Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1)

by Jim Butcher

I had several enchanted items around—or half-enchanted items, anyway. Carrying out a full enchantment is expensive and time-consuming, and I just couldn’t afford to do it very much. We blue-collar wizards just have to sling a few spells out where we can and hope they don’t go stale at the wrong time.

I had to maintain a fine balance between going in ready for trouble and going in asking for trouble.

Wizardry aside, it’s tough to beat a gun for discouraging men with baseball bats.

“Mister Dresden, this is Linda. Linda Randall. Do you remember me?” Heh. Do men remember the scene in the movie with Marilyn standing over the subway grating? I found myself remembering Linda Randall’s eyes and wondering things a gentleman shouldn’t.