By: Corey Lack
The 15th book, Skin Game, finds Harry drawn into helping Nicodemus rob a vault belonging to none other than the Hades, Greek god of the Underworld. Harry is forced into doing this at the behest of his new boss, Queen Mab. The story has a number of returning characters come back in the story, including Anna Valmont, the thief he met back in Death Masks and Harry’s former ‘tenant’ Lasciel, the fallen angel who did not take his rejecting her well.
This story shows Harry slowly accepting, albeit grudgingly, that some of the things he will have to do for Mab goes against his morals. It also shows, for the first time, that not only does Harry see Nicodemus’s inevitable betrayal coming, but actually prepared his own betrayal for when Nick sprung the trap. Another interesting event that happens in the story occurs at the end of the story and that is Butters, the polka-loving mortician, taking up one of the Swords of the Cross and becoming a Knight.
The reason this book works really well is that it takes the usual adrenaline and suspense of the usual heist stories and adds everything great from the Dresden Files series, like the characters, the humor, and the surprising twists. It’s also well-done because it simultaneously finishes up the plotline with Lasciel and introducing a new and potentially very dangerous character to the roster. My favorite part, though, was definitely Harry seemingly falling for Nick’s trap and being outnumbered and outgunned, so he once again has to singlehandedly fight his way out again, when he turns the table with his own trap. It was a good twist that people won’t see coming. As you might expect by now, I fully recommend reading this one along with the rest of the series. I’d give it nine denarian coins out of ten.
