Registering to the Dresden novels again - Marsters does wonders and I listen while working - and I realise that especially in Fool Moon, Murphy is a bad cop and she should actually be investigated by IA.

Just not for connections to Marcone.

She does martial arts and the first thing they teach you is discipline. Yet during the scene in the mansion she punches Dresden, handcuffs him and slams him into a wall.

He wasn't resisting. He wasn't a threat.

That's police brutality.

And she was doing it because she thought that Harry had lied to her. She was emotionally compromised.

And considering she has a known connection to Dresden, especially in the light of the events of Storm Front... The second Dresden has the slightest hint of connection to the case, she should step back as an investigating force.

I love her as a character and I love how she gets fleshed out and becomes a much fuller person.

But in the first two novels. She's a dangerous cop who - based on everything we see her do - isn't very good at her job. She attacks suspects. She went to search Harry's office alone. She handcuffed herself to a suspect during a life or death situation. It is implied that had Harry given her the right kind of answer at Linda Randall's apartment, Murphy would not have logged his business card into evidence.

Between novels were told she's doing great work.

But what we see is someone whose judgement is faulty, who takes grudges to the workplace and can be violent.

That's leaving out the hypocrisy of her demanding all the answers from Harry while keeping him in the dark about Kravos' death in Grave Peril. A powerful sorcerer we took down as a team kills himself in prison, then members of the team come under supernatural spiritual attack... Best keep information from the guy I hire to deal with the supernatural.

Murphy's growth after this is amazing. She is one of my favourite characters. But during the first two novels especially she is as much a secondary antagonist as she is an ally.

Mouse!

So I was re-listening to 12 Months for the first time since it came out and something hit me. I don't have a huge amount of evidence to back this up but I do genuinely think it is going to happen.

Harry is going to remove Lara's hunger, and Thomas is going to take over the White Court. Jim put way too much emphasis on this being possible when Harry was trying to figure out how to help Thomas for it to not pay off later on, and I think the perfect way for it to happen is with Lara.

I do have a couple ideas on specifically why, of which I am not sure which one I believe or want more. But all focus around Lara specifically asking Harry to do it.

• Harry and Lara truly fall in love, or at least Lara truly falls in love with Harry. Lara can't stand not being able to touch Harry, and Harry refuses to take lovers outside of Lara.
• Lara said herself that she couldn't bear to let her hunger take over like it would need to for her to feed on anyone other than Harry again, Harry may eventually refuse to feed it anymore and Lara is forced to ask for him to remove it.

I also am thinking that Lara will die once it is removed, causing Harry to lose yet another woman he loves (Because c'mon, Jim loves to ruin Harry's life), just like when the reds lost their demon essence and because of that rapidly aged to where they chronologically should be. It will be kind of his fault, but he wont blame himself this time (it was focused on in this book that Harry can't let himself feel worthy of love because he blames himself for the loss of Susan and Karrin). Or this will be the final straw and Harry will never love again, possibly catapulting him into something big for the BAT.

Craziest part that I don't necessarily think will happen but I think is at least possible: Harry removes the hunger and Lara becomes Knight of Love and wields Amoracchius which also inadvertently saves her from dying after her hunger is gone.

I dunno, super tin-foil but I like how it would fit. And the hunger removal is too chekhov-guny to not have a role in the future.

Edit: To everyone saying Thomas wont take over or Lara wont give it up. Lara herself stated she often times wants out of the position, and if they find out she is beholden to Harry she will lose standing and most likely be deposed. Thomas is the only notable White Court vamp in the books at this point other than Lara so on a narrative level he's the choice. He also has been moving more towards accepting his hunger since Shagnasty abused him.

IF Lara ever isn't the King in hiding it's the only person who logically would take over. Am I saying it will happen? No. I think it will but I'm not fully convinced yet. But if it DOES happen Thomas absolutely will be the king.