Grave Peril characters

Appears from the start

Chicago's professional wizard, now working alongside the Knight of the Cross Michael Carpenter to deal with a wave of ghosts and spirits that have turned violent. More established than in his first cases but no less broke or reckless, Harry is stalked by an old debt and by his own habit of taking on more than he can safely carry. His fierce loyalty to the people he loves is about to be turned into a weapon against him, and his temper about to cost him more than he imagines.

Appears from the start

A Knight of the Cross, one of a tiny number of mortals chosen to wield a holy sword against the worst evils in the world. Michael carries Amoracchius, a blade said to hold one of the nails of the Crucifixion, and fights with a faith as solid as his broad shoulders. A devout Catholic and a devoted husband and father, he is Harry's opposite in temper - patient, humble, and certain where Harry is cynical and profane - and he becomes Harry's steadfast partner in hunting the tormented spirits plaguing the city. He disapproves of Harry's rough edges but trusts his heart.

First appears in chapter 3

Michael's wife: heavily pregnant, fiercely devoted to her large family, and openly hostile to Harry, whom she blames for drawing her husband into danger. Strong-willed and unafraid to say exactly what she thinks, Charity guards her home and children with everything she has, which makes her and her unborn child a target when Harry's enemies choose to strike at those he cares for.

Also known as Lea, Godmother

First appears in chapter 5

Harry's faerie godmother, a Sidhe noblewoman of the Winter Court, beautiful and utterly without human mercy. Long ago Harry bargained away a claim on himself to her, and now the Leanansidhe means to collect - to take him into Faerie and remake him as her own creature. She pursues him through the book, an elegant, patient predator who offers help laced with traps, bound by faerie rules that Harry must exploit to keep his freedom.

First appears in chapter 7

The reporter who chases the supernatural, and Harry's girlfriend, still pressing for the truth of his world and still refusing to be protected from it. Susan's closeness to Harry makes her a mark for the enemies circling him, and her determination to be part of his life draws her toward the vampires' orbit and a danger far greater than any story.

First appears in chapter 14

The Red Court vampire Harry humiliated during his first case, returned far more powerful and poised. Now elevated among her kind and hosting a grand masquerade ball to mark her rise, Bianca has spent the years plotting a patient, elaborate revenge. Beneath the gracious hostess is a cold, vindictive predator who has arranged events across the city to draw Harry into a trap of her making.

Also known as Kravos

First appears in chapter 18

A malevolent spirit tormenting first the ghosts and then the living of Chicago, growing stronger with each victim. It stalks people through their dreams, poisoning and draining them, and singles out those closest to Harry. It proves to be the risen ghost of Kravos, a murderous sorcerer Harry and Michael destroyed not long before; freed and warped in death, and set loose by others for their own ends, it has become one of the deadliest things Harry has faced.

First appears in chapter 25

A languid, beautiful young man who appears at Bianca's masquerade and, to Harry's surprise, quietly takes his side. Thomas is a vampire of the White Court, whose kind feed on human emotion and desire rather than blood and who wear their humanity far more convincingly than the Red Court. Vain, charming, and hard to read, he has reasons of his own for helping Harry survive the ball, and an interest in him that he does not explain.

First appears in chapter 25

A lovely, fragile young woman who attends the masquerade at Thomas's side, bound to him as his lover and the source he feeds upon. Devoted to Thomas despite what he is, Justine moves through the vampires' world in constant quiet danger, and her bond with him hints that this White Court vampire is not quite as heartless as his kind are meant to be.

First appears in chapter 27

An ancient and terrifying vampire of the Black Court - the classic bloodsucking undead of legend, rotted and inhumanly strong. Mavra is a sorceress as well as a monster, able to work magic few of her kind command, and she attends Bianca's gathering as a guest of appalling power. Cold, patient, and centuries old, she marks Harry as an enemy worth remembering.