Monsters

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Synopsis

Shape-shifter Goodman Grey is a professional monster for hire. Gentleman John Marcone needs someone to clean up a problem for him without connecting him to it. Some bad guys who are sexually trafficking kids have moved into his territory and Marcone wants them gone, so he hires Grey for the job. With the help of his loyal secretary, Viti, Grey sets out to liberate the children.

Review

"Monsters" is a short urban fantasy story in the Dresden Files universe that takes place sometime after Skin Game. It is written from the perspective of shape-shifter Goodman Grey who was introduced in that novel. Much like Harry, who is Chicago's only professional wizard, Grey considers himself to be a professional monster and owns the business Monsters LLC. He's approached by Gentleman John Marcone who is in need of his services. Some undesirables who are sexually trafficking children kidnapped from Mexico have moved into Marcone's territory, and John wants them gone. However, due to the sensitive nature of the matter, he doesn't want to be connected to it and hires Grey to handle it instead. With the help of his loyal secretary, Viti, the pair set out to take down the operation and rescue the kids.

From the moment Goodman Grey was introduced, I found him to be an intriguing character. He's not all good, but given that he allied himself with Harry in Skin Game, he's not all bad either. I like that the idea of where he falls on the spectrum is explored in this story. He admits to being a monster but also says he's not a bad guy, which is born out in the story. He's brutal with the traffickers but kind to the kids, saving them. He also works for virtually nothing, which I thought was very interesting. Likewise, Marcone continues to be the enigmatic character, who despite being a gangster, has his own sense of honor that we've seen all along in the series. Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It dropped plenty of tantalizing tidbits about Goodman Grey and Viti that I hope to see explored more in future books of the Dresden Files. "Monsters" can be found in the anthology Parallel Worlds.

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Jim Butcher