Chicago wizard Harry Dresden rushes to solve the riddle of a vampire's demand for the Word of Keppler in order to save the city, and his friend Karrin Murphy, head of the city's Special Investigations department, from the threat of supernatural horror.

There's no love lost between Harry Dresden, the only wizard in the Chicago phone book, and the White Council of Wizards, who find him brash and undisciplined. But war with the vampires has thinned their ranks, so the Council has drafted harry as a Warden and assigned him to look into rumors of black magic in the Windy City. As Harry adjusts to his new role, another problem arrives in the form of the tattooed and pierced daughter of an old friend,...

Harry Dresden, Chicago's only practicing wizard, is hired by a mysterious priest to find the stolen Shroud of Turin. But first, Harry must deal with the Red Court of Vampires' champion, professional hit men, and the return of his semi-vampire former girlfriend.

Assigned to investigate the deaths of several magic practitioners, all of whom lacked the ability to become full-fledged wizards, professional Chicago wizard Harry Dresden is shocked when the evidence points to his half-brother Thomas as the killer.