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Proven Guilty (A Dresden Files novel book 8) by Jim Butcher
01/04/2008 . Source: Jennifer Howell 
pub: Orbit. 520 page paperback. Price: £ 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84149-530-9. Buy Proven Guilty in the USA - or Buy Proven Guilty in the UK  check out website: www.orbitbooks.net
Poor Harry. I've said it before, but the erstwhile hero of Jim Butcher's 'Dresden Files' really can't cut a break. If anyone deserves a break, it's Harry.
'Proven Guilty' has Chicago's only wizard PI bouncing from dark magic executions via bribing talking skull Bob with romance novels to a horror movie convention where the monsters are coming to life and the body count is going up all the time.
Eight books into the series, Jim Butcher is still going strong. Of course, Harry is taking so much of a beating at this point that I kept willing the author to just let the guy stop and get some sleep for half an hour. But that's the thing about Harry, he always does the right thing usually losing out himself in the process and he never stops while there's rescuing to be done.
Amidst all the angst, the tone stays consistently entertaining. Blending the traditional hard-boiled detective narration with charming self-deprecation, Harry takes beating after beating, but at least he's chipper about it. Add in the amusing genre nods at convention etiquette and daft attempts at avoid actually mentioning 'Alien' et al by name and the constant trauma is pretty well balanced out.
There's progression on several long-running plots within the series in 'Proven Guilty', but it's perfectly possible to pick up what's going on if you haven't read the preceding seven books. The backstory gets well explained in each book, but still manages to avoid info-dumping. Personally, I've only read from book six, 'Blood Rites' onwards and haven't managed to catch up on the earlier books yet and it all still makes perfect sense plot-wise.
Anyone who has only caught the albeit short-lived TV adaptation of 'The Dresden Files' last year should find that the books are pretty accessible at any point in the series and a much more well-rounded version of the characters.
Considering the competition these days now that the genre is booming, it's good to see the'The Dresden Files', one of the originals, still easily holding their own in a crowded market. Roll on book nine; at this rate it will be a long while yet before I get tired of poor Harry.
Jennifer Howell
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