Chapter 5 Drop

[Mira]

In the official page there is no information of when it happens but I understood it was before BG, so we can have some suspense.

  I read a blurb that supposedly was the time line, that Christmas Eve happens post Skin Game, so Murphy must have still been in the hospital.   

I don't see Murphy making a Faust deal after this chapter (and the coin is super unlikely imo), but I wouldn't be surprised if something happens in the same way Michael briefly got healed in Skin Game. There's been speculation that Murphy appearing to be thinking of cutting off her cast in the trailer is to saddle up and that'll lead to her being reckless and cause doom. However, if something healed her - even temporarily - then she's not cutting it off for funsies. She's cutting it off because she can now physically help out.

If Murphy is suddenly healed to go help Harry, one time deal or better, that smacks too much of a do over, just changing the name of the character.  First Harry so he'd become Winter Knight, then Michael so he could go help Harry in Skin Game, now Murphy ?  That is going to the same pocket of tricks one too many times, too predictable and bad writing on Jim's part if it goes down that way.  We all know he isn't a bad writer, so be prepared to be shocked one way or the other.

[Arjan]

Who said it was Murphy. It could be Goodman grey 

[morriswalters]

If Goodreads can be believed then Peace Talks end in a cliff hanger which then takes you to Battle Ground.  That would see to put Christmas Eve after both events.  Which fits because he split Peace Talks.  But you will have a better feel for it in a week.

[Mira]

Who said it was Murphy. It could be Goodman grey 

If that turns out to be true.   That would indeed be a hell of a shock for Harry!

[Dina]

  I read a blurb that supposedly was the time line, that Christmas Eve happens post Skin Game, so Murphy must have still been in the hospital.   

No, all the references of thousands of casualties said it is not after SG but at least after PT, perhaps after BG too.

[Arjan]

No, all the references of thousands of casualties said it is not after SG but at least after PT, perhaps after BG too.

I believe christmass eve was written before the split was anounced.

[Mira]

No, all the references of thousands of casualties said it is not after SG but at least after PT, perhaps after BG too.

It's been a while since I've read Christmas Eve, but now that you mention it I remember that being said as well and it makes sense now.   All I am going by is I Googled the time line for when Christmas Eve takes place and the answer was just after Skin Game.   However while yeah, in Skin Game there was a body count, it didn't number in the thousands.  Question though, just how does the supernatural world cover something like that up or explain it to the vanilla human world?

[spiritofair]

It's been a while since I've read Christmas Eve, but now that you mention it I remember that being said as well and it makes sense now.   All I am going by is I Googled the time line for when Christmas Eve takes place and the answer was just after Skin Game.   However while yeah, in Skin Game there was a body count, it didn't number in the thousands.  Question though, just how does the supernatural world cover something like that up or explain it to the vanilla human world?

The rumor is that Battle Ground is the book that opens the world's eyes to the supernatural. Not sure how it's going to be explained... who would do the explaining? It's just gonna come out, and think about how the world would react to that. A thousand different ways by people of different cultures in different countries.

I remember when Christmas Eve came out, the post said that it came after Peace Talks. There was a bunch of discussion about why Murphy wasn't there. Which fits since Jim had tweeted about "Murphy's funeral".

Since Peace Talks was likely split into two after Christmas Eve was written and because Peace Talks and Battle Ground, having been one book split into two, likely are separated by very little time if any at all, it stands to reason that Christmas Eve falls after both books.

[Regenbogen]

Cold Days was Halloween. After that he stayed half a year on Demonreach. So, in Skin Game it would have been around May. In the first chapter of peace talks he told Thomas, that he was a full time dad for one month now. So, I would say, PT happens in June or July, depending on when he took Maggie to his new home.
In Christmas Eve the talk was about the events of "last summer" and "all the deaths" so there are several months between the peace talks and Christmas Eve. I don't think BG would be more than half a year after PT, but more like immediately afterwards.

[Aminar]

Cold Days was Halloween. After that he stayed half a year on Demonreach. So, in Skin Game it would have been around May. In the first chapter of peace talks he told Thomas, that he was a full time dad for one month now. So, I would say, PT happens in June or July, depending on when he took Maggie to his new home.
In Christmas Eve the talk was about the events of "last summer" and "all the deaths" so there are several months between the peace talks and Christmas Eve. I don't think BG would be more than half a year after PT, but more like immediately afterwards.

Skin Game was in February. Which I found a little unbelievable given Lake Michigan Ice and the lack of snow everywhere. It was also a year and change since Cold Days.

[Mira]

Skin Game was in February. Which I found a little unbelievable given Lake Michigan Ice and the lack of snow everywhere. It was also a year and change since Cold Days.

That depends on the winter though, some are harsher than others.. Also Chicago isn't constantly covered in a blanket of snow, and Lake Michigan can have less ice, even in February.

[cleoslemonade]

Does anyone want to talk about how this line from Small Favor is even funnier in light of this chapter?

My brother threw up his hands. "What does a woman need to do, Harry? Rip her clothes off, throw herself on top of you, and shimmy while screaming, 'Do me, baby!'?" he shook his head. "Sometimes you're a frigging idiot.

Apparently, even that was not enough for Harry.

[Dina]

  LOL! I had forgotten.

[Aminar]

That depends on the winter though, some are harsher than others.. Also Chicago isn't constantly covered in a blanket of snow, and Lake Michigan can have less ice, even in February.

I grew up not to far north of there. We have Snow until Mid-March pretty much every year. Especially years where Mab keeps the Lake Ice, "Abnormally late this year" by having it melt a month early...

Snow comes later a lot. Often not until late December or early January. But there's always 3 months of it minimum. Michael's yard should have had a foot of snow in it.

[Mira]

I grew up not to far north of there. We have Snow until Mid-March pretty much every year. Especially years where Mab keeps the Lake Ice, "Abnormally late this year" by having it melt a month early...

Snow comes later a lot. Often not until late December or early January. But there's always 3 months of it minimum. Michael's yard should have had a foot of snow in it.

    Just looked it up, Chicago had nine inches for the month of February in 2020 and eight inches in 2019..  I was there for Christmas visiting my son and his family in 2017 and there was only a couple of inches on the ground, in fact it melted and the ground was bare, it actually rained if I remember.  Now that isn't to say they cannot get some fearsome blizzards, they can, and it can be colder than a witch's tit as my husband used to say who lived there for years..  There is also ice on the lake, but that too varies.  My son lives in a Chicago suburb like Michael, when I got there for Christmas there was perhaps three or four inches of snow on the ground, but it was melted and they ground was bare by the time I left just before New Years.