Lt. Karrin Murphy asks Dresden to consult on a homicide, in which the savaged body of a henchman of mobster Johnny Marcone has been found near a group of wolf-like paw prints.

Without telling Murphy, Dresden magically follows a blood trace at the scene that leads him to a confrontation with a gang of teenage werewolves and their pack leader, Tera West.

After consulting with his oracular skull, Bob, Dresden informs Murphy of the existence of four different types of lupine theriomorphs: classic werewolves, hexenwolves, loup-garous and lycanthropes.

Dresden summons a demon and trades part of his full name for information on MacFinn; before he can investigate further, Murphy arrests him on suspicion of murder.

Kim's badly maimed body has been found in MacFinn's apartment next to a summoning circle, whose sketch Dresden had discarded after she showed it to him.

Tera, heavily implied to be a wolf that can change into a human, easily accepts that MacFinn had to be killed before he could cause more deaths, and returns to her family in the Northwest.

Thomas Wagner, on behalf of sfreviews.net, praised the book: "This is some sick, adrenaline-charged action storytelling, spun with a Hollywood sensibility for maximum endorphin rush.