History YMMV / DeadBeat

* GrowingTheBeard: The first book in the series is reviled by some, considered average by most, and loved by a few, but all agree that this book was a huge improvement on the series as a whole and the beginning of an upward trend in the writing and storytelling quality. The plot begins to become more focused with various plot points coming together, things are happening on a larger scale and with a faster pace, the humor is more tolerable, and it is simply far better written overall. Even Jim Butcher himself feels this way, going as far as to advise new readers of the series to start with this one.
* InferredHolocaust: [[spoiler:Harry accidentally releases the Wild Hunt in downtown Chicago. The countless deaths and/or missing people that would inevitably result from this are only vaguely alluded to in the end and [[ExtraStrengthMasquerade somehow conflated ordinary murders that occurred at the same time]]. To be fair, it was stated that even the Erlking wasn't strong enough to break a solid threshold, and that most of the citizens of Chicago mostly stayed at home, but there still are all the homeless, the pubs and suchlike, and the fact that not any house is enough to be considered a home...]]
* MoralEventHorizon: After Ortega mentions he would feed on children and some of the actions Bianca took, it seems like the Red Court couldn't sink much lower. Wrong. To kill a small number of White Council wizards [[spoiler:recovering in a muggle hospital, they had human mercenaries release a nerve gas in the ''city block including the hospital'' killing '''several thousands''']].
* RewatchBonus: A good reason to re-read this book is that [[spoiler: it becomes clear how sneaky Lasciel's shadow was being, all the time she posed as "Sheila".]]
** A certain event from ''Literature/SkinGame'' makes Butter's BigDamnHeroes moment even more awesome. [[spoiler: He was sent by ''Uriel,'' who used an incipient Knight of the Cross as a counter to a former Denarian]].

* InferredHolocaust: [[spoiler:Harry accidentally releases the Wild Hunt in downtown Chicago. The countless deaths and/or missing people that would inevitably result from this are only vaguely alluded to in the end and [[ExtraStrengthMasquerade somehow conflated ordinary murders that occurred at the same time]]. To be fair, it was stated that even the Erlking wasn't strong enough to break a solid treshold, and that most of the citizens of Chicago mostly stayed at home, but there still are all the homeless, the pubs and suchlike, and the fact that not any house is enough to be considered a home...]]

* GrowingTheBeard: The first book in the series is reviled by some, considered average by most, and loved by a few, but all agree that this book was a huge improvement on the series as a whole and the beginning of an upward trend in the writing and storytelling quality. The plot begins to become more focused with various plot points coming together, things are happening on a larger scale and with a faster pace, the humor is more tolerable, and it is simply far better written overall.

* RewatchBonus: A good reason to re-read this book is that [[spoiler: it becomes clear how sneaky Lasciel's shadow was being, all the time she posed as "Sheila".]]

* MoralEventHorizon: After Ortega mentions he would feed on children and some of the actions Bianca took, it seems like the Red Court couldn't sink much lower. Wrong. To kill a small number of White Council wizards [[spoiler:recovering in a muggle hospital, they had human mercenaries release a nerve gas in the hospital killing ''thousands'']].

* CompleteMonster: [[{{Necromancer}} Capiocorpus]], aka [[GrandTheftMe the Corpsetaker]], is a former student and BastardUnderstudy of the evil necromancer [[PredecessorVillain Heinrich Kemmler]]. Prolonging her own life by stealing the bodies of others before torturing her victims to death, the Corpsetaker also delights in [[MindRape causing mental anguish]], bringing devastation and destruction to the minds of the people she tortures. Along with [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheKemmlerites the other heirs]] of [[PosthumousCharacter Kemmler]], the Corpsetaker plans to consume the souls of thousands in a ritual as a bid to become a god. Killed by Harry, the Corpsetaker nevertheless plays a role later in the series. Defined by a lifelong path of sadism, the Corpsetaker showed time and again why she was one of Harry's most vicious enemies.

* CompleteMonster: [[{{Necromancer}} Capiocorpus]], aka [[GrandTheftMe the Corpsetaker]], is a former student and BastardUnderstudy of the evil necromancer [[PredecessorVillain Heinrich Kemmler]]. Prolonging her own life by stealing the bodies of others before torturing her victims to death, the Corpsetaker also delights in [[MindRape causing mental anguish]], bringing devastation and destruction to the minds of the people she tortures. Along with [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheKemmlerites the other heirs]] of [[PosthumousCharacter Kemmler]], the Corpsetaker plans to consume the souls of thousands in a ritual as a bid to become a god. Killed by Harry, the Corpsetaker returns as the malevolent "[[Literature/GhostStory Grey Ghost]]" and enslaves other spirits to help her return to life. Torturing the ectomancer Mortimer Linderquist, the Corpsetaker has his mind fed to the evil Wraiths—a painful process that destroys the sanity of the victim and something she relishes in doing—hoping to break him and use him to control the spirit population of the city she is in. Allying with the Fomor, the Corpsetaker plans to crush the resistance to them in Chicago and allow them to run amok and cause mass death and destruction while she tries to return to life. [[SoulEating Devouring the souls]] of dozens of spirits, the Corpsetaker attempts to regain corporeal form and tries to steal the body of one of Harry's friends to continue her immortal life of cruelty. Defined by a lifelong path of sadism, the Corpsetaker showed time and again why she was one of Harry's most vicious enemies.

* RewatchBonus: A good reason to re-read this book is that [[spoiler: it becomes clear how sneaky Lasciel's shadow was being, all the time she posed as "Sheila".]]
** Also, there's a couple hints dropped here and there of things that become more significant several books later. Such as Mort saying he knows Murphy's father [[spoiler: who works as a sort of afterlife cop, and sometimes sends wayward ghosts Mort's way]], and Waldo rescuing Harry when and from what he did [[spoiler: foreshadowing his becoming a Knight of the Cross]].

* CompleteMonster: [[{{Necromancer}} Capiocorpus]], aka [[GrandTheftMe the Corpsetaker]], is a former student and BastardUnderstudy of the evil necromancer [[PredecessorVillain Heinrich Kemmler]]. Prolonging her own life by stealing the bodies of others before torturing her victims to death, the Corpsetaker also delights in [[MindRape causing mental anguish]], bringing devastation and destruction to the minds of the people she tortures. Along with [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheKemmlerites the other heirs]] of [[PosthumousCharacter Kemmler]], the Corpsetaker plans to consume the souls of thousands in a ritual as a bid to become a god. Killed by Harry, the Corpsetaker returns as the malevolent "Grey Ghost" and enslaves other spirits to help her return to life. Torturing the ectomancer Mortimer Linderquist, the Corpsetaker has his mind fed to the evil Wraiths—a painful process that destroys the sanity of the victim and something she relishes in doing—hoping to break him and use him to control the spirit population of the city she is in. Allying with the Fomor, the Corpsetaker plans to crush the resistance to them in Chicago and allow them to run amok and cause mass death and destruction while she tries to return to life. [[SoulEating Devouring the souls]] of dozens of spirits, the Corpsetaker attempts to regain corporeal form and tries to steal the body of one of Harry's friends to continue her immortal life of cruelty. Defined by a lifelong path of sadism, the Corpsetaker showed time and again why she was one of Harry's most vicious enemies.

* CompleteMonster: [[{{Necromancer}} Capiocorpus]], aka [[GrandTheftMe the Corpsetaker]], is a former student and BastardUnderstudy of the evil necromancer [[PredecessorVillain Heinrich Kemmler]]. Prolonging her own life by stealing the bodies of others before torturing her victims to death, the Corpsetaker also delights in [[MindRape causing mental anguish]], bringing devastation and destruction to the minds of the people she tortures. Along with the other heirs of Kemmler, the Corpsetaker plans to consume the souls of thousands in a ritual as a bid to become a god. Killed by Harry, the Corpsetaker returns as the malevolent "Grey Ghost" and enslaves other spirits to help her return to life. Torturing the ectomancer Mortimer Linderquist, the Corpsetaker has his mind fed to the evil Wraiths—a painful process that destroys the sanity of the victim and something she relishes in doing—hoping to break him and use him to control the spirit population of the city she is in. Allying with the Fomor, the Corpsetaker plans to crush the resistance to them in Chicago and allow them to run amok and cause mass death and destruction while she tries to return to life. [[SoulEating Devouring the souls]] of dozens of spirits, the Corpsetaker attempts to regain corporeal form and tries to steal the body of one of Harry's friends to continue her immortal life of cruelty. Defined by a lifelong path of sadism, the Corpsetaker showed time and again why she was one of Harry's most vicious enemies.

* CompleteMonster: [[AxCrazy Capiocorpus,]] also known as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Corpsetaker and The Grey Ghost]], who also appears in ''Literature/GhostStory'', is one of the few surviving students of [[PosthumousCharacter Heinrich Kemmler]], one of the most powerful and evil necromancers ever-and [[PronounTrouble she]] certainly learned her lessons well. The Corpsetaker defines herself as being the most sadistic and cruel of the necromancers in series in her pursuit of the Darkhollow, which would require her to [[BodySurf consume the souls of thousands of innocent people]]. Corpsetaker regularly performs [[GrandTheftMe body theft]] to prolong her life, reveling in the agony of her victims as she steals their bodies and lives from them.

* ExecutiveMeddling: Butcher'd originally planned ''Dead Beat'' to be the ''eighth'' Dresden novel, but his publishers urged him to make his seventh book an especially spectacular one to mark the first hardcover release of the series, so he swapped this one and ''Proven Guilty''. Cue the [[spoiler:zombie dinosaur]].

** Also, there's a couple hints dropped here and there of things that become more significant several books later. Such as Mort saying he knows Murphy's father [[spoiler: who works as a sort of afterlife cop, and sometimes sends wayward ghosts Mort's way]], and Waldo rescuing Harry when he did [[spoiler: foreshadowing his becoming a Knight of the Cross]].

* RewatchBonus: A good reason to re-read this book is that [[spoiler: it becomes clear how sneaky Lasciel's shadow was being, all the time she posed as "Sheila".]]

* CompleteMonster: [[AxCrazy Capiocorpus,]] also known as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Corpsetaker and The Grey Ghost]], who also appears in ''Literature/GhostStory'', is one of the few surviving students of [[PosthumousCharacter Heinrich Kemmler]], one of the most powerful and evil necromancers ever-and [[PronounTrouble she]] certainly learned her lessons well. The Corpsetaker defines herself as being the most sadistic and cruel of the necromancers in series in her pursuit of the Darkhollow, which would require her to [[BodySurf consume the souls of thousands of innocent people]]. Corpsetaker regularly performs [[GrandTheftMe body theft]] to prolong her life, reveling in the agony of her victims as she steals their bodies and lives from them. After her physical form is destroyed, she shows a penchant for enslaving other ghosts and torturing those in her way with nothing but sadistic cruelty and glee.

* CompleteMonster: [[AxCrazy Capiocorpus, also known as the Corpsetaker and The Grey Ghost]], who also appears in ''Literature/GhostStory'', is one of the few surviving students of [[PosthumousCharacter Heinrich Kemmler]], one of the most powerful and evil necromancers ever-and [[PronounTrouble she]] certainly learned her lessons well. The Corpsetaker defines herself as being the most sadistic and cruel of the necromancers in series in her pursuit of the Darkhollow, which would require her to [[BodySurf consume the souls of thousands of innocent people]]. Corpsetaker regularly performs [[GrandTheftMe body theft]] to prolong her life, reveling in the agony of her victims as she steals their bodies and lives from them. After her physical form is destroyed, she shows a penchant for enslaving other ghosts and torturing those in her way with nothing but sadistic cruelty and glee.

* InferredHolocaust: [[spoiler:Harry accidentally releases the Wild Hunt in downtown Chicago. The countless deaths and/or missing people that would inevitably result from this are only vaguely alluded to in the end and [[ExtraStrengthMasquerade somehow conflated ordinary murders that occurred at the same time]]. To be true, it was stated that even the Erlking wasn't strong enough to break a solid treshold, and that most of the citizens of Chicago mostly stayed at home, but there still are all the homeless, the pubs and suchlike, and the fact that not any house is enough to be considered a home...]]

* InferredHolocaust: [[spoiler:Harry accidentally releases the Wild Hunt in downtown Chicago. The countless deaths and/or missing people that would inevitably result from this are only vaguely alluded to in the end and [[ExtraStrengthMasquerade somehow conflated ordinary murders that occurred at the same time]].]]

* ILetYouWin: [[spoiler:The Erlking is a being on par with Mab... but who was successfully trapped in a hastily-prepared circle, in the rain, by a ''single mortal''? (For comparison, later books show us it requires a ley-line-powered circle designed by a Fallen to confidently confine the Archive, a being of, at best, equal power.) Perhaps more telling is the fact that the Erlking later threw a fight with Harry to give him control of the Wild Hunt. This suggests that the Erlking ''already knew'' that someone was about to summon him for a purpose he didn't approve of, and let Harry confine him so he wouldn't have to participate]].

* ILetYouWin: [[spoiler:The Erlking is a being on par with Mab... who was successfully trapped in a hastily-prepared circle, in the rain, by a ''single mortal''? (For comparison, later books show us it requires a ley-line-powered circle designed by a Fallen to confidently confine the Archive, a being of, at best, equal power.) Perhaps more telling is the fact that the Erlking later threw a fight with Harry to give him control of the Wild Hunt. This suggests that the Erlking ''already knew'' that someone was about to summon him for a purpose he didn't approve of, and let Harry confine him so he wouldn't have to participate]].

* ILetYouWin: The Erlking is a being on par with Mab... who was successfully trapped in a hastily-prepared circle, in the rain, by a ''single mortal''? (For comparison, later books show us it requires a ley-line-powered circle designed by a Fallen to confidently confine the Archive, a being of, at best, equal power.) Perhaps more telling is the fact that the Erlking later threw a fight with Harry to give him control of the Wild Hunt. This suggests that the Erlking ''already knew'' that someone was about to summon him for a purpose he didn't approve of, and let Harry confine him so he wouldn't have to participate.

* RewatchBonus: A good reason to re-read this book is that [[spoiler: it becomes clear how sneaky Lasciel's shadow was being, all the time she posed as "Sheila".]]

* InferredHolocaust: [[spoiler:Harry accidentally releases the Wild Hunt in downtown Chicago. The countless deaths and/or missing people that would inevitably result from this are only vaguely alluded to in the end and [[ExtraStrengthMasquerade somehow conflated ordinary murders that occurred at the same time]].]]

* GrowingTheBeard: The first book in the series is reviled by some, considered average by most, and loved by a few, but all agree that this book was a huge improvement on the series as a whole and the beginning of an upward trend in the writing and storytelling quality. The plot begins to become more focused with various plot points coming together, things are happening on a larger scale and with a faster pace, the humor is more tolerable, and it is simply far better written overall.

* RewatchBonus: A good reason to re-read this book is that [[spoiler: it becomes clear how sneaky Lasciel's shadow was being, all the time she posed as "Sheila".]]