Burn Me Deadly

An Eddie LaCrosse Novel

By: Alex Bledsoe

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Alex Bledsoe's The Sword-Edged Blonde drew rave reviews for its ingenious blend of fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction. Now he brings back his freelance sword jockey, Eddie LaCrosse, in an all-new tale of mean streets and medieval intrigue.

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'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 the bodies pile up, Eddie must use all his wits if he hopes to survive.

©2009 Alex Bledsoe (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"An entertaining, well-crafted melding of fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction." ( Kirkus Reviews)

great listen

can't wait to listen to the next installment in the series. you've made a fan.

Good Story!

Twist and turns that keep you guessing about where the story is going...very entertaining.

Excellent

I wasn't disappointed with Books. I am moving on to book 3 and I am sure I won't be disappointed.

I love Alex and Stefan

Ah, the combination of Alex Bledsoe (the author), Eddie LaCrosse (the hero) and Stefan Rudnicki (the reader) ??? it doesn???t get much better than that!

Burn Me Deadly is the sequel to The Sword-Edged Blonde, which I adored, and since Mr. Bledsoe has been picked up by Tor, I???m guessing I???m not the only one who felt that way. I???m happy to report that I enjoyed Burn Me Deadly even more than The Sword-Edged Blonde. Mr. Bledsoe???s got a good thing going here and I think his success results primarily from three factors:

1. His writing style is consistently clear, spare, and straightforward. There is no feel of a conscious attempt to be stylish, yet there are occasional beautiful insights and figures of speech (especially Eddie???s similes) and a splash of grim humor. This style works perfectly with the first-person voice and noir style of these books ??? just the facts, ma???am.
2. His hero is mature (not an angsty teenager) and naturally likable. Eddie LaCrosse is just a normal guy. Well, he???s actually from a minor noble family, but this is almost irrelevant so far. (I???m not sure if Mr. Bledsoe plans to capitalize on Eddie???s connections later, but if so, thankfully there???s no foreshadowing.) Eddie???s got some serious skills since he worked as a sword-jockey, but he doesn???t have any magical powers or instruments, or any sort of prophecy, destiny, or hero complex.
3. His plot is quick, exciting, tense, and realistic. There are no foreshadowed events or ridiculous plot contortions to get characters in the right places at the right times, and the things you think you see coming don???t come. You often feel like you???re reading a straight crime novel (in a different world), until suddenly there???s a god or a dragon. Also, nothing is prettied up. Sex happens, torture happens, swearing happens, murders happen.

another excellent book

eddie lacrosse series is becoming one of my favorites. the character has definitely grown on me, the storyline is really quite exciting and good, albeit predictable at times, it offers reasonable conclusions to plot twists without relying on concepts that are impossible to understand or are simply, blatantly are far fetched even for a fantasy tale. perhaps the unpretentious realism, despite the fantasy setting of this book is what sets it apart for me.