User:Tazenda/Storm Front

Harry Dresden is hired by a woman named Monica Sells to find her husband Victor Sells, an amateur wizard who has been dabbling in magic and recently gone missing. Later, he is called by Lieutenant Karrin Murphy, chief of the Special Investigations (SI) Unit of the Chicago Police Department. Murphy's partner shows him the bodies of two people, gruesomely murdered by having their hearts ripped out. Dresden realizes that he is the chief suspect for these magical murders. A third party then intercedes to try and take Dresden off of the case. Gentleman John Marcone, the crime boss of Chicago, tries to buy Dresden out from helping CPD and SI.

Eventually, despite encounters with a vampiress named Bianca, an unknown warlock, and the ever-suspicious Warden Donald Morgan, Dresden learns that the affair centers on the drug ThreeEye, which allows normal humans to temporarily acquire the Sight, a type of magical vision that can drive a person insane. Victor Sells has been manufacturing ThreeEye to edge out mob boss John Marcone. Using the energy from thunderstorms and orgies held at his home, he powered the spells to remove his enemies, namely Marcone's men and anyone else threatening his operation, in order to gradually bring down Marcone and corner the drug trade.

Dresden interrupts Sells' spellcasting and attacks him, "brains versus muscle", eventually burning down Sells' house with him still inside grappling with monster scorpions and a demon he had summoned to kill Dresden. Dresden survives, but is himself trapped on the balcony of the burning house until Morgan steps in to rescue him. Morgan had witnessed the fight with Sells and, knowing now that Dresden is innocent, reluctantly testifies on Dresden's behalf to the White Council.