When the supernatural world spins out of control, when the police can't handle what goes bump in the night, when monsters come screaming out of nightmares and into the mean streets, there's just one man to call: Harry Dresden, the only professional wizard in the Chicago phone book. A police consultant and private investigator, Dresden has to walk the dangerous line between the world of night and the light of day...

In Welcome to the Jungle, Harry Dresden is called in to investigate a brutal mauling at the Lincoln Park Zoo that has left a security guard dead and many questions unanswered. As an investigator of the supernatural, Dresden senses that there's more to this case than a simple animal attack, and as Dresden searches for clues to figure out who is really behind the crime, he finds himself next on the victim list, and being hunted by creatures that won't leave much more than a stain if they catch him.

But with the authorities eager to get this cleared up as quickly as possible, if Dresden can't come up with the real killer quickly then the gorilla that has been framed for murder will be destroyed so that the case can be closed quietly. During his investigation Dresden unearths the activities of someone or something that is not content to stop the killing at just one body.

Jim Butcher's story is beautifully complimented by Ardian Syaf's artwork. I have to admit that I was expecting a rather cliched conclusion to this tale. I thought I'd worked out who the killer was - but I was way off track. Basically, without spoiling too much, Dresden is introduced to a character who is supposed to be someone that is known to the park's staff. However, no one ever vouches for them, or confirms that they are who they claim to be - so I was expecting them to have a secret agenda...

While in all honesty The Dresden Files as a series never really does anything that original that hasn't already been seen any one of a dozen similar projects like Hellraiser or The X-Files this is still an interesting collection.

9

Pete Boomer