Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsA SOLID ENTRY IN THE SERIES....
Reviewed in Australia on 14 March 2015
FOOL MOON is the second of the highly original and immensely popular series of a private-detective-who-is-also-a-wizard novels set with the stunning backdrop of Chicago City and its greater metropolitan area.
This time around the story revolves around werewolves. The book opens with a particularly grisly and violent murder and it is not long before Harry begins to see the dots connecting the clues which form the basis for this entire story. The reader soon learns of the various categories which exist for these supernatural beings, which can be controlled by normal means and which need the use of magic. And which group of werewolves that are uncontrollable even with magic. So who needs more than one guess as to which group the suspected murderer falls into?
Turn the page, read some words, and absorb the magic (pun intended). One victim has become two victims and then there are many victims. The murder count helps to define the nature of the problem and even our Harry is suspected of complicity by the local police and finds himself under arrest on more than one occasion. Lt Murphy is being investigated for internal impropriety and of course she and Dresden manage to step on the toes of the FBI as soon as their investigation commences. And who would have thought that the phases of the moon would prove a watertight alibi in a murder investigation? That is why authors who can come up with an idea such as the Dresden novels are called brilliant.
The writing in this volume is just as confident and sophisticated as book one. The same set of characters are there, with the same levels of sexual tension between Harry and Susan (for example) as well as the same levels of (apparent) dislike between Lt Murphy and Harry. And of course the FBI hates everyone except the FBI so watch out if you happen to look the wrong person in the wrong eye just at the wrong moment.
One flaw in this book occurs to a reader if you happen to like werewolves. I know that sounds ridiculous, and mentioning other writers in a given review is poor form, but when you come across a literary universe where the main characters are living, breathing, loving, and (dare I say it) sexually-aware sentient beings, it is hard to read about them and enjoy them in a story where they represent nothing but a force of pure evil.
Another problem which raises its ugly head is that even the cops (not counting the good cop / bad cop aka Lt. Murphy) appear to be nothing but a bunch of brainless twits. For some reason even though Murphy gets insanely furious at Harry without giving him the chance to defend himself, the rest of the fictional police force acts like robotic clones without an original thought in their heads in their infinite chase for truth and justice. As an example, the wife of Harry’s principal suspect for the murders stages a rain-soaked, night-time decoy for Harry’s benefit which only goes to prove this point even further. And of course the cops fall for this display hook, line and sinker. End of chapter. But at least we got to read about “Bob” and the cat.
The book is not fun to read, or funny, unlike its prequel. “Bob” makes an appearance, briefly, in the latter section of the first half, as well as Dresden’s cat, but to be honest, they are the only light hearted and comic moments of the book. I love “Bob” and I love cats. I love magic, and wizards, and sexy cops. And I love sexy books. I just don’t love this one. But I do like it. I will definitely finish it, and I plan to purchase the entire series from the Amazing Amazon E-Book store as I go along.
Book one was awesome.
Book two is not.
I’m just sayin’.
BFN Greggorio!
