Turn Coat: The Dresden Files, Book 11

Yeah, Jim Butcher, you got me again...one hell of an action packed ride!!

I so wanted to give TURN COAT, the 11th installment of the highly acclaimed Dresden Files series, four stars. Why? For one thing, Harry is back on the deserted island in Lake Michigan where we found him in the last volume, forcing me to ask: Can't we find another setting? For another, Harry is given some serious motivation following the death of a character that we never got to know in the previous ten installments. (Who is this guy?) And finally, we spin in a new Senior Council character we've never met before--only to have him vetted out as the traitor Harry has been looking for in countless previous volumes; this was a tactical cheap device that to me, rang hollow. But in the end, TURN COAT still gets an enthusiastic five stars, because nobody can face insurmountable odds--all while keeping his razor-sharp quips at the ready--than gum shoe wizard Harry Dresden.The Dresden Files is a study in irony, and here, in TURN COAT, irony abounds. Morgan, the White Council Warden who has been Harry's nemesis in several previous volumes, arrives at Harry's doorstep, near death, pleading for Harry to conceal him. Morgan is a wanted man; he's been accused of murdering a member of the Senior Council in cold blood--literally caught standing over the corpse with the murder weapon--but Morgan maintains his innocence, and claims he was framed by the White Council traitor, whoever that may be. Inexplicably, Harry believes Morgan, and with the aid of Molly, his apprentice, conceals Morgan, and utilizes his investigative abilities to search for the traitor. Meanwhile, the traitor has unleashed a skinwalker on Chicago, a demon with almost godlike powers. This leads to the ultimate showdown on the island referenced above, between the skinwalker and countless minions summoned from the Nevernever by Binder, another shady character, vs Harry and a handful of Senior Council members. Needless to say, it's a showdown for the ages, allowing us to learn that Indian Joe, a Senior Council member we've met only slightly in previous installments, is one very special magical presence. And following this battle, back at Senior Council headquarters, the traitor is finally revealed.Like all the other installments, TURN COAT is action-packed, from the first page until the last. And Harry, although he's matured greatly since the first volume, is never going to take dire situations seriously. He may be facing an onrushing pack of ghouls, but he's never going to lose his sense of humor. Other characters we've come to know in other volumes make appearances here, including Thomas, Karrin Murphy, Ebenezar, Luccio, and Lara Wraith. We're even left with somewhat of a cliffhanger between brothers Thomas and Harry. Yes, I had a few issues with this installment, but TURN COAT was just too action-packed to to knock off a star. At this point, there are only a handful of Dresden Files volumes left in this series; after reading TURN COAT, I can't wait to devour them.~D. Mikels, Esq.

While I am usually quite stingy with my ratings, after careful consideration, Turncoat truly deserves full marks. Over the past year I have read all of the paperback Dresden Files available. While many series begin to weaken when they reach higher numbers, I can honestly and happily say this is NOT happening here. I enjoyed this book so much, and thrilled over specific parts, that not revealing spoilers and high points is quite a chore. Butcher did a great job in Turncoat of answering some long standing questions, while opening a few more doors for further speculation. I greatly enjoyed the progress and development that many of the characters showed. I applaud his foreshadowing of plots and events to come. Though the overall theme is serious, still JB finds plenty of time for humor. At several points in the book I had to pause in my reading to catch my breath. Laughing extremely hard will do that to you. I lost track of the number of times I had to laugh out loud over various minor details. JB once again shows that while his stories fit quite well in the genre marked "hard-boiled detective crossed with wizard fantasy" (a small niche, I grant you), his characters, even supporting cast, are full and realistic people. Though only small pieces of those other characters are shown, they frequently show insights that suggest greater depths and motivations than their few pages might require, another mark of a good and rich world. Each and every character has their own life and drama that they go on living even when Harry isn't interacting with them directly. Major supporting cast especially have arcs and have been developing as the series has progressed. The one minor downside I will offer is that much of my enjoyment of the book had to do with my familiarity with the series as a whole. While I think the book would be acceptable as a standalone, it is only when considered with the rest of the series that it truly shines. In fairness, the 11th book of any series worth its salt, as this one is, cannot truly be taken by itself, so I don't consider that much of a detracting point. To wrap things up... Turncoat was a great read, with much anticipated plot forwarding and world revelations. I very highly recommend both the book itself and the series as a whole.

Turn Coat ist der 11. Band der Dresden Files Reihe.Im Band zuvor "Small Favour" hat er Mab einen der ausstehenden Gefallen zurückgezahlt, indem er den Ivy und den "Mafiaboss" Cicagos mit seinem Freund Michael gerettet hat. Dabei hat er auch die neue Fähigkeit des Soulfires erhalten, was Dresden in diesem Band nun einen großen Vorteil verschafft.Turn Coat hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Insbesondere Ende ist aussergewöhnlich genial geworden, wie ich finde.Zur Story:Morgan, Harry's Rivale unter den Zauberern, der es nicht lassen kann in ihm nur das Böse zu vermuten klopft an seine Tür. Und stolpert schwer verletzt in die Stube. Viele Leute sind hinter ihm her, nicht zu zuletzt die Warden selbst. Und Harry kann nicht anders, als Morgan zu helfen.Harry versucht also Morgen vor seinen Feinden zu verstecken und bringt sich dabei selbst in Lebengefahr.....So weit so gut. Meiner Meinung nach gab es diesmal zu viele Tote, viele Hauptcharaktere werden sterben, von dennen man es nicht erwartet hätte...Die Logik und der Gedankengang die diesmal hinter Harry Tatrn stehen waren aussergewöhnlich gerissen. Das Buch war sehr intelligent und witzig geschrieben, einzig die Zauberrei kam bei bischen zu kurz obwohl es am Ende eine Längere Schlacht gab.

Turn Coat est après Dead Beat, mon Dresden préféré. Le côté enquête polar que j'avais reproché à White Night, car il était mou, est ici mené de main de maître. Harry cherche un assassin pour le compte de l'homme qui cherche à lui trancher la tête depuis le premier volume et il le fait bien !Il y a dans Turn Coat des moments de pur tragique comme de fou rire (à chaque fois qu'Harry laisse Morgan en tête à tête avec Molly... :D), le Haut Conseil des Mages est mis à mal et les réactions de chacun des anciens fortement intéressantes...L'arc sur les traites avance ici sans pour autant s'éclaircir et les tensions ou manipulations politiques explosent à la figure du naïf et loyal Dresden qui a décidément encore beaucoup à apprendre sur ses propres pairs.Un excellent volume, du grand DRESDEN !

Buch kam schnell und unbeschädigt an - gerne wieder!

Great Books love Jim Butcher as a writer and Harry Dresden is a great character that I can relate to, book came in timely manner and was new with no markings as stated

Really enjoyed this series but this may have been the best one I've read yet!Would recommend to everyone.