Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresdon is the only openly practicing in wizard Chicago. In addition to his private investigation business he also serves as a consult for the Chicago PD's Special Investigation unit. Business has been bad and Harry is behind on his rent, so he's grateful when Lt. Karrin Murphy requests his help with a gruesome double murder. When he arrives at the scene Harry quickly realizes that money is the least of his worries. Someone has violated the First Law of Magic by using it to kill. In order to find out who did it Harry will need to figure out how it was done. Unfortunately, in order to do that Harry will have to research very dark magic which could violate his probation with the White Council. If that happens Harry could lose far more than his lease.
For years people have been telling me how good the Dresden Files series is, but somehow I never got around to trying it. Now that I finally have I see why people kept recommending the books. Storm Front is an excellent series start. The world building is good. Most of the elements will be familiar to readers of urban fantasy, but they're used effectively. Butcher creates a picture of how magic works in Dresden's world without burying the story in details. The mystery is also solid, but not particularly original.
The strength of the story is the characters, especially Harry. The story is told in the first person so we see everyone, including Harry, from Harry's point of view. He sees himself as the magical equivilent of a computer geek, good at his job, but out of his depth in most social situations and somewhat inept at taking care of himself. For me one of the most interesting things about the story was comparing Harry's self-image with the way that other characters react to him. The fact that other characters not only respect Harry's talents but seem to fear them, hints that there is more to Harry than he gives himself credit for.
Grade: A-
Will I read the next book in the series? Yes, definitely.
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