Small Favor

Intricate yet accessible plotting and near-Arctic winter weather mark the 10th Harry Dresden adventure from bestseller Butcher (after 2007's White Night ). A friendly snowball fight opens the Chicago-based wizard-detective's latest tale, but it's not long before a host of more dangerous foes are out for Harry's blood. A missing human mobster is said to be seeking greater influence among Chicago's extranormal population, but the true threat proves both more subtle and of much greater consequence. Butcher smoothly manages a sizable cast of allies and adversaries, doles out needed backstory with crisp efficiency and sustains just the right balance of hair's-breadth tension and comic relief. Encounters with a series of increasingly dangerous “Billy Goats Gruff” unfold with particular cleverness, and key developments involving Sgt. Karrin Murphy, Harry's reluctant police liaison, will intrigue seasoned fans as well as newcomers attracted by last year's TV adaptation of the series. (Apr.)