Brief Cases is the second collection of short fiction in the Dresden Files. It contains 12 stories that range from historical events in the Wild West to a sweet day at the zoo for Harry's first "normal" dad experience. We also get more stories from different perspectives, some I found surprising. As with Side Jobs, Butcher provides an introduction to each story with a little background about how/why he wrote it and also where it fits in the series. This is a great collection and a must read for fans of the series as it addresses small questions of things that aren't explained in the main books. ( )

3.5 stars
Advance copy provided by NetGalley.

This is one of those times that I wish GR had half stars. This collection deserves better than 3 stars (at least my 3-star rating), but I don’t know if it really deserves 4. I’ll break it down by story, do some Goodreads math, and see how it comes out.

"Fistful of Warlocks"—3.5 stars. Loved the idea, but it was a little underdeveloped. and I didn’t like it that Luccio needed to be saved by Wyatt Earp
"B is for Bigfoot"— 3 stars. I remember my rating from when I read it the first time in Working for Bigfoot.
"AAAA Wizardry"— 3 stars. Interesting concept, but a little short on development.
"I was a Teenage Bigfoot"—see above
"Curses"—1 star. Harry at his leering worst. It was a fun idea, but I couldn't get past how many times Dresden had to comment on a female character's body.
"Even Hand"—4 stars. Getting a story from Marcone’s POV was fun, and the last few lines gave it a nice, ominous turn and a reminder of why we can't root for this guy.
"Bigfoot on Campus"—4 stars. Again, from memory.
"Bombshells"—3.5 stars. I actually like Butcher writing in Molly’s voice for the most part, but it was irritating that her hotness had to figure into her success in the case. and she was saved in the end by a dude, just like Luccio
"Cold Case"—4 stars. Another from Molly’s POV with some shocking things associated with her role as the Winter Lady that I’m still sorting out my feelings about.
"Day One"—3.5 stars. Nice to get one from Butters’ POV, but was a little too short to be developed enough.
"Zoo Day"—5 stars. My favorite of the collection, alternating between Harry’s, Maggie’s and Mouse’s (Mouse!!) POVs. Loved it.

OK, if I add those up and carry the star (insert old school sci-fi computer sound effects)...ah, yes. My calculations are correct. 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.

What I liked the most about this collection was getting all the new POVs. "Curses" sure was a stinker, though. Reading these made me realize I really need to re-read the series before the next novel comes out. These stories reminded me of a lot that I’d forgotten. ( )

Short story collections have a poor track record for me. I often really enjoy only one out of every six or more in a book, and since this one is expensive as ebooks go, I put it on my wishlist and kinda forgot about it, until some awesome friends gifted it to me for my birthday. My husband got to it before I did, and tore through it in record time, and loved it. And I? I hereby declare that this is one of the best birthday presents I've ever received. I wasn't blown away by every story, but they are all good. And the last one, "Zoo Day"? A stunner.

Yes, you really need to be current with the series to enjoy these stories, particularly the last few. If you haven't read The Dresden Files series, I envy you. ( )

I was longing for a return to the dresden-verse, and this hit the spot. Most were things I'd read before, but I loved how they span most of the series -- it ends up being a hit list and review over time. Satisfying. ( )

Totally worth it just for Zoo Day. Mouse needs his own book. ( )