Blood Rites

Lore & Background

In the world of The Dresden Files, vampires are divided into Courts. The White Court feeds on human emotions such as lust, fear, or love, and are led by the White King, Lord Raith. In Blood Rites, the White Court vampires return to prominence, with Lara Raith becoming the power behind the throne at the end of the book. The Black Court vampires, led by the ancient and dangerous Mavra, are also a threat, operating from a nest in a warehouse. The book reveals that Harry's mother, Margaret Gwendolyn LeFay, was Lord Raith's victim and that her death curse prevented Raith from feeding for years, leaving him extraordinarily weak. Harry also learns that Thomas Raith is his half-brother through a combination of events and Thomas's own revelation.

In Their Own Story

After rescuing a litter of Tibetan temple dog pups from demon gorillas, Harry finds a stray puppy hiding in his car. The puppy alerts him to a vampire attack, leading him to accept a job from Thomas Raith to investigate deaths on a porn film set. An entropy curse nearly kills two more people, and Lara Raith appears as a replacement actress. A surprise Black Court attack forces a truce between Harry and Lara, and they flee to the Raith mansion. There, Harry learns Thomas is his half-brother and escapes an assassination attempt by Lord Raith. Harry discovers Arturo's ex-wives—Madge, Lucille, and Trixie—are behind the curses, with Lord Raith supporting them. Harry enlists Murphy, Kincaid, and Ebenezar McCoy to destroy Mavra's Black Court nest. In the climax, Harry co-opts Lara to overthrow her father, and they confront Lord Raith in the Deeps. Madge kills Trixie and summons He Who Walks Behind, but the spell is interrupted and the Outsider kills Madge. Lara enthralls the weakened Lord Raith, making him a puppet. Thomas moves into Harry's apartment and pays off Harry's debt to Kincaid. Harry keeps the puppy, naming it Mouse.

Reader's Guide

Harry Dresden is hired by Thomas Raith to investigate deaths on a porn film set. He poses as a production assistant while working with Thomas. The curses target the women around director Arturo Genosa, not Arturo himself. Harry discovers that Arturo's ex-wives—Madge, Lucille, and Trixie—are strega (practitioners of Italian folk witchcraft) and are behind the entropy curses, trying to kill Arturo's new bride before she can inherit everything. Lord Raith is supporting them. Simultaneously, Harry enlists Murphy, Kincaid, and Ebenezar McCoy to destroy Mavra's Black Court nest in a homeless shelter. They rescue imprisoned children and battle Mavra's henchmen with flamethrowers. Harry's shield stops the flames but not the heat, incinerating his left hand. He sends the flame back at the vampires, and they manage to overpower them and flee the burning building. Harry learns from Ebenezar that Margaret LeFay was his apprentice and that Lord Raith murdered her. He also learns that Raith is protected from magic and that Margaret's death curse prevented Raith from feeding for years. Harry co-opts Lara to overthrow her father. In the Deeps, Madge kills Trixie and summons He Who Walks Behind, but the spell is interrupted and the Outsider kills Madge. Lara arrives and enthralls the weakened Lord Raith, making him a puppet. Thomas moves into Harry's apartment and pays off Harry's debt to Kincaid. Harry keeps the puppy, naming it Mouse, and learns from Bob that his previous touching of a Denarian coin has given him access to Hellfire magic.

Did You Know?

• Harry finds Mouse as a Tibetan temple dog puppy left for him; Mouse was one of a litter kidnapped from a Tibetan temple.
• Thomas Raith is revealed to be Harry's half-brother through their mother, Margaret Gwendolyn LeFay.
• Lord Raith suffers from Margaret's death curse, which prevents him from feeding for years, leaving him extraordinarily weak.
• Harry's left hand is severely burned by a flamethrower during the attack on the film set, not in the warehouse nest battle—he retains the hand, though scarred.
• Harry learns from Bob that his previous touching of a Denarian coin has given him access to Hellfire magic.