Death Masks

The Dresden Files, Book 5

By: Jim Butcher

Narrated by: James Marsters

Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Harry Dresden, Chicago's only practicing professional wizard, should be happy that business is pretty good for a change. But he also knows that whenever things are going good, the only way left for them to go is bad. Way bad. Recent examples: A duel with the lethal champion of the Red Court, who must kill Harry to end the war between vampires and wizards...Hit men using Harry for target practice...The missing Shroud of Turin - and the possible involvement of Chicago's most feared mob boss...A handless and headless corpse the Chicago police need identified...Not to mention the return of Harry's ex-girlfriend Susan, who's still struggling with her semi-vampiric nature - and who seems to have a new man in her life. Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. No matter how much you're charging.

©2003 Jim Butcher (P)2009 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer starring Philip Marlowe.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“Superlative.” (Publishers Weekly [starred review])

“One of the most enjoyable marriages of the fantasy and mystery genres on the shelves.” (Cinescape)

Wow!

I have found that as you read books in a series the story line and character can lose their punch. The Harry Dresden Files character evolves with each book and I am pleasantly surprised with each stories development. It's too bad the profanity is increasing with each book, but overall I Love this book!

Great Book..

Love me some Dresden Files!! Another hit from Jim Butcher. If you haven't read the others you need too

great voices

cannot wait until I get to the next book! I really like the voices for this book.

James embodies how Harry is!

loved the book and the narration of the story. worth the read!! The series is fantastic and a must read!

amazing

James Marsters is in top form as ever Jim Butcher continues to make quality adult Harry Potter.

great book.

I love this book. amazing story, dreamy narration, everything a good book needs. I couldn't turn it off.

Everything's Great but the Music

They tried to do Noir music over the opening and closing wich is out of place and insanely distracting. Other than that, another great entry in the series.

Butcher does not fail...

Totally enjoyable Dresden Files from Jim Butcher. Characters were solid. Story was solid.

Great read from Marsters.

Harry is one busy wizard

I really enjoyed this book! This was a re-read for me and I liked it just as much the second time around. I did remember some parts of the book from the first time I read the story but I had forgotten most of the details. It has been about a year and half since I listened to the last book in this series and I really enjoyed spending a little bit of time with Harry Dresden once again. This is the fifth book in the series and I do recommend that this series be read in order. This was a book that entertained me from beginning to end.

Harry has a lot going on in this book. I don't even know how he is able to keep everything straight. He has a vampire from the Red Court that wants to duel him. A priest wants his help in finding the Shroud and a few other people would like to get their hands on it as well. An old girlfriend is in town to keep things interesting. Plus there are all the other situations that Harry seems to regularly find himself in. If you are looking for a book with a lot of action, look no further because this book really never slows down.

The characters in this book almost feel real to me. One thing that I love about reading a series like this is how well you get to know each of the characters. It is almost like they are old friends and you can somewhat anticipate how they might react in certain situations. I do think it is also a lot of fun to re-read a longer series like this because the groundwork for future events is being laid. Having already read the later books, I know that some scenes will become more important later on. There are a lot of characters featured in this story that have been very important to the series. I liked seeing Michael and his family as well as the other Knights of the Cross. Thomas, John Marconi, Susan, and Karin also play important roles.

James Marsters takes this book to a whole new level. I originally read this book on my kindle but if I had known how good the audiobook was, I might have went that route the first time around. I think he does a fantastic job in bringing Harry to life. I know what Harry is feeling at times because I can hear it in his voice. I think that he does a great job with all of the characters and the dialogue in the story flows very nicely. He has a very pleasant voice that was easy to listen to for hours at a time.

I do recommend this series to others. I like that it is a fairly complex story with some humor worked in at just the right moments. Harry is a character that is easy to cheer for because in the end he really is a good guy. I am looking forward to continuing with my re-read of the series very soon.

my favorite of the books

I listen to this one when I like to remember the more innocent times. and when I need a good laugh and a good cry