Dresden Files 3 Grave Peril Jim Butch

Description:

Set a year after the events of Fool Moon, the story begins as Harry Dresden (Chicago's only professional wizard) is hunting for a ghost in the Cook County hospital with the help of his friend Michael Carpenter, who we learn is a Knight of the Cross and the current wielder of a powerful and ancient holy sword called Amoracchius. On the drive to the hospital, Michael encourages Dresden to confess his love to Susan, his reporter girlfriend; in addition to his happiness, a family would help Dresden resist the temptation to misuse his power. Dresden rebuffs his friend's advice.
In the hospital nursery, they battle the powerful ghost of a Victorian woman. She escapes back to the spirit world called the Nevernever. Harry and Michael pursue and destroy her, and Harry discovers a spell of torment that caused the ghost to go on a rampage.
At that moment, the faerie Leanansidhe and her Hellhounds encircle them. She greets Dresden as her godson and reminds him of a long-ago pact he made to serve her. Dresden lies his way out of the situation and returns to the real world, only to be arrested by the Chicago police.
In jail, Harry and Michael consider the information they've discovered so far. Earlier that day, a clairvoyant named Lydia came to Dresden for help, prophesying that she would be dead by nightfall. Dresden was not sure she was telling him the truth, but in case she really was in danger, he gave her his own charm protecting him against spirits and sent her to a local church for more protection.
Michael's pregnant wife Charity bails Michael out of jail, and Susan appears to bail out Dresden. Back at his apartment, a pair of vampires deliver an invitation to a party celebrating the promotion of Madame Bianca, the head of the Red Court vampires in Chicago. Dresden is required to attend as the representative of the White Council of Wizards; to turn down the invitation could provoke war. Susan, not understanding the danger, can hardly wait to go to a vampire party, but Dresden insists that she not attend.
The next morning, Michael and Dresden visit Father Forthill at St. Mary of the Angels Church. Lydia had arrived safely, but a nightmarish spirit attacked the church in the night, displaying more power and control over the natural world than is common. Lydia panicked and fled out the back door, leaving the safety of holy ground. Dresden leaves to consult a local ectomancer, Mortimer Lindquist, for more information about the unusual recent activity of the local ghosts and the spirit world. Morty is leaving town and unwilling to get involved, but he explains that the barrier between the real world and the spirit realm is getting thinner, which makes it easier for things to cross over, and which also makes new ghosts much more powerful. He allows Dresden to take his notes on spiritual matters, but tells him he should also consider leaving town until this blows over.
Later, Murphy calls Dresden for a personal favor, to try to help one of Murphy's fellow officers with whom Dresden has recently worked on a nasty case involving a necromancer. The officer is raving and seems to have gone insane overnight. Using his Wizard Sight, Dresden sees that he is caught in the same icy torment spell that had affected the ghost in the hospital. Harry breaks the spell, but such an attack leaves spiritual damage that will take a long time to heal.
Dresden finally has time to track down Lydia, but just as he finds her, he is attacked by the brother and sister vampire duo who had delivered the invitation. They beat him severely and he is left mostly incapacitated, but not before the sister gets badly burned by sunlight. The vampires escape with Lydia.
Affected by the narcotic vampire venom, Harry falls asleep and dreams that he is attacked by the demon which he battled during a previous case involving the aforementioned sorcerer, Leonid Kravos. He is wakened by his assistant, a spirit of knowledged called Bob, who helps him to