History Literature / WhiteNight

** Marcone has issued orders that Harry be [[spoiler: treated like a prince at all of his businesses]] because he doesn't want a repeat of [[Literature/StormFront what happened to the Varsity]].

* FateWorseThanDeath: Marcone has considered this would be the likely conclusion if he [[spoiler:revealed to Helen Beckitt that her child, whom she thought she lost because of a mob hit intended for Marcone, is alive. However, Amanda is trapped in a coma and nothing Marcone has acquired has helped her. So, he feels that to give Helen her daughter back in such a case would only serve to destroy a broken woman even more.]]

** Marcone has issued orders that Harry be [[spoiler: treated like a prince at all of his businesses]] because he doesn't want a repeat of [[Literature/GravePeril what happened to the Varsity]].

** When Harry encounters [[spoiler:Helen Beckitt for the first time since she shot him in ''Literature/StormFront'']] the person recounts that and how they knew Harry previously.

** Harry asks for some Listerine after [[spoiler: he and Lara kiss]], which is the same thing he asked for after Morgan gave him CPR back in ''Literature/StormFront''.

* TheBusCameBack: [[spoiler:Elaine Mallory]] was last seen in ''Literature/SummerKnight''. [[spoiler:Helen Beckitt]] was last seen in ''Literature/StormFront''.

[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/whitenight_jimbutcher_7.png]]

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking:
** Lord Raith, as leader of the White Court, is held to be not only one of the strongest of all vampires, but more than able to make his enemies do his bidding though some good machinations.
** [[spoiler:Lara, the true leader of the White Court, proves to be perfectly capable in a fight as well.]]
** Marcone is not one to let his men fight his battles for him, so [[spoiler:when he brings in his people to save Harry, he doesn't stay near the escape route, but charges right with Harry's group to rescue Lord Raith]].

* UnstoppableRage: During the {{flashback}} to New Mexico, when Harry [[spoiler:tracks down a ghoul who kidnapped two sixteen-year-old wizards-in-training. He finds the ghoul standing over their bodies, having devoured parts of both of the teenagers (and it is implied that the ghoul raped one of them)]]. Harry's response would make [[Series/TwentyFour Jack Bauer]] proud. [[spoiler:Harry literally rips the ghoul in half with magic, then ''sets its still-living nerves and fat on fire'' and hurls its blazing, screaming half-carcass into a chasm. That not being enough for him, Harry then stalks back out to another captured ghoul. He melts the sand around the ghoul, lets the ghoul sink in, then hardens it. Then he pours orange juice on the ghoul's head and lets the ants do the rest--until Remirez calms him down enough to give it a MercyKill instead.]] Harry is '''pissed'''.

* TrueCompanions: [[spoiler:Helen Beckitt learns her new friends in the Orbo Lebes are this when they do not shun her for her criminal record (both magical and mundane), but hug and embrace her. Likewise, Helen is shaken by Anna's death, despite her claims she doesn't care about them that much.]]

* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Helen Beckitt's daughter, Amanda, is not dead, but has been living in a coma for years, tended to by Marcone. She is the young woman Harry saw Marcone visit in ''Literature/DeathMasks''.]]

* OutOfCharacterAlert: [[spoiler:Lasciel's Shadow is supposed to be everything the real Fallen is. But after three years of Harry enduring her temptations, and nicknaming her "Lash," there are signs she is starting to change. The most visible sign is her normal image of a beautiful blond in a toga slowly becoming disheveled, as well as replying "You're welcome" when Harry thanks her at one point.]]
* {{Pride}}: Molly's biggest issue in the book; her naive mindset makes her act and do foolish things (like break into a crime scene) without considering the consequences. She hates some of the lessons Harry forces upon her, thinking she is beyond them. It takes the ScareEmStraight moment below to help her out of this.
* ThePromise: Implied. [[spoiler:Harry guesses Lara made Thomas agree to not talk to Harry about things he is doing, in exchange for Justine's protection or assurance she is still safe.]]

* NervesOfSteel: Harry's main point to Molly is to not let people see just how scared you are when facing the BigBad or his evil forces. Also, a staple of the strongest White Court vampires, including [[spoiler:Lord Raith, who must not let it slip he cannot feed and is low on energy]]. He just sits calmly in the middle of a coup and still plays things to his advantage.

* ObfuscatingStupidity: [[spoiler:Justine, Thomas's lover, while still recovering from Thomas's harsh and near-fatal feeding back in ''Literature/BloodRites'', plays up the idea she is a will-less thrall.]]

* EnemyCivilWar: In the backdrop of the book, the White Court is in such a war, but in their personal style. So while not fighting any direct battles, they play each other in gambits. [[spoiler:While House Raith is working on a peace effort, House Skavis kills dozens of low-level practitioners to prove that it is foolish to make peace with wizards, and thus take the Court. House Malvora, hearing of this, plans to take credit for the kills and take the Court for their own. Lara Raith uses Thomas to fight them both by having him find and rescue as many victims as possible--and may have arranged the whole scheme to bring down the other houses before they team up in a way she could not predict.]]

