Butcher has rounded his character into an entity that carries depths not found in the other Harry. In Butcher's series, magic has more consequences. It is not fool proof and the botch factor has hit Dresden in the head many times, ending in real life results. In many cases, it is more realistic and violent because it is a series written for adults. However, the most interesting difference between the two Harrys is the fact that in The Dresden Files, Harry is searching for himself--not his parents or his roots, because he's found them--but for himself. In Proven Guilty, this quest really takes shape. The idea of faith in God and the existence of one true higher power blossoms in this edition, providing a new possibility for the wizard.