Burn Me Deadly

Eddie LaCrosse #2

by Alex Bledsoe

Eddie LaCrosse, freelance sword jockey for hire, discovers a half-naked blonde in serious trouble. Against his better judgment, he promises to help her, only to encounter a notorious crime lord, dragon cult, and royal scandals.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Noir, Adventure, Detective

8 pages, Audible Audio

First published September 1, 2009

About the author

I grew up in west Tennessee an hour north of Graceland (home of Elvis) and twenty minutes from Nutbush (home of Tina Turner). I've been a reporter, editor, photographer and door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. I now live in a big yellow house in Wisconsin, write before six in the morning and try to teach my two kids to act like they've been to town before.

I write the Tufa novels (The Hum and the Shiver, Wisp of a Thing, Long Black Curl and Chapel of Ease), as well as the Eddie LaCrosse series (The Sword-Edged Blonde, Burn Me Deadly, Dark Jenny, Wake of the Bloody Angel and He Drank, and Saw the Spider). the Firefly Witch ebook chapbooks, and two "vampsloitation" novels set in 1975 Memphis (Blood Groove and The Girls with Games of Blood).

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okaayyyy....I have a "Goodreads" problem here. See, we have a 5 star system here at Goodreads (as I'm sure most everyone reading this knows). The problem? Well I gave the first Eddie LaCrosse novel 4 stars. It was in my, barely 4 stars "list". Now this one is getting 4 stars...but I believe it's a much better book, at least in my estimation.

The first one kind of lost me a couple of times as the storytelling slowed up or almost bogged down in the telling. This wound up and moved along at a much better clip Eddie is very much a sort of "hard-boiled detective" in a classic fantasy setting. The story here sets out a good plot, has Eddie pulling it together, throws in just about enough action and works out a good novel. If the books get much better (and I have the third ready to go...warming up in the bullpen ready for "right after this one") I'll have to move it to the 5 star list.

Eddie is (as noted above) much like the classic hard-boiled detective. If he could he'd carry his sword in a shoulder holster. For 25 gold a day (plus expenses) Eddie can be hired...he is in this world's parlance, a "sword jockey". In Burn Me Deadly we "meet up" with him on his way home from a paid delivery job...but nothing is ever easy for Eddie. See, he meets a girl, and she's in a bad way, maybe she's been tortured. Eddie's skeptical at first, could be some kind of trap. But hey, maybe he can help...

Right. I won't give any spoilers but I will say that for Eddie, "no good deed goes unpunished".

After he recovers the plot can go on developing.

This is a fun read. It will (this is my humble opinion of course) appeal to fantasy fans, mystery fans, thriller fans, urban fantasy fans, and maybe even action fans. It's got a good firm plot that doesn't tangle itself up. It's got a nice hook and the characters are developing nicely.

AND YES, I put this one on my urban fantasy shelf. I know many of you disagree with that as it takes place in a fantasy world with magic and magical creatures (of course most UF has those). I know many think urban fantasy must be placed in a world pretty much like "our own" with fantasy elements thrown in. That's cool I get it if you disagree. BUT Eddie's adventures take place mainly in an urban setting with events centered on his office which is above a bar.

So...yeah I think of it as sort of a classic fantasy/urban fantasy. If you can't I get it. But that doesn't mean you won't enjoy it. Give it a try.

Recommended. Enjoy.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 stars. Another fast, fun read by Alex Beldsoe. If you like noir mysteries with a fantasy setting (a sub-genre that Alex Bledsoe has basically redefined with his first two Eddie LaCrosse novels) then you will definitely like this. The writing is crisp, the characters well drawn and the plot is engaging. Recommended.

[Megan Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

What about the book? I'm happy to report that the second entry into this fantasy noir series is just as much fun as the first. I can't say that it's mind-boggling, but I was always eager to pick it up and read a few pages more. It's entertaining and light and the world Bledsoe has created is a new take on an old genre.

Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.

In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook

[Kat Hooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Audio version

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 obvious 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.
Read more of our Bledsoe reviews at FanLit.

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun second entry in Alex Bledsoe's Eddie LaCrosse series of noir infused fantasy novels; riffing, and not always softly, on Mickey Spillane's essential pulp classic Kiss Me Deadly it was at once obvious and comfortable. A so-so adventure that forges ahead from plot point to plot point with little pause for contemplation of the psychological effects on our protagonist or even to witness him detectoring, or to get attached to anyone or anything is enhanced by Bledsoe's skill with world building within the scene and despite being full of throwaway secondary characters they are all infused with at least some semblance of actual character and not always just for plot purposes. A mixed bag worth a read and not at all disappointing, the third entry will come my way at some point I'm sure.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the first book, there were a few moments that jogged my concentration out of the fantasy realm to a more modern setting. But aside from those odd incidents, it was another page turner! I just couldn't find a quiet moment to set it down - every chapter ended in a cliff hanger?! This must be Mr. Bledsoe's secret. He knows most of us have to finish a chapter or a section before setting the book aside. If each is a cliff hanger, we can never walk away until the entire book, and truthfully it will soon be the entire series, has been read!

I can't wait to dive into the third!

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't decide if Eddie LaCrosse is more Sam Spade or more Mike Hammer. I think it's fair to say that he's a Sam Spade trying to come across as a Mike Hammer - wrapped in a fantasy world where the magics are around the edges.

Bledsoe spins wonderful yarns.

[Jessie Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

These books have been an unexpected treat so far. The mix of medieval-lite fantasy and hardboiled noir detective is a surprising and unique one, but one that Alex Bledsoe manages to meld together seamlessly. Strong in both the fantasy aspects - more prevalent here than in the first - and the twisty mystery, this is an author that can and does manage to surprise you as a reader. Much like the first one, I was kept guessing until the final pages and Eddie's big reveal. Compared to Jim Butcher's Dresden series in terms of tone, if not execution, the Eddie LaCrosse novels are inventive, fun, and a lot of that is down to how thoroughly awesome Eddie himself is. I find these novels to be more violent than Butcher's (though not really gorey - just full of typical fantasy world distasteful things.) He's a charming bastard, and one I find myself enjoying more and more as the books and pages go on and more is revealed about this smart, caustic mercenary turned sword jockey.

An immediate sequel that could easily work just as well as a standalone, Burn Me Deadly is just as immersive and hard to put down as its predecessor, The Sword-Edged Blonde. Entertaining and original, this homage to the classic Kiss Me Deadly reads both quickly and well. The detailed, complete world shown in the first book is further built upon and expanded. Eddie's voice is the exact same as in the first - hard but still likeable in all his faults, mistakes and errors with a twisty mystery to unravel. His hard-edged charm works through his tough-guy exterior more and more and the same tone, vice, and overall feel I had for Eddie before comes through in spades. Building on the hints and foundations of book one, everything from the world he lives in to Eddie's own personal history is detailed more. Alex Bledsoe's talent as an author is clearly growing steadily, and as it does, so does his characterization of this quasi-anti-hero protagonist.

This is not your typical fantasy novel. I wouldn't classify it as high or low fantasy, because it rally does mix both the fantasy aspects and the mystery elements to a highly original degree. Before this series, I'd never thought to combine them, nor would I have expected them to be so fun if I had. The plot of Burn Me Deadly has its infusion of fantasy (a dragon cult, patronized by royalty) and noir (one that is sponsored by a crime lord/smuggler), and boasts an elaborate setup. This sequel just feels more fantasy-esque than the first - it's still heavy on the whodunit, but peppered with more fantasy tropes. The mystery took a little longer to really heat up (hahaha) than it did for book one, but the ending payout is just as rewarding. This is a fast-paced read, one without the time-line jumps that could be a bit confusing in the first novel. It's a tad simpler, but no less involving or entertaining.

If you're looking for a fresh take on fantasy or mystery-genre, this noir sword-and-sorcery novel (and series) is exactly what you need to try. Burn Me Deadly is equal parts funny, dramatic, and filled with the same humor and danger that I came to expect from The Sword-Edged Blonde. With a clear writing style, an even hand at pacing and creating tension, and ability to craft a good mystery, Alex Bledsoe proves that his success with book one was anything but a fluke. I especially loved how the ending wrapped up and tied so neatly into book one (a great way to tie everything thus far together), and I finished eager to continue my adventures with Eddie. Burn Me Deadly may be my favorite of the series, but there are still two more (so far) adventures to go on and mysteries to unravel in this easily-envisioned world with this charismatic narrator. Sign me up.


Many thanks to the kind people at TLC Book Tours for sending me this novel in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is going to spoil the snot out of The Sword-Edged Blonde, so if you haven't read that one yet, go away and come back after you have. It’s well worth doing so.

This is the second book in the series and it does well continuing Eddie's story and extending our interest in him. As epic as the first one was, with gods, curses, decades of backstory, and a brutal surprise reveal (I can’t even imagine living with Eddie’s guilt for Janet’s brutalization and death even as I can fully imagine myself doing exactly the same in his shoes at that age), I was worried that this one would feel lacking in contrast. After all, however interesting the regular life of a sword jockey might be, it isn't every day he's going to untangle a 500-year-old case of revenge, jailbreak a god, and snatch a little closure from a tragedy from his teens. Silly author shot his whole wad up front, right?

Well, while Burn Me Deadly doesn't have the same breadth or impact as the first book, it does feel like a worthy successor and not just a sop to people wanting to spend more time in the same world. Picking up two years after the end of Blonde, Eddie gets ambushed (yeah, literally, what else would you expect of a hardboiled fantasy detective?) by mysterious folks messing around in with his own backyard. Things are never as simple as you might assume, the people in charge can be counted on to snap up the wrong culprit, except, memorably, when they don't, and hokey religions and ancient menaces sometimes, as Eddie well knows, turn out to be more real than is strictly comfortable.

Anyway, while I'm loving the series and Eddie is a great protagonist, this book drops a star from its predecessor, though not so much because the story is any less gripping or entertaining. One of the few frustrations with the first book is at the end when Liz asks if Eddie knew her sister Cathy and he lies about it (actively enough that she's going to be pissed if she ever finds out the truth). This is such a cliché and I thought Bledsoe was better than that. It was also somewhat out of character, contradicting his new-found… comfort… with his past. I mean, Eddie should be wise enough at this point to know he's laying landmines in his own path forward—especially if things work out with Liz as he knows right up front he wants. If things work out with Liz he's eventually going to have to come clean and that's a world of pain that only builds over time. Further, and more actively my own pet peeve, it means one person in the relationship is making unilateral decisions by withholding important information and essentially manipulating the one they supposedly love (or want to). Eddie just didn’t seem like that kind of weak.

And yeah, two years later and he still hasn't told her—that's a lot of pent-up pressure buried in that landmine, Eddie...

A landmine that big has to end up in the next book, and sure enough, it's a relatively big part of Eddie's internal conflict in this novel (though not one that affects the external story, really). Sadly. Eddie and Liz' relationship is a good one and has the solidity that few authors bother to build in their books. You could see that being together had weight for both Liz and Eddie and that they had come to rely on and cherish that weight. I really didn't like having a completely unnecessary (dramatically as well as narratively) sword hanging over a relationship that I care about. Even the bit with Liz keeping things from Eddie would have been more interesting to explore if Eddie didn’t have something balancing of his own to feel guilty about.

All that said I enjoyed the book quite a lot and can't wait to read the next (though I probably will. Wait, I mean). Yeah, I spent a lot of time nit-picking a pet peeve in this review, but the character and story were so fun that I should probably point out that it amounted to only a small niggle in the back of my actual reading pleasure.

[Tasula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like all the Bledsoe books I have read, including the tales of the Tufo (The Hum and the Shiver). This is an Eddie Lacrosse, sword jockey, fantasy/mystery, where Eddie tries to rescue a young woman he finds in the road not far from his village. It becomes a pretty complicated mystery, with a few murders, a religious cult, emissaries of the King, a mysterious old man wearing gloves, a paranoid family living in the woods, moon priestesses, blacksmiths and tavernkeepers in the mix. Enjoyable adventure.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a reviewer copy. Great book. It came up to my high expectations.

Read my full review over at Only The Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detective/fantasy= Enjoyable.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mix of Phillip Marlow and Conan with a wonderful wit to keep it fresh.

Come join us as we progress through the story knowing 100% how the world works and seeing who knows more.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you ever have those moments of disconnectedness where you wonder if you're marching out of step with the rest of the crowd? I had that feeling when I clicked on the Amazon link to Burn Me Deadly by Alex Bledsoe and saw that it had a 3 star rating. 3 stars? How is that possible? I know I certainly enjoyed the book more than that.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

"Burn Me Deadly" is the second book in a new series by Alex Bledsoe that features private investigator Eddie LaCrosse. Bledsoe takes my two favorite genres, fantasy and detective fiction, and mixes them up with highly entertaining results. In my review of The Sword Edged Blonde, the first in the Eddie LaCrosse series, I likened the book to a Raymond Chandler novel, but "Burn Me Deadly" is a direct homage to Kiss Me Deadly by Mickey Spillane (the link goes to the description of the movie adaptation of the novel since it was the only full synopsis I could find).

When riding home one night Eddie almost runs down a woman who has been brutally beaten. While trying to get her to safety Eddie is ambushed by her captors; she ends up dead and Eddie barely survives. Seeking to avenge her death, and find out why she was killed, Eddie runs up against the leader of his town's most powerful criminal gang and a strange dragon-worshiping cult.

Already somewhat comfortable with the illegal underground that runs through the seedy town he lives in, Eddie crosses paths with power brokers and the royal family as he tries to unravel the mystery behind what could have led to the torture and murder of a young woman. And in his typical style, Eddie cuts a path through anyone in his way; frequently with his sword.

Bledsoe has a really interesting style. It's definitely more noir fiction than fantasy, though the fantasy elements are substantial enough to appeal to fans of that genre. There are no over-bloated character names that are so common in fantasy: instead you have names like Eddie, Laura and Liