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….
Industry Reviews
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." "Bledsoe effortlessly draws readers into his created world and manages to stay true to both fantasy and mystery traditions." --Publishers Weekly, starred review"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 "Hard-boiled 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, award-winning author of The Mystery of Grace Bledsoe effortlessly draws readers into his created world and manages to stay true to both fantasy and mystery traditions. Publishers Weekly, starred review 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 Hard-boiled 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, award-winning author of The Mystery of Grace" Bledsoe effortlessly draws readers into his created world and manages to stay true to both fantasy and mystery traditions. "Publishers Weekly, starred review" 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 """ Hard-boiled 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, award-winning author of The Mystery of Grace"" "Bledsoe effortlessly draws readers into his created world and manages to stay true to both fantasy and mystery traditions." --"Publishers Weekly," starred review "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 ""Hard-boiled 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, award-winning author of "The Mystery of Grace" "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"
