Ghost Story

Butcher's 13th supernatural crime novel featuring Chicago-based wizard Harry Dresden (after 2010's Changes) is less accessible to newcomers than many of its predecessors, though longtime fans will be gratified. The current volume opens with Dresden in a limbo-like state, after "a long, long day, battling the forces of evil, destroying the Red Court utterly, rescuing my daughter and murdering her mother—oh, and getting shot to death." Police captain Collin J. Murphy, the late father of Dresden's longtime ally Karrin, explains that an "irregularity" with Dresden's death requires him to go back to Chicago to solve his own murder. Dresden obligingly returns to the world he'd just left, experiencing a steep learning curve as he adjusts to his incorporeal state. The usual plot twists and high-stakes combat with an assortment of supernatural beings ought to hold Butcher's fans for another year. (Aug.)