Every once in awhile a character pops off the pages of a novel, grabs your mind and imagination and doesn't let go. A few of these well crafted characters leave the reader with an irrational desire to know more of their history, to learn more of what makes them tick and to discover what additional trials may await them.

Such is the stuff of Jim Butcher's creation, Harry Dresden – a wizard living in Chicago who makes his living as...well...a wizard. The word is printed there on the door of his office in the modern day metropolis that is The Windy City, inviting all who have a need to locate lost items, investigations of the paranormal sort and/or the type of consulting not usually offered in most office buildings to come a calling. Dresden offers reasonable rates for his wizardly services and, although the clients may be few and far between, his angle as a consultant for the Special Investigations Unit of the Chicago Police Department keeps Harry afloat...for the most part.

In this third volume of the Dresden Files, Harry finds himself first tracking down a series of vicious ghostly attacks taking place in Chicago with his trusted friend, Michael, a Knight in the service of the Lord. From there, the two find themselves at war with a specter they aptly name the Nightmare, share a few incidents with Harry's nasty Faerie Godmother and ultimately graduate to several serious altercations with a local colony of vampires and their ghouls. All the while, Dresden's massive magical power is on display. Whether created from his muttering of a few simple yet powerful words or pouring forth from the business end of his staff or his blasting rod, Dresden's command of the vast forces born of the earth are very impressive if a bit unrefined.

Of course, powers of that sort can not go unchecked – hence the White Council, the governing body for those who possess a high level of magical powers, and their endless desire to reign Dresden in (they think of him as sort of a wildcard within their circles). Whether battling evil spirits, terrifying monsters, vampires, werewolves or other supernatural nasties from the nevernever, Harry Dresden never fails to entertain and keep those pages turning. GRAVE PERIL is the third book in this impressive fantasy/mystery/horror series and, although I've been reading these novels out of order, I have become completely enthralled in Dresden, his cohorts and the magical universe that Jim Butcher has created.

Butcher mixes horror, action, humor, grief, mystery and fantasy just as well if not better than any other author out there attempting to do the same. What's more, he does it with a good amount of talent and skill. I'm looking forward to continuing the saga of Harry Dresden as soon as I start the THE SUMMER KNIGHT, the fourth book in the Dresden series, which I picked up earlier today immediately upon finishing GRAVE PERIL. If you enjoy any of the multiple genres I mentioned earlier and are intrigued by the thought of one author mixing several of them together and doing it well, I suggest you hurry to your neighborhood Borders, B&N or local bookstore and pick up a handful of Butcher's paperbacks. Take my word for it, you can't go wrong.