"Storm Front" by Jim Butcher

Thanks to the BAM challenge, I have been introduced to the “urban fantasy “sub-genre of literature. According to the Wikipedia website, urban fantasy novels and stories feature protagonists who face extraordinary circumstances as plots unfold in contemporary, real-world urban settings, and magic or paranormal events commonly exist in these worlds.
Storm Front by Jim Butcher is the first title in the “Dresden Files” series of novels; and the novels are the basis for the Sci Fi Channel’s series. The protagonist Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a wizard and private investigator with an office in Chicago. His name is the only one listed under “Wizard” in the telephone book. The plot of Storm Front revolves around a bizarre double murder that could only have happened with the involvement of black magic: two people (a man and a woman) were alone in bed when their hearts were literally ripped from their chests. Lieutenant Karin Murphy, who is runs the Special Investigation Department that investigates “weird ones” for the Chicago police department, hires Dresden to help her identify the supernatural aspects of the case. Because members of the Wizardry White Club suspect that Dresden is the murderer, he feels the need to clear his name. Meanwhile, Dresden is also working for a woman who has hired him to locate her missing husband. As the investigation progresses, Dresden is threatened by the Chicago mob on one side and by the evils of the netherworld on the other side. Soon it becomes a race for his life.
It seems to me that the book is actually a mystery-crime novel with a touch of fantasy and magic added to it. It is very fast-paced and suspenseful, like the typical detective/police procedural novel. And, there is some witty dialogue. There is even a bit of sex and romance. However, Dresden encounters obstacles similar to those found in crime novels and the crime-solving techniques employed by him are the same used by the typical private investigator. –i.e. getting beat up by thugs, going into dark alleys, etc. The only difference, it seems to me, is the added fantasy elements—vampires, supernatural crime, drugs that make people see magic.
Storm Front did not appeal to my reading tastes. However, according to Novelist, fans of Butcher and hard-boiled mystery/fantasy books may also like Kim Harrison’s "Rachel Morgan" series about a witch in Cincinnati or Carrie Vaughn’s series about a werewolf radio talk show host named Kitty Norville.