Overview
Alex Bledsoe’s first novel, The Sword-Edged Blonde, drew rave reviews for its ingenious blend of fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction. Now Bledsoe returns with an all-new tale of mean streets and medieval intrigue.
Above Angelina’s Tavern in down-and-dirty Neceda you’ll find the office of Eddie LaCrosse, a freelance sword jockey who, for twenty-five gold pieces a day, will take on any task short of murder for hire. Eddie’s on his way back from a routine investigation when his horse almost runs down a half-naked blonde in serious trouble. Against his better judgment, he promises to protect the frightened young woman, only to find himself waylaid by unknown assailants and left for dead beside her mutilated body.
Eddie isn’t the kind of guy to just let something like this pass. But who killed Laura Lesperitt? Eddie’s quest for payback leads him to a tangled mystery involving a notorious crime lord, a backwoods dragon cult, royal scandals, and a duplicitous femme fatale who has trouble keeping her clothes on. As bodies pile up, attracting the unwelcome attention of the king’s guards, Eddie must use all his wits if he hopes to survive . . .
Synopsis
Above Angelina's Tavern in down-and-dirty Neceda you'll find the office of Eddie LaCrosse, a freelance sword jockey who, for twenty-five gold pieces a day, will take on any task short of murder for hire. Eddie's on his way back from a routine investigation when his horse almost runs down a half-naked blonde in serious trouble. Against his better judgment, he promises to protect the frightened young woman, only to find himself waylaid by unknown assailants and left for dead beside her mutilated body.
Eddie isn't the kind of guy to just let something like this pass. But who killed Laura Lesperitt? Eddie's quest for payback leads him to a tangled mystery involving a notorious crime lord, a backwoods dragon cult, royal scandals, and a duplicitous femme fatale who has trouble keeping her clothes on. As bodies pile up, attracting the unwelcome attention of the king's guards, Eddie must use all his wits if he hopes to survive....
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Proving that 2007's The Sword-Edged Blonde was no fluke, this sequel gives every evidence that Bledsoe's combination of sword and sorcery with hard-boiled detection will have a long and successful run. Eddie LaCrosse, a former noble who gave up his title and now works as a freelance sword-jockey, is flagged down by a damsel in distress, Laura Lesperitt. Before LaCrosse can get Lesperitt to safety, they are ambushed, an encounter that leaves her dead. When he recovers, LaCrosse's search for those responsible for the murder brings him into contact with powerful thug Gordon Marantz, the king's Special Office of Domestic Security and a dragon-worshipping cult. Bledsoe effortlessly draws readers into his created world and manages to stay true to both fantasy and mystery traditions. (Nov.)Kirkus Reviews
Bledsoe follows up The Sword-Edged Blonde (2007) with another genre-blending novel featuring Eddie LaCrosse. Eddie comes upon an injured woman on the road and offers to give her a ride. It turns out she's on the run from some very bad men who ambush the pair, kill her and leave Eddie for dead. It's the same setup as Mickey Spillane's 1952 noir classic Kiss Me, Deadly, with one major difference: Eddie gives the woman a ride on his horse. He's no modern PI, but "a freelance sword jockey" in a medieval world that will be familiar to fantasy buffs. His attitude is pure Philip Marlowe ("he was about as subtle as a punch to the nose"), yet the anachronistic language somehow works as Eddie's action-packed investigation leads him to a mysterious dragon cult with connections to gangsters and royalty. Aficionados of tough-guy mysteries will find much to enjoy, and fantasy fans will appreciate the swordplay and the fully realized medieval society Bledsoe has constructed. Best of all, it's not necessary to have read the first installment to enjoy this one. An entertaining, well-crafted melding of fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction.From the Publisher
“Hardboiled high fantasy—what’s not to like? Bledsoe keeps me reading from the first page, and I’m always eager for the next installment when the last page is turned.”—Charles de Lint on Burn Me Deadly“An entertaining, well-crafted melding of fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction. . . . Aficionados of tough-guy mysteries will find much to enjoy, and fantasy fans will appreciate the swordplay and the fully realized medieval society Bledsoe has constructed. Best of all, it’s not necessary to have read the first installment to enjoy this one.”—Kirkus Reviews on Burn Me Deadly
"This hardboiled high fantasy with its clever, twisty plot and smart-alecky protagonist is a worthy literary successor to both Fritz Leiber and Rex Stout.”—Ekaterina Sedia, author of The Alchemy of Stone