Alex Bledsoe

The Eddie LaCrosse Mysteries — (2007-2011) Publisher: It should have been a case like any other: a missing princess, a king willing to pay in gold for her return. But before he realizes it, private investigator Eddie LaCrosse, a slightly shopworn sword jockey with a talent for discretion and detection, is swept up in a web of mystery and deceit involving a brutally murdered royal heir, a queen accused of an unspeakable crime and the tragic past he thought he'd left behind. First in a series of hard-boiled fantasy detective novels, in the vein of Glen Cook's Garrett series.

Available for download at Audible.com.

The Sword-Edged Blonde

I picked up Alex Bledsoe's The Sword-Edged Blonde because it had just been released on audiobook and I was looking for something short, different, and fun. The Sword-Edged Blonde was exactly what I needed.

Eddie LaCrosse used to be a rich kid, but a tragic event drove him away from his past life and now he's a loner. He works as a detective, and he's really good at it. So, his old best friend, King Phil, hires him to solve a murder. Eddie soon realizes that the mystery is somehow tied up with his own past, so he finds himself confronting his most unpleasant memories as he tries to solve the strange case.

Eddie LaCrosse makes a great hero. He's a nobleman's son, so he's educated and has manners, he worked as a mercenary after he ran away from home, so he's an accomplished fighter, and now he's an aging rough-edged noir-style detective who doesn't take crap from anyone. But as the mystery and his past unfold, we find out that he's certainly not invulnerable.

The setting of The Sword-Edged Blonde was unusual. The lack of electricity, cars, and guns suggests an early time, but the character names (Janet, Stephanie, Kathy) seem out of place, as do words like “debutante” and model names for swords (The Edgemaster Series 3). This type of quirkiness is fine with me — I needed a break from the usual medieval-style fantasy.

Mr. Bledsoe's writing style was refreshing and had just the right feel for a noir detective story. It was clear and vivid and the dialogue sounded perfectly realistic — I was impressed with this caliber of writing coming from a new novelist (though, Mr Bledsoe has previously published dozens of short stories).

The plot of The Sword-Edged Blonde was fast and never lagged. Past and present were intermingled effectively. There were a few too many coincidences for my taste (it only mollified me slightly that Eddie acknowledged some of them as coincidences), and there were a couple of times when Eddie should have asked a certain question or done something a bit more logical and less dangerous (but that wouldn't have been as exciting). The story was compelling enough that I'm forgiving Mr. Bledsoe for these things, but I'm knocking off half a star.  : )

I listened to The Sword-Edged Blonde on audiobook. The reader, Stefan Rudnicki was excellent. He has just the right voice for Eddie LaCrosse — strong and rough, yet sensitive at just the right times. I'm certain that he added to my enjoyment of this story. I'll be keeping my eyes open for more Stefan Rudnicki narrations.

I will definitely be picking up the next Eddie LaCrosse novel and I am hopeful that we'll be hearing a lot more from this author. Alex Bledsoe is a natural storyteller. —Kat Hooper

The Sword-Edged Blonde

Ex-mercenary Eddie LaCrosse is a private investigator in a small backwater town, where he has taken refuge in hopes of escaping his mysterious and tragic past. He’s just wrapping up a case when he’s approached by a secret agent with a message. King Phillip of Arentia needs an expert to investigate the brutal death of his infant son, who was supposedly killed by his mother and Phillip’s wife, Rhiannon. The king needs the best, which means Eddie LaCrosse. However, Eddie is also the King’s childhood friend.

If this synopsis sounds like a hard-boiled P.I. thriller to you, you’d be dead-on, except this one is set in a sword & sorcery tale. It’s Sam Spade with a sword and leather tunic instead of a gun and raincoat.

I’d never have given The Sword-Edged Blonde a shot if Kat and Rob hadn’t written such good reviews about it. While I do love a seasoned, world-weary private-eye character – I grew up enjoying TV shows like Rockford Files and Magnum P.I., after all — I’m usually no fan of genre mixing when done this way. My thinking is, if you’re going to write a detective novel, then write one instead of repackaging it in a traditional fantasy story. So it’s a significant achievement that Mr. Bledsoe won me over with Eddie LaCrosse.

That’s not to say that finding many modern “real world” elements — names like Phil and Eddie and swords with model /maker names like “Fireblade Warrior” monogrammed on the blade — in a traditional fantasy setting doesn’t come across as a little corny. But where a less talented writer couldn’t have pulled that off, Bledsoe makes it amusing. This is fantasy after all. No rules apply here in our beloved genre, nor should they.

While fantasy authors do have freer rein than in other genres, the bottom line is: you’ve still got to be a good storyteller. Good storytellers sell us the unbelievable. They make us anxious to turn the next page and create interesting characters that have their own individual stories — just like real people. Good storytellers know what mysteries to solve, what to leave unsaid, and what to leave their readers pondering over after the book is closed. Alex Bledsoe is a good storyteller and in The Sword-Edged Blonde he does all these things in a fun way.

The Sword-Edged Blonde does not have the deep, multi-layered plotting of epic fantasy. While it is sword & sorcery with its fair share of violence and jaded characters, it’s not quite “dark & gritty” either. It’s the type of book I’d call a guilty pleasure or a “popcorn” read. (Who doesn’t like a fresh, buttery tub of popcorn?) I had a great time reading The Sword-Edged Blonde, and I’m definitely on-board for the rest of the EDDIE LACROSSE MYSTERIES: Burn Me Deadly and the just-released Dark Jenny.

Note about the Amazon Kindle version: Tor Fantasy needs to get with it when it comes to their eBooks. Other publishers realize that eBook readers still enjoy a good cover. (The Kindle books I’ve gotten from PYR even contain the maps.) Tor just uses a bland, generic title page for theirs. —Greg Hersom

The Sword-Edged Blonde: Sword-and-sorcery genre + hard-boiled whodunit = great debut

A foaming tankard for public libraries. If mine hadn't featured Alex Bledsoe's engrossing debut novel, The Sword-Edged Blonde, I doubt I'd have ever discovered it.

Granted, I only discovered it because of the quasi-garish cover and title (neither of which has much to do with the actual story), picking it up just to shake my head at one more piece of fantasy trash. But then I read the cover blurbs from Charles de Lint and Orson Scott Card, which were positive enough to overcome my natural revulsion to pulp detective stories in fantasy settings (which usually aren't half as clever as their creators think). The author should buy them tankards, too.

The plot of the The Sword-Edged Blonde is deceptively and satisfyingly complex. Eddie LaCrosse is an aging mercenary who tends to take jobs that require more mind than metal (though he'll gladly use both). He accepts a job to find a missing princess, but one thing leads to another, and soon he's in his homeland, which he left years before after a personal tragedy, and investigating an increasingly wide-ranging mystery at the behest of his childhood friend, King Phil. (Yes, he's the actual king, and his name is Phil.)

The tale is too complex to discuss in a brief, spoiler-free review. (Its influences appear to include hard-boiled detective stories and low-fantasy fare, such as Simon R. Green's tales of Hawk and Fisher.)  However, on the side of its strengths are the author's natural wit and storytelling ability; his gift for the creation of memorable minor characters; and the lightly — but effectively — described setting reminiscent of a medieval civilization in the Mississippi delta. (The author grew up in western Tennessee.) And its greatest strength is the (apparent) ease with which the author weaves the numerous plot-threads into an intellectually and emotionally satisfying conclusion.

On the side of its weaknesses are some overly neat coincidences (seen mostly in hindsight) and the use of unoriginal profanities, anachronisms, and real-world names (which often had the effect of an otherwise-excellent actor repeatedly pausing to wink at the audience). (Some oddities in the setting: matches, nametags for tavern waitresses, and parking tickets for horses.)  Happily, these didn't intrude at the most poignant moments.

Overall, Mr. Bledsoe deserves cheers (and readers) for penning a fast-paced, enjoyable, satisfying tale. (And kudos to Night Shade Books for publishing it.)  Recommended for mature fans of pulp mysteries and/or sword-and-sorcery (especially as a vacation or travel book).  Four stars as bright as heisted jewels. —Rob Rhodes

Burn Me Deadly

Note: This rating reflects my happiness with the audio version of Burn Me Deadly. Four stars for the print version. Listen to a sample of this audiobook here.

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. Not in an Abercrombie shock-value kind of way; just in a real-life kind of way.

Those three things make for a terrific original fantasy, but add in one more factor — Stefan Rudnicki as the reader in the audio version — and you’ve got something that goes beyond. Rudnicki is always a wonderful reader, but this part was made for him. Not only does he have the perfect deep gruff voice for noir, but he also pulls off female characters quite well. Kudos to Blackstone Audio for recognizing this delicious pairing.

If you listen to audiobooks, you absolutely must choose that format for The Eddie LaCrosse Mysteries. If you don’t listen to audiobooks, it’s time to start with The Sword-Edged Blonde. —Kat Hooper

Burn Me Deadly

"[E]very instinct screamed that this damsel was trouble the same way a hurricane was rain." Even so, when Laura Lesperitt dashes out in front of his horse one moonlit night, in the middle of nowhere, grizzled sword-jockey Eddie LaCrosse offers to help her. But before Eddie even knows what the trouble is, Laura's on the wrong side of death's river, and he's going under. With the help of his equally tough and tender girlfriend, Liz, Eddie tries to get back on his feet and into the heart of a mystery that brings together the roughest criminals in Eddie's (Southern-flavored) backwater town of Neceda, misplaced royalty, and bizarre tales of mythical beasts.

Burn Me Deadly (the second of the Eddie LaCrosse Mysteries) is a worthy follow-up to The Sword-Edged Blonde by the talented (and funny) Alex Bledsoe. All the elements that made The Sword-Edged Blonde a fresh and furious ride remain: a fast plot; distinctive minor characters; well-conceived and realistic action scenes; and above all, Eddie's clear, gruffly honest narrative, served up like throat-burning whiskey in a chipped mug with some wisecrack or another painted on the outside:

"I told them a blow to your head was the least likely way to kill you, since it couldn't hit anything vital."

"You scared the hell out of me."
"If I'd done that, there'd be nothing left of you."

Or this one, for literary elitists (like this reviewer):

"I'll be glad when we get him hung," Gary said.
"Hanged," Argoset and I corrected in unison.

Burn Me Deadly differs from The Sword-Edged Blonde in that the central mystery isn't as far-reaching or metaphysically complex, which places the former much more squarely in the sword-and-sorcery genre. (This is simply an observation.) While both books can stand alone, I do recommend reading The Sword-Edged Blonde first. If you like it, Burn Me Deadly is a natural follow-up and may be even more appealing to readers who prefer more straightforward tales. All in all, Mr. Bledsoe has a good thing going here, and readers should hold out hope that Eddie and Liz get some well-deserved rest before the next storm of trouble heads their way. Four moonlit blades. —Rob Rhodes

Dark Jenny

I remembered the way her hair smelled as she wrenched my fingers back into place.

While drinking a beer with his girlfriend on a snowy day in Angelina’s Tavern, middle-aged sword-jockey Eddie LaCrosse gets a strange delivery: a coffin. This unusual event sparks some interest in Angelina’s lethargic patrons, and soon they’re all gathered around while Eddie regales them with the story of how he came to be the recipient of such an odd gift and, more importantly, who’s in it.

If you haven’t read one of Alex Bledsoe’s Eddie LaCrosse Mysteries yet, go ahead and try this one — you don’t need to have read The Sword-Edged Blonde or Burn Me Deadly to enjoy Dark Jenny (though I should say that I liked the plots of the first two novels better). Dark Jenny can stand alone because the story Eddie tells happened before the events in The Sword-Edged Blonde. This is a Bledsoe-style version of the King Arthur legend. What is “Bledsoe-style”, you wonder? His fans know what I’m talking about, but since Dark Jenny is a fine place for newbies to start, let me prepare you:

Eddie’s world is completely fictional and, technologically, it’s medieval — they ride horses and carry swords. However, the names are jarringly modern and, in this novel, groan-worthy (Marcus Drake = Arthur Pendragon, Jennifer = Guinevere, Elliot Spears = Lancelot). The language is modern (“yeah”, “whatever”) and (this is the really weird part) there are allusions to our modern culture. So, for example, Eddie uses terms like “shock and awe” and, when he’s about to explain the solution to the mystery to all the suspects at the end of Dark Jenny, he says “I suppose you wonder why I’ve asked you all here.” Some of these will make your eyes roll, but others are rather amusing. My favorite one in Dark Jenny is when Eddie is traveling to Cameron Kern’s (= Merlin) house and he keeps seeing barns with “See the Crystal Cave” painted on the roof. (For those of you who’ve never driven through Tennessee, where Alex Bledsoe lives, do a Google Image search for “See Rock City”.)

The strengths of the Eddie LaCrosse Mysteries are Bledsoe’s excellent pacing and story-telling abilities and the character of Eddie. Eddie is an awesome hero. He’s tall, strong, and brave, yet he’s smart, mature, and sensitive. He can be brutal, and sometimes he goes too far — even to the point of killing someone with his bare hands — but his brutality is evoked by wickedness in others. He’s most likely to snap when he witnesses someone being cruel to a weaker person. It’s impossible not to like Eddie LaCrosse.

Dark Jenny is available in print from Tor and on audio from Blackstone Audio. Even though Tor sent me a copy of Dark Jenny weeks before its release and I was anxious to read it, I waited for the audio version because I love to hear Stefan Rudnicki read the Eddie LaCrosse Mysteries (which are written in the first person voice). Stefan Rudnicki is Eddie LaCrosse for me! —Kat Hooper