History Literature / ProvenGuilty

* BadassLongcoat / SuperheroesWearCapes: Harry Lampshades how people stop thinking he's a superhero when he ''doesn't'' wear his leather duster.

* ShoutOut: A few.
** At one point, though it's [[LawyerFriendlyCameo not stated outright]], Harry fights a [[Film/{{Alien}} Xenomorph]].
-->'''Harry:''' Get away from her, you ''[[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitch]]''!
** Deliberately invoked by Harry wielding [[spoiler:Summer-]]Fire against a Scarecrow-like Fetch:
-->'''Harry:''' [[Film/TheWizardOfOz How about a little fire, Scarecrow]]?

Dark magic is afoot in Chicago. Harry Dresden, now a Warden of the White Council, finds himself dealing with the politics of the magical world, learning where the mercurian Winter Court stands in the war between the White Council and the vampires, and investigating a series of attacks by creatures that feed on fear.

Dark magic is afoot in Chicago. Harry Dresden, now a Warden of the White Council, finds himself dealing with the politics of the magical world, learning where the mercurian White Court stands in the war between the White Council and the vampires, and investigating a series of attacks by creatures that feed on fear.

** There is the famous instance where Harry fights a [[Film/{{Alien}} xenomorph]], including quoting from the movie with "Get away from her, you ''bitch!''" as he proceeds to roast and smash the beast repeatedly until it is turned into chunky salsa. Moments later, however, he learns the "her" he was rescuing has bled out and died, and he is left to wonder if he wasted the chance to save her because he was indulging in blasting the monster repeatedly instead, and in turn whether that enjoyment had something to do with Lasciel's coin's influence on him.

* OhCrap: Harry learns [[spoiler:that every fae in Winter is coming to kill him. ''Personally''.]]

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: During [[spoiler: Molly's]] trial at the end of the book the Senior Council has voted unanimously for a "guilty" verdict and immediate execution. However, it's pointed out that the Gatekeeper, who usually abstains, has not yet cast ''his'' vote, and he spends many minutes contemplating how to act. Multiple characters point out that it does not ''matter'' how he votes, since his one vote will not overrule the other six votes that have already been cast, but he points out that, even if it bares no influence on the outcome of the trial, it is still his responsibility to give the situation his most serious judgement. [[spoiler: It's heavily implied that he had used his {{Seer}} powers and was stalling for time until several members of the Senior Council arrived whose votes had been cast by proxy.]]

** Charity Carpenter is a ''really'' good sword fighter. [[FridgeBrilliance Who do you think Michael’s been practicing against all these years?]]

** The Reaper, another horror-movie menace impersonated by the phobophages, [[FridayTheThirteenth wears a hockey mask and has killed off horny teenagers in eleven ''Suburban Slasher'' films]].

* BadassNormal: Charity Carpenter is a ''really'' good swordfighter. [[FridgeBrilliance Who do you think Michael’s been practicing against all these years?]]

* SteppingOutForAQuickCupOfCoffee: Rawlins emphatically "does not see" Harry snooping around a crime scene. Later, when Harry needs to illegally pick a lock, he tells Murphy to "look at that zeppelin", and she grudgingly turns her back so he can get on with it.

** [[spoiler:Charity has a small one when her daughter uses the [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility Parable of Talents]] against her as to why she should keep her magic because she could do so much good with her power. Charity, who was a Wizard but gave up her magic, realizes she is the third servant who just buried his bag and did nothing with it, and she gave up her own chance to do good in the world with magic but chose to hide it from everyone, including Michael.]]

* GambitPileup: The plot is initially presented as an investigation by Harry into attacks by the phages against the horror movie convention, but it rapidly becomes much more complex when Thomas starts acting secretive and tails Harry around town, then the [[TheFairFolk Sidhe]] Ladies start plucking strings, and it gets even muddier when Madrigal Raith gets involved, planning to [[spoiler: sell Harry on Ebay for profit]]. By the end of the book, it looks like Lily manipulates [[spoiler: Harry into going into Arctis Tor]], while Maeve manipulated [[spoiler: Harry into Arctis Tor and slowed down time in the region to trap the armies of Winter so Summer could attack]], and it is hinted that [[spoiler: the entire thing might have been arranged by Mab]], and then at the trial at the very end of the book it appears [[spoiler: the entire bloody thing was planned by the Gatekeeper.]] And to top it all off, at the very, very end of the trial, [[spoiler: Michael shows up, having saved Luccio, Ebenazar, and the rest of the Senior Council, alongside the Summer Court intervening in a battle between the Council and the Red Court, saving the day]], which may mean that [[spoiler: ''everything was planned by God.'']] And the Black Council was apparently involved at one level or another, somewhere. Just as planned.

* NameTheSame: The fact "Harry" is the name of the Dresden and the youngest Carpenter child is lampshaded. So Amanda Carpenter calls big-Harry "Bill."