Storm Front

Storm Front (2000) is the debut novel of American fantasy author Jim Butcher and the first book in his long-running urban fantasy series called The Dresden Files. The series follows Harry Dresden, a wizard and private investigator in Chicago who uses his magical abilities to find missing persons, deal with paranormal events, and solve crimes. He often assists police detective Karrin Murphy in investigating strange crimes that involve the paranormal. In Storm Front, Harry quickly finds himself tangled in a double-murder investigation that includes an illicit drug ring, the vampire court, a local crime boss, and a deadly revenge plot. Along the way, the novel explores themes such as the ethical use of power, complicated questions of good and evil, and personal integrity.

This guide refers to the 2000 mass-market paperback edition published by ROC Books.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide contain depictions of gun violence, murder and death, and corpses, as well as brief references to domestic violence.

Plot Summary

Harry Dresden is a wizard and paranormal investigator in Chicago whose police friend, Lieutenant Karrin Murphy of Special Investigations, brings him in on a double-homicide case. Two people—Jennifer Stanton, a high-class escort, and Tommy Tomm, an enforcer for mob boss “Gentleman” Johnny Marcone—have been murdered by magical means, so Murphy asks Harry to figure out how the murder spell was achieved. Honoring this request is dangerous for Harry because the White Council, the governing body for wizards, has placed him under the “Doom of Damocles”—which essentially amounts to a long-standing magical probation—because Harry once broke one of the Laws of Magic by using black magic. Because of his history and the Council’s current scrutiny, Harry must avoid even the appearance of studying black magic, as this could lead to his arrest and summary execution. When Harry leaves Murphy’s crime scene, Marcone approaches and tries to bribe Harry not to investigate the case. Harry ignores his threats.

Back at Harry’s office, a woman named Monica hires him to find her missing husband, Victor Sells, explaining that he recently dabbled in magic and may be hiding at their vacation lake house. Harry suspects that the husband abandoned his wife and children due to a midlife crisis, but he promises to do what he can. Later, Harry goes to his local pub, where Susan Rodriguez, a reporter for a paranormal magazine, tries unsuccessfully to question him about the homicide case and then asks him out on a date for Saturday night.

After dinner, Harry drives to Victor’s lake house and finds an empty camera film canister outside. He summons a faery, who tells him that on the previous night, several humans were in the house, having a sex party and ordering pizza. Harry goes home to his magical workroom, where he enlists Bob, an air spirit bound to a human skull, to help him make an escape potion.

On Friday evening, Harry visits Bianca, Jennifer’s employer, who is also a vampire of the Red Court. Harry questions Bianca about Jennifer’s murder. She explains that Tommy hired Jennifer, as well as Jennifer’s friend Linda Randall, on a regular basis. However, Linda recently quit the escort business and now works as a driver for a wealthy couple.

Harry tracks down Linda at the airport, where she is waiting to pick up her employers, the Beckitts. She tells him that Jennifer had invited her to join her and Tommy on Wednesday night (the night Jennifer was killed), but because Linda was working, she could not go. She does not know who killed Jennifer and Tommy, but she is clearly afraid of something. Harry gives her his card.

Harry switches tasks to try to find Monica’s missing husband, Victor. He speaks with the driver who delivered a pizza to Victor’s lake house on Wednesday night. The delivery driver is nervous and admits that he saw an orgy in the house and a strange man outside taking photos. Victor’s parties support Harry’s midlife crisis theory, but he decides to find out who was taking photos outside the house.

On Harry’s way home, someone attacks him from behind, giving him a head wound. Ignoring the injury, he works all night trying to discover what black magic was used to kill Jennifer and Tommy. On Saturday morning, he visits the police station to tell Murphy what he learned, explaining that the spell requires more energy than is possible for all but the most powerful wizards and that he does not know who could perform it. Still injured from the attack of the previous night, he collapses, and Murphy takes him home. Linda calls and asks to meet him that night.

He wakes up to a storm and realizes that someone could potentially use the storm’s energy to fuel the murder spell. Then, Susan arrives at his door. Having forgotten about his date with her, he panics, as he also agreed to meet with Linda. Shortly afterward, a demon attacks his front door, forcing him and Susan to retreat to his workroom. Harry and Susan drink an escape potion to take them to safety, and then Harry channels a lightning strike to banish the demon.

Morgan, a White Council wizard who is essentially Harry’s probation officer, arrives to accuse him of summoning the demon. He also accuses Harry of killing Jennifer and Tommy. Morgan has called for a meeting of the Council on Monday and will recommend that Harry be executed. However, Harry has no time to process this because Murphy requests his presence at a new crime scene. He arrives to find that Linda has been killed just like Jennifer and Tommy. He concludes that the killer is using the storms to commit murder. When Murphy finds Harry’s card among Linda’s things, she grows suspicious. She adds that Linda’s employers, the Beckitts, lost their daughter years ago during a shootout between Marcone’s men and a rival gang. After the demon attack, Harry wants to avoid getting Murphy involved, so in an effort to protect her, he refuses to tell her anything more.

Walking home, Harry is tackled by one of Marcone’s men, who cuts some of his hair. Knowing that the hair can be used to kill him via magical means, just as Linda and the others have been killed, Harry chases the man to Marcone’s club. Marcone knows nothing, and Harry concludes that the man has double-crossed Marcone. Marcone kills the man, but the hair is already gone, and Harry knows that he will die during the next storm. Desperate, Harry returns to Linda’s apartment and finds a man snooping. He is the photographer who took photos outside the lake house on Wednesday. Harry learns that Linda hired him to take photos of the Beckitts and Victor having sex and conducting a strange ritual.

Realizing that his two cases are connected, Harry visits Monica on Sunday morning. Monica admits that Victor is the murderer. She explains that he is obsessed with magic and power and uses sexual energy to fuel his spells. Victor offered to help the Beckitts get revenge on Marcone and his men in exchange for their help. Because Monica was afraid, she wanted to leave and take her children. Jennifer was her sister and offered to help, but Victor killed Jennifer when he found out.

As another storm approaches, Harry realizes that he is out of time. He attacks Victor at the lake house and stops him and the Beckitts from performing another ritual and spell. He and Victor fight with magic, burning the house down. Victor summons a demon, but Harry breaks his hold on the demon, who then turns on Victor and kills him. Harry is about to die in the fire when Morgan appears and saves him. Morgan reluctantly admits that he was wrong and commends Harry for risking his own life to stop the murderer.

On Monday, the White Council meets and removes the Doom of Damocles from Harry. The police arrest the Beckitts, and Monica and her children are put into witness protection. Harry reflects on the growing darkness in the world and resolves to do what he can to help.