If you’ve already read Changes (the twelfth book of Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files), you know how shocking a few of its plot developments were. If you haven’t, stop reading before you run into some major spoilers.

Yes, Harry Dresden—Chicago’s undead-fighting wizard detective—is now a ghost. After the deal he made with Queen Mab and the annihilation of the Red Court vampires, his unseen assassin certainly raised a lot of questions. Such as “who shot him?” and “I thought Butcher was going to write twenty-something books! Why is the main character dead?!”

Harry is sent back to Chicago as a ghost to investigate his own murder, and as usual, stop yet another villainous entity from gaining phenomenal cosmic powers. It’s just going to be a bit harder this time.

Ghost Story struck me as a clever for the author to shake the story up a bit, evolving the paranormal scene in Chicago and doing some major character development, while also throwing in some back story from Dresden’s past and setting up some new ideas for future books. (Like the ambiguity surrounding the death of his old mentor, Justin DuMorne. I’m starting to wonder if he might come back in some form.)

The ending of the book was pretty intense. Just when you were thinking that there was no way to top Changes…

Not many authors are able to keep a series fresh and interesting for thirteen books, but Butcher manages it very well. It’s really not going to be easy waiting for the next book.