When the Shroud of Turin goes missing, a Red Court vampire challenges Dresden to a duel, and Harry's ex-girlfriend, Susan, comes back to town, Harry's already less than simple life reaches a whole new level of complication. Harry's hired to find the Shroud and discovers it's the key to a demonic plan, and his only clue is a headless, plague-ridden corpse. And Harry isn't the only one hunting for the Shroud. It's not long before he's dodging bullets, matching wits with the local crime boss, Marcone, and barely surviving encounters with a special kind of fallen angel known as the Denaraians. Even three Knights of the Cross might not be enough to get Harry through this one alive.
Impression: Almost from the first page, there's no rest for the wicked -- or for Harry, for that matter. Death Masks is engaging from the first word, with plot twists and a breathless, nonstop pace -- which actually works well. The reader is pulled in and kept in the story from start to finish. More than once, the reader is placed on the edge wondering if Dresden will survive the current encounter. The changes in Susan are fascinating, but go well with Butcher's take on vampires. While Death Masks isn't my favorite novel in the series, it's definitely up there.
