History Literature / GravePeril

''Grave Peril'' is book #3 in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''.

* ActionPrologue [=/=] HowWeGotHere: The first two chapters begin with Harry and Michael tracking down and fighting a ghost, then at a climatic moment the scene changes as Harry recounts how the events leading up to that point started a few days before.

* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Harry versus [[spoiler: The Nightmare/Leonid Kravos]]. Unusual in that the hero gets his butt kicked the first time seeing as he was [[spoiler: in a drug-induced coma due to vampire spit]]. In the rematch, however, Harry turns into a [[BodyHorror fanged and clawed monster]] and [[spoiler: Eats Kravos alive...er...undead. [[ThanatosGambit After letting it kill him for a moment]] so that he can get backup from his own ghost]].

*** The ingredient list for Harry's ghost powder becomes important when [[spoiler: he dumps it on Lea and she's burned by its cold iron component]].

* ChekhovsGunman: Pretty much ''everyone'' at Bianca's party. Particularly the pair of {{Black Cloak}}s with the athame, who later reappear in ''Literature/DeadBeat''. WordOfGod is that everyone Harry met at that party would play a role later on in the series. So far this has been true for everyone except [[spoiler: Ferrovax, the Dragon]], who Butcher has stated will reappear in the final books.

** Michael performs chest compressions (but no rescue breathing) on Harry after he keels over from the exertion of [[spoiler: turning Bianca's party into an inferno]].
* DistractedByTheSexy: A rare in-combat example, as Thomas [[spoiler: distracts the possessed Lydia from strangling Harry by snogging her]]. Justified because, hey, it's ''Thomas''.

** Later, this is inverted when[[spoiler:Lea must make a deal with the genuinely good Michael. As Harry just consumed a deadly poison and Michael had a milk made of a thistle used to counteract it, but not completely cure Harry, Lea almost accepts the thistle as a gift, meaning she would be deeply indebted to Michael. Harry provides his own deal in exchange for the drink and Lea admits he played her well.]]

** In his first appearance, Michael comes off as more prudish and close-minded than he does in later appearances - [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation though that could be]] a mixture of CharacterDevelopment, and in the case of his pushing at Harry about Susan, perhaps trying to help him get over his Elaine related issues and admit his true feelings for Susan (which are a key plot point, as [[spoiler: his repeating "I love you" is part of what breaks a memory block on a newly part turned Susan, which saves his life and in a roundabout way, hers]]).

* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Mister Ferro says this about Michael, upon learning that [[spoiler: he's the Knight who killed Siriothrax]].
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: At the climax, Bianca seems completely unable to understand why Dresden is willing to [[spoiler: start a war with the Red Court]] just to save Susan, especially since the latter [[spoiler: has been partially converted into a vampire]].

* FlatlinePlotline: [[spoiler: Seeing as ghosts are impressions of a person before death, and Harry needs assistance in fighting a particularly nasty ghost that took some of his power earlier in the book, Harry lets himself be attacked, then has his girlfriend revive him so he can ''team up with his own ghost'']].

** Ferrovax paralyzes Harry with an effort of will when the wizard annoys him. [[spoiler: ''Many'' of the heavy-hitter entities Harry encounters later will display this same ability. It's like the signature party-trick of dragon-caliber beings in the Dresdenverse.]]

* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: The psychic turbulence that [[spoiler: Bianca and Mavra]] have been stirring up is the very thing that [[spoiler: allows Harry to create his own ghostly backup against Kravos ''and'' muster the ghosts of the Red Court's victims to take the vampires down]].

** Susan grasps this pretty firmly [[spoiler: by showing up at a party hosted by vampires, with a forged invitation, therefore unprotected by the Accords, and shortly loses part of her humanity]].

** Harry sticks to the "ghost of a demon" theory throughout most of the book, despite Bob's skepticism. If he'd considered other possibilities, like [[spoiler: the Nightmare just being a normal ghost with some extra juice]], the book would have been much shorter [[spoiler: and there might not have been a war (yet).[[note]]The Red Court had manipulated Harry into the situation deliberately, so the war likely would have come under some other pretext eventually.[[/note]]]]

* LoopholeAbuse: Bianca plays it fast and loose with the rules of Sacred Hospitality, but technically stays within their boundaries. [[spoiler: Harry ... doesn't.]]

* MustBeInvited: Harry arrives at the Malones' home and insists that he must be formally invited in before he can come in. The threshold to your home is the first line of defense against spiritual dangers and any magical being that enters without an invitation leaves their powers at the door. And no, it can't be a guest or a friend who invites you in, it must be someone who lives in that home. [[spoiler: Which is why the Nightmare that crossed the threshold of the Malone home is treated as very dangerous because they first think it crossed the threshold and still retained its power. Turns out it didn't cross the threshold, it just found a loophole]].

** If Stallings had only told Harry about [[spoiler: Kravos's suicide while in police custody]], the Nightmare could've been defeated a ''lot'' sooner.
** To a lesser degree, if Harry had laid out to Susan ''why'' going to Bianca's ball would be so dangerous [[spoiler: and why being invited meant an attendee couldn't be harmed directly, but gatecrashing the party would be tantamount to suicide]], she might not have brushed his concerns off with an "I can take care of myself."

** [[spoiler: Harry saying "I love you" to Susan is the key to breaking Lea's memory-blocking spell, and also helps her resist her newly-acquired bloodthirst.]]

* RememberTheNewGuy: Michael, never once mentioned in the first two books despite his likely to be quite handy during those issues, is introduced as a long-time colleague of Harry's. Possibly justified if Michael was out of town during the events of the previous books, he wasn't there for Harry to call on for help, so no need to mention him. And it is mentioned that Harry met him five years ago, before almost any of the publications. Also, [[spoiler: Michael's job isn't primarily to protect ''criminals'', who were the main targets of the villains from the first two books]].

* SpitefulSuicide: [[spoiler: Unknown to Harry, Kravos committed ritual suicide in prison in order to empower his own ghost as the Nightmare. Presumably, this trope was Kravos's motive, as the Nightmare could then take revenge on Harry.]]

** Harry kicks off Kravos's fury by insulting his manhood, thus ensuring that [[spoiler: Kravos will strangle him in the dream, rendering him dead ''just'' long enough to create a ghost ally before Susan's [=CPR=] revives him.]]

* VorpalPillow: The Nightmare only [[spoiler: strangles Harry]] for a short time before becoming convinced the victim is dead. Probably justified, as [[spoiler: it's in a dream, so would meet the dream-combatants' RealityIsUnrealistic expectations]].

* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: The Nightmare speaks in this, in keeping with its identity as an ancient demon. [[spoiler: The fact that it incorrectly says "thy eyes" instead of "thine eyes" acts as a subtle hint that it isn't really familiar with the speech pattern, and foreshadows the discovery that it's actually a modern human putting on an act]].

* SeekingSanctuary: [[spoiler:Harry sends Lydia to St. Mary's to keep her safe from harm. But while the Nightmare couldn't enter, she feared not even the house of God could protect her and left]].