''Dead Beat'' is the 7th book in ''

The Dresden Files ''The Dresden Files'' is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by American author Jim Butcher. The first novel, '' Storm Front''—which was also Butcher's writing debut—was published in 2000 by Roc Books. The books are wri ...

'',

Jim Butcher Jim Butcher (born October 26, 1971) is an American author., He has written the contemporary fantasy ''The Dresden Files'', ''Codex Alera'', and ''Cinder Spires'' book series. Personal life Butcher was born in Independence, Missouri, in 1971. He ...

's continuing series about wizard detective

Harry Dresden ''The Dresden Files'' is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by American author Jim Butcher. The first novel, '' Storm Front''—which was also Butcher's writing debut—was published in 2000 by Roc Books. The books are wri ...

. It is available in print and e-book.

Plot summary

It is three days before Halloween and nearly a year after the events in '' Blood Rites''.

Mavra ''Mavra'' is a one-act comic opera composed by Igor Stravinsky, and one of the earliest works of Stravinsky's neo-classical period. The libretto, by Boris Kochno, is based on Alexander Pushkin's ''The Little House in Kolomna''. Mavra is about 25 ...

, from the previous novel, orders Dresden to locate ''The Word of Kemmler'' for her within three days, or

Karrin Murphy ''The Dresden Files'' is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by American author Jim Butcher. The first novel, '' Storm Front''—which was also Butcher's writing debut—was published in 2000 by Roc Books. The books are wri ...

will be set up for the murder of one of Mavra's minions last year. Dresden learns that

Bob Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) ...

used to belong to Kemmler, the most powerful

necromancer Necromancy () is the practice of magic or black magic involving communication with the dead by summoning their spirits as apparitions or visions, or by resurrection for the purpose of divination; imparting the means to foretell future events; ...

in a thousand years, and narrowly survives an encounter with an evil personality hidden within the spirit. Investigating further, he rescues the medical examiner

Waldo Butters ''The Dresden Files'' is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by American author Jim Butcher. The first novel, '' Storm Front''—which was also Butcher's writing debut—was published in 2000 by Roc Books. The books are wri ...

from Grevane, a powerful necromancer, at the local morgue. During the encounter he learns of another book: ''Die Lied der

Erlking In European folklore and myth, the Erlking is a sinister elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned i ...

''. Searching for a copy of this book, he meets Shiela, a helpful clerk with a

photographic memory Eidetic memory ( ; more commonly called photographic memory or total recall) is the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision—at least for a brief period of time—after seeing it only onceThe terms ''eidetic memory'' and ''pho ...

. After a few run-ins with her, she makes it clear that she is actually a shade of the demon Lasciel, implanted in his mind when he picked up Lasciel's coin to save Michael Carpenter's son in ''

Death Masks Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

''. Although he refuses to accept her offer of aid in exchange for his soul, she persists in his mind. This arrangement leads him closer and closer to accepting the demon's offer in subsequent books. With Halloween fast approaching, Dresden learns that three different groups of necromancers are planning to try and use the two books in a ritual that will turn them into a minor god. Seeking to stop the ritual, Harry contacts the White Council and prepares to summon the Erlking himself, to prevent any of the necromancers from doing so. While the summoning goes as planned, the two cloaked figures manage to free the Erlking. With help from a handful of Wardens, Butters, his half-brother

Thomas Raith ''The Dresden Files'' is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by American author Jim Butcher. The first novel, '' Storm Front''—which was also Butcher's writing debut—was published in 2000 by Roc Books. The books are wri ...

, and a zombiefied Sue the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the now Warden Dresden puts a stop to the necromancers' plans. When the dust settles, Harry finally has his hand on a copy of ''The Word of Kemmler''. He gives it to Mavra along with a warning: threaten his friends again and he will pull out all the stops, seizing whatever power he can (including the power in the book, Lasciel's coin, and an offer from the Queen of the Winter Court) and make a mission of putting Mavra down for good.

Introduced characters

* Grevane: a necromancer, a past apprentice of Kemmler. * Artemis Bock: the owner, operator of Bock Ordered Books, a rare book store near the university, just a few blocks from Billy and Georgia's apartment. * Shiela Starr: an employee at Bock Ordered Books. She has eidetic memory, a total recall of anything she has read. Turns out, she's just a mental image of Harry's, created by the shadow of Lasciel in his mind. * Malcolm Dresden: Dresden's father, who died when Harry was six. * Kumori: Cowl's associate and a necromancer, but not one of Kemmler's apprentices. * Cowl: A necromancer, a past apprentice of Kemmler; he works with Kumori. * Capiocorpus (Latin: Corpsetaker): AKA Alicia Nelson, a necromancer, who is a past apprentice of Kemmler and an expert in mental magic. * Li Xian: a ghoul and minion of Capiocorpus. * The Erlking: master of the Wild Hunt and a powerful High Sidhe of the Wyldfae. * Carlos Ramirez: a youthful warden, who admires Dresden's approach to many things. He is promoted to regional commander, working out of Los Angeles, CA. * Anastasia Luccio: the Captain of the Wardens, in charge of the security for the White Council.

External links

* The first three chapters of the book may be found on th
author's official site
{{Authority control The Dresden Files Low fantasy novels Urban fantasy novels 2005 American novels American fantasy novels Novels by Jim Butcher Halloween novels Roc Books books