Alasandra's Reading List ~ April

1. Summer Knight by Jim Butcher - Harry is letting himself and his business go, racked with guilt because Susan has been turned half-vampire and desperate to find a cure. Then Billy (one of the Alphas) calls and tells Harry it's raining frogs. There is also the small matter that Billy went by Harry's office and made an appointment with him with Queen Mab (who now 'owns' Harry's debt to the Winter Fae). Mab wants him to find out who killed the Summer Knight and stole his power. Harry refuses, until the White Council forces his hand. Harry has to help Queen Mab in order to gain her support against the Red Court. If he doesn't he will be stripped of his rank of Wizard and handed over to the Red Court to end the war. But Harry finds help in unexpected places Leanansidhe provides help without payment (she also reveals that she made a bargain with someone that Harry never knew to protect him - Harry guesses it's his Mother who died when he was born), and Rashid, The Gatekeeper provides Harry with a chip of the stone from The Table so he can find it and some salve for his eyes (even though no one on the council is suppose to help Harry with his trail), saying what the White Council doesn't know won't hurt them.  Harry, Billy and the Werewolves, Meryl and Fix manage to prevent Lily from being sacrificed on The Table, prove Lady Aurora was the one who killed The Summer Knight and restore peace between the Summer and Winter Courts. Lily becomes the Summer Lady and Fix becomes The Summer Knight providing Harry with two powerful new allies. 
2. The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot by Bart D. Ehrman - read my review here. 
3. Death Masks by Jim Butcher - Paolo Ortega (Vampire from the Red Court) challenges Harry to a dual. Susan returns to town with Martin (Fellowship of Saint Giles) and they intervene to save Harry's life. Johnny Marcone  arranges to have the Shroud of Turin stolen by the Churchmice and brought to Chicago. Unfortunately Nicodemus Archleone (member of the Order of the Blackened Denarius, and host of the fallen angel Anduriel. ) wants it in order to spread a deadly plague. Marcone, Harry and the Knights of the Cross will team up to take it from him. Nicodemus seems intent on recruiting Harry with the coin of Lasciel. 
4.  Blood Rites by Jim Butcher - Thomas reveals that he is Harry's half-brother and together they bring Lord Raith (he killed their Mother) down, leaving Thomas' half-sister Lara in charge.
5. Dead Beat by Jim Butcher - Mavra blackmails Harry into finding the Word of Kemmler. for her. Kemmler's disciples have other plans for the Word and Harry must stop them before one of the disciples in able to become a GOD. The Wardens' ranks have been depleted after an assault by the Red Court. Captain Luccio brings the Wardens that can be spared to Chicago to help Harry and makes Harry a Warden over Morgan's protest. Butters proves his bravery by keeping rhythm  on his drum while under attack from zombies so Harry can control the dinosaur he reanimated to bring against the bad guys. And thanks to Butters medical skills the injured Wardens pull through. 
6. Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher - In his role as Warden Harry has to take his good friend Micheal's daughter, Molly, before the White Council for practicing black magic and breaking the 4th Law. To keep her from being executed he has to out maneuver Merlin and only the timely arrival of Ebenezar McCoy and Michael save Molly's life. Molly is now Harry's apprentice and IF she breaks any of the rules she and Harry will be executed. Harry and Ebenezar McCoy patch up their differences after Harry realizes that it was Ebenezar McCoy that spoke on his behalf when he was taken before the White Council for killing Justin DuMorne.
7. Bootlegger's Daughter (A Deborah Knott Mystery) by Margaret Maron  - Deborah is running for circuit court judge in between trying to solve a cold case. 18 years ago a young Mother's body was left in an abandoned mill with her squalling infant in a car seat nearby. Now the infant is all grown up and wants to know who killed her Mother. Deborah with her wit, charm and deep understanding of the Deep South will navigate the murky relationships that lead to the murder and the subsequent cover up while dealing with her own family baggage.  
8. Southern Discomfort by Margaret Maron - I didn't like the Second Deborah Knott Mystery. When Judge Deborah discovers that Mr. Ou and his family have been stealing and eating neighborhood pets she merely tells him not to do it anymore. I find this unacceptable, would she have turned a blind eye if he had been kidnapping children and eating them! I think not!!!!! Our pets deserve better then a judge who thinks merely telling  a cat and dog killer not to do it is OK. And it is all Deborah's fault he had access to the pets in the first place as she hired him to take care of her Aunt's yard. The other mystery is more complex someone has been poisoning Judge Deborah's brother with arsenic, the same someone has poisoned philandering husband and attempted rapist Carver Bannerman, when the killer reveals themselves Judge Deborah realizes she got her judgeship because her predecessor was murdered.
9. Shooting at Loons by Margaret Maron - Enjoyed #3 in the series. Deborah Knott is staying at a cottage on Harkers Island. Her first day there she discovers the body of Andy Bynum a semi-retired fisherman and local conservationist. When Linville Pope winds up dead and Deborah's cottage is ransacked, she realizes that Andy had papers that prove a local judge's wrong doing and that Andy had plans to meet with that judge the day he died. But before she can tell the police her theory her volatile next door neighbor starts shooting at the workers Linville Pope hired to remove his trash from her newly bought property.    
10. White Night by Jim Butcher - Lara comes up with a dastardly plot to weaken her enemies and strengthen her hold on House Raith, and she counts on Harry to get involved and destroy her enemies. Lash gives her "life" in order to save Harry and now that he is free of her he gives the coin to  Father Forthill. Determined to find out how Thomas is supporting himself and feeding he follows him to the  "Coiffure Cup."
11. Small Favor by Jim Butcher -  Mab comes to collect the second favor Harry owes her. She merely wants him to save Marcone who has been kidnapped by The Knights of the Blackened Denarius. As a card carrying freeholding lord  of The Unseelie Accords Marcone is entitled to the White Councils protection, so Harry calls for a dual with the Archive as the emissary; to late Harry realizes that the Denarians hoped Harry would do this so they could kidnap Ivy (the Archive). Kincaid is injured and the Denarians escape with Ivy to an uncharted island (Demonreach) in the middle of Lake Michigan. Harry, Michael and Sanya go to the island to rescue Ivy and Marcone.