I'm not entirely clear on why I decided to read this series. Friends like it, but you can always find people who are passionately committed to a series once they've read a dozen books; it's like some sort of Stockholm syndrome. The first two Dresden books are not very good. The third is not good, but is interesting. And then it starts seeming like it might get interesting but spins around a bit. I liked them well enough, and they're quick reads, but I'm not sure I'd say they're good.This one - book 7(?) - is the first one where I've turned to Ann and said "yeah, you should read this". The series has definitely turned a corner.