Proven Guilty
OCLC 176919800 | | |
Preceded by | Dead Beat | |
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Followed by | White Night |
Proven Guilty is the 8th book in
Harry Dresden has spent years being watched and suspected by the White Council's Wardens, but now he is a Warden, and it's a worse role than he thought. When movie monsters start coming to life on his watch, it's officially up to him to put them back where they came from. Only this time, his client is the White Council, and his investigation cannot fail - no matter who falls under suspicion, no matter the cost.
The cover art by illustrator Christian McGrath depicts Harry on a street corner with his glowing staff. On Butcher's website, the first 3 chapters may be previewed.
Plot summary
Nearly a year after the events in
Harry soon finds himself investigating strange attacks happening at "SplatterCon!!!", a horror movie convention Molly and Nelson had worked at. During this investigation, he discovers that phobophages—supernatural predators from the spirit world who feed on fear—are behind the attacks, and sets out to stop them by turning them back on whoever is summoning them. After a meeting with the Summer Knight and both the Summer and Winter Ladies, he discovers that the reason Summer has not attacked the Red Court is due to their fear of an impending attack by Winter. He also learns that Mab has been acting strangely as of late.
After fighting off phobophages in the shape of a
Teaming up with
Retreating to the sanctuary of St. Mary's, Harry confronts Molly about her use of magic, informing her that she has broken the Fourth Law and that he must take her in for trial, though he promises to stand by her. At the trial, things are beginning to look grim. The Merlin has voted for numerous absent Senior Council members, and his vote is to execute Molly. With the help of the Gatekeeper, Harry manages to stall long enough for Michael Carpenter to appear with several Senior Council members, who explain that Michael had saved their lives, and vote to allow Molly to fall under the Doom of Damocles, with Harry as her mentor.
With the conflict behind them for now, Harry forces Molly to return to her parents home, and sets about teaching her how to control her magic. Later, Dresden and McCoy compare notes on the recent happenings. They agree there's a new group orchestrating events from a safe distance. Dresden refers to this group of unknown individuals as the "Black Council". They agree the attack on the training camp means there is a highly placed traitor in the White Council, maybe even on the Senior Council itself.
Characters
- Darby Crane: horror movie producer, a disguise for Madrigal Raith, a White Court vampire feeding on fear.
- Lucius Glau: Crane's lawyer and a jann (child of a djinnand a mortal).
- Detective Sgt. Greene: homicide detective assigned to investigate one of Harry's cases, a skeptic about magic.
- Nelson: young drug addict whom Molly ensorcells to be afraid of narcotics to help him end his addiction.
- Rosie Marcella: young (and pregnant) drug addict whom Molly ensorcells to be afraid of narcotics so that her addiction won't harm her baby.
- Lydia Stern: news reporter for the Midwestern Arcane.