There's always That Book that comes highly recommended from a friend, the book that you would otherwise overlook, would probably not even give it a second glance at the bookstore. But when enough people rave about it you eventually pick it up. And, hey, it was acquired by Sci-Fi! This can be pretty good. 
 All in all, I was pleasantly surprised. Harry Dresden is a wizard, and he realizes how stupid that sounds. He knows people make fun of him. But he's hired for supernatural cases, and he gets himself into trouble on more than one occasion with the magical powers-that-be. He's a normal guy--he tries dating, he's struggling to pay his rent--except he has an alchemy lab in his basement. 
 Dresden gets stuck trying to figure out a murder he knows to be impossible, but the policewoman he's working for is pestering him for information. It's your typical crime story, but with a supernatural twist that makes things a lot more interesting. 
 I don't plan on reading all fourteen (!) books in this series, but I liked it well enough. Dresden is a normal guy, heavy on the sarcasm, and a protagonist you can get behind. I likely won't remember the story itself in detail, but I'll remember Dresden. You kind of have to love him.