Please pardon my rather disconnected thoughts--I figured this is the best place to let them out, even though I'll surely be repeating others . . .

AUUUUUUUGH!
So, yeah. I may be an outlier, but Karrin Murphy is actually the character I pretend to *be* when I read the books. So this one hurt!! And I've been mulling pretty strongly as follows . . .

A DEFENSE
Murphy definitely belonged in the fight. This was an all-hands-on-deck situation. Murphy sheltering at Mac's while civilian conscripts learned to shoot on the job was never going to happen. And--stating the obvious--she saved Harry twice, so by extension she saved (what remains of) Chicago. Murphy has a LONG TRACK RECORD of saving Harry, and by extension Chicago. You do not bench that person in an apocalypse! C'mon Harry.

SOME IRONY
Harry worried that Murphy would be a liability, why? Bad leg, bad shoulder. But all she ultimately needed in the way of help was something Harry can usually do in his sleep--a shield. And why couldn't he cast a shield? Bad shoulder! So who's the liability . . . ?

ON TROPES
Sure, the love interest always dies--but I was disappointed to see it play out so quickly, here. I thought their unfolding dynamic was SUPER interesting. On the other hand, I always suspected that losing Murphy would be the thing that flips Harry "dark"--and yes, he freaked out, but no, (with an assist) he didn't flip. That was a refreshing anti-trope. Of course Rudolph's still out there . . .

A MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE?
On my first read, Murphy's death and Harry's response, as well as the memorial service, felt REALLY . . . rushed? Unexplored? I understand Harry couldn't stop to process, but we can hear his whole internal monologue, and thoughts of Murphy seemed to fade away almost insultingly soon after she herself did. Especially when Harry said, "it would hurt, but I would heal"--I get the stoicism, but that just felt SO abrupt and rather out of character? I'm quite worried about the "chilling effect" of Winter on Harry . . .

THAT SAID, rereading key scenes, I caught a couple lines like "and then I went blind for about a minute." Harry also zones out while talking to Molly, and reports that the memorial is a blur in his memory. He may actually be blacking out--PTSD or similar. It's a taut way to write about grief. Still, I wouldn't have minded more spilled ink. We've met Murphy's family . . . know her backstory . . . been to her house . . . read a short story from her POV! I need to mourn!!

SOME FUZZY FEMINISM
So . . . Lara and Molly. Now, Harry in a forced-marriage predicament is a surprising and weirdly interesting choice. Usually that's more the realm of damsels than tough-guy heavy-hitters. But, after teasing Harry and Murphy for 15 books--and then finally delivering a relationship between those two--who respect, understand, exasperate, challenge, and improve each other--the quick pivot to the marriage plotline stung a LOT.

Because: Lara (the gorgeous sexpot vampire) and Molly (the kink-positive well-endowed recent teenager) both chasing/drooling over Harry is such . . . a teen boy's wet dream. And to pivot from a really well-developed relationship with regular-woman Murphy to Lara-versus-Molly . . . with some early indication it will be played FOR LAUGHS . . . just felt like salt in a stab wound in the back. (And I actually like Lara, overall! Just--timing, augh!)

ALL THAT TO SAY
I had a lot of complicated feelings about this one--and that's probably exactly what Jim was going for. Plus I hope (I'm sure?) we'll get more of Karrin in future books, even if flashbacks only. (Strangely, I'm not rooting for any of the "easy" fixes--but I'd love a well-laid twist and I know an author who excels at those . . .)

Also, I don't mean to sound complain-y . . . a quibble with my favorite books is like an argument with my best friend. That I care this much--says something!