This time though, Harry Dresden finds himself dealing with more than just one or two characters from his normal rogues' gallery of enemies. Chicago is going to host a massive event among the signatories of the Unseelie Accords, and as such, many of the characters Harry has brushed up against in the past will make appearances in this book. While the primary purpose of the event is to start negotiating peace between the Accord signatories and the Formor, a group that has been a growing threat since the Red Court Vampires were removed, there are a ton of other activities that surround any gathering of this size.
Of course, Harry, being the White Council's warden in the region, has been put on the security detail for the visiting senior council members, but he would have been involved anyway since his status as Winter Knight would mean Queen Mab would insist on his presence. So, all in all, it's probably a good thing that Baron John Marcone is hosting the event right there in Chi Town. It gives Harry a distinct home-field advantage, something he will need before the events of Peace Talks come to their riveting conclusion. It's just a shame that it's in the castle Marcone had erected over Harry's old apartment.
To add to the web of plots Harry has to deal with, he learns that there are rumblings in the White Council to remove him from their ranks. Apparently there are a lot of members that don't like how he operates, and they especially don't like the influences that the Winter Court and the White Court Vampires apparently have over him, but given that he needs to be in Chicago for the event and can't go to Edinburgh to win over the necessary votes to keep him under the Council's umbrella, he feels he has no choice but to let those events play out however they will. That being said, it's clear to him that the timing of the vote is no coincidence and, regardless of how that vote turns out, he will want to do some investigating across the pond.
Unfortunately, these challenges aren't Harry's biggest problem. A surprising event happens just after the peace talks officially begin that puts Harry in an even tougher spot. Given the rules that are in place while the talks are proceeding, Harry is under stricter-than-normal guidelines that will make it even harder to do what he feels he must. This new wrinkle ends up adding a heist element to the book, and while it isn't as grand as Skin Game's heist, it is still a central aspect to the story, and as always seems to be the case with Harry, doing what he feels is right puts him at odds with many people, the least of which is the White Council.
Peace Talks: The Dresden Files - Book 16 is a great addition to the series, but it is clear at the end of the book that Butcher had to split his full story into two parts as the final scenes of this novel leave the reader just wanting more. Thankfully, unlike past releases, we can expect the next installment, Battle Ground, in just a few short months. On a final note, while I can't say for certain until Battle Ground concludes, Peace Talks seems to set up events that could rock The Dresden Files world just as much, if not more, as Changes.