* TheChessmaster: Lara Raith. [[spoiler:She discovers the Skavis and Malvora plot. Knowing it's a threat to her, she decides that Harry should get involved, as he can both stop the plot, and will most likely kill the parties involved. She thus tells Thomas that Justine is in danger, but won't give details unless Thomas keeps silent. She knows that Thomas being contrarian as he is, that'll guarantee he finds a way to tip in Dresden, which is what she wants. She reveals the plot to Thomas. Thomas does as she wanted. Making sure he's seen smuggling women away, and leaving a RoomFullOfCrazy in his apartment containing evidence, knowing Harry will make a beeline there when Thomas will stop answering his calls.]]

** Lara discovers [[spoiler:Harry is still protected by true love, even though his last time with Susan in [[Literature/DeathMasks was four years ago]]. She finds the fact he has been with no one since Susan both amazing and sad.]]

** [[spoiler:Thomas's]] hairdresser persona. He does this mainly because it is socially expected that a hot, well-dressed hairdresser will be gay as Christmas, and because it pulls in money. It also makes it a lot less likely that his customers will [[spoiler:try to molest him]].
** [[spoiler:Harry must invoke this when he is found in Thomas's apartment and is not on the approved-to-visit list, as the majority of Thomas's place is excessively neat and stylish, with two prominent items of gay-stereotyped memorabilia. Harry plays on the resulting impression that Thomas must be gay by pretending to be an old boyfriend, having to drop into an impression of Murphy to resist the urge to lisp.]]

* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler: Lara plays one out this time. She, possibly, eggs Lord Skavis to make his move for a coup and watches House Malvora try to steal the credit. She then has Thomas play hero and stop the abductions when possible, but forbids him from directly contacting Harry. So he does what she expects and [[DeceptionNoncompliance leaves overt clues]] to try and get Harry's attention. Once Harry's blood is up at the idea of all these women slain, Lara knows he will come knocking during the big meeting of White Court nobles and humiliate the would-be usurpers.]]
* BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible: [[spoiler:Helen Beckitt]] acts this way towards Harry, because she thinks he has already decided she's guilty. The rest of the Ordo Lebes are only slightly less obstructive at first, because they think he might be the killer.

* AffectionateNickname: Harry decides to apply his habit for nicknames to [[spoiler:Lasciel's shadow, calling her Lash. This leads her to realize ''she'' is no longer the same as ''Lasciel'' and to her eventual realization she has a choice in whether she will live or die]].

* AttackAnimal: Mouse is this under the Unseelie Accords. When he [[spoiler:kills the heir apparent to House Skavis]], though it isn't under Harry's direct orders, Harry notes that he will take the full blame under the Accords as he is Mouse's handler and owner. Anything Mouse does reflects upon Harry.

JustForFun/TheOneWith [[VampiresAreSexGods the rest of the White Court Vampires]]

* AnotherMansTerror: {{Subverted|Trope}} in a scene that has all the necessary elements but the terror. The woman in question had been [[OutWithABang killed by a]] [[HornyDevils White Court Vampire]]; when Molly experiences her last few moments, at first they think she’s gasping in pain...

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** Murphy suffers from this with her demotion since the last book. She might have saved a young girl from some evil Fae who happened to murder other people, but as that cannot be reported, she has no justifiable reason for missing a day during a murder investigation.
** When facing an opponent who uses throwing knives, Harry notes that they're not nearly as dangerous as they're usually made out to be, since it's hard to ensure that the actual blade hits, or that it has sufficient force to injure someone. [[SubvertedTrope If the person throwing them is a normal human.]] Since the person Harry is fighting is a vampire with superhuman speed and reflexes, he actually is as dangerous as the people you see in the movies.
* SympathyForTheDevil: [[spoiler:After realizing Lash died for Harry, he cries for her sacrifice.]]

** Harry fails to spot [[spoiler: Elaine]] at first, because they’re is under a veil that makes them appear too boring and unremarkable to notice. Harry himself used a potion to achieve that effect in ''Literature/FoolMoon''.

** Mouse apparently caused some damage at the vet's after a paperwork snafu nearly got him neutered. Harry'd actually brought the Foo dog in to be treated for the shoulder injury he'd suffered in ''Literature/ProvenGuilty''.

** Harry fails to spot [[spoiler: Elaine]] at first, because that person is under a veil that makes them appear too boring and unremarkable to notice. Harry himself used a potion to achieve that effect in ''Literature/FoolMoon''.

* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler: Lara plays one out this time. She, possibly, eggs Lord Skavis to make his move for a coup and watches House Malvora try to steal their thunder. She then has Thomas play hero and stop the abductions when possible, but forbids him from directly contacting Harry. So he does what she expects and [[DeceptionNoncompliance leaves overt clues]] to try and get Harry's attention. Once Harry's blood is up at the idea of all these women slain, Lara knows he will come knocking during the big meeting of White Court nobles and humiliate the would-be usurpers.]]

* AnotherMansTerror: {{Subverted|Trope}} in a scene that has all the necessary elements but the terror. The woman in question had been [[OutWithABang killed by a]] [[HornyDevils White Court Vampire]]; when Molly experiences her last few moments, at first they think she is gasping in pain...

** When Harry encounters [[spoiler:Helen Beckitt for the first time since she shot him in ''Literature/StormFront'']] the person recounts that and how s/he knew Harry previously.

[[TheOneWith The one with]] [[VampiresAreSexGods the rest of the White Court Vampires]]