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Skin Game by Jim Butcher is the fifteenth book in the Dresden Files urban fantasy series and the sequel to Cold Days.

This book is set about a year after the events of Cold Days. The parasite inside Harry Dresden's head is causing him increasing problems, helped only by the spirit of Demonreach. Now known as "Alfred."

Harry has been living by himself on the island. There is an encounter with one of the island's prisoners that will probably have importance in a later book (I have my suspicions about who it is; a historical character from the series who has been mentioned before), but doesn't in this one.

Mab, the Winter Queen of Faerie, arrives and tells Harry that the parasite will erupt from his head in a few days, killing him and then anyone he cares about. Before anything else, she needs him to do something for her. Due to a past bargain, she owes Nicodemus (or rather his Fallen Angel Anduriel) a favour. Harry is that favour.

Nicodemus is assembling a team to break into the vault of Hades and steal something. Harry is not happy about this.

This book needs reading twice pretty quickly. There's an event late on in the book (which strongly reminded me of a British TV series - there's also a US one that's similar and I've heard is inspired by it - and stating either by name might well give away some hints about the plot twist) that gives a different spin to many of the prior events. Reading it again with that knowledge makes a lot of it have a whole different meaning. The parasite is also rather different from what might be expected.

YouTube Trailer for Skin Game

Video Credit: Harry Dresden via YouTube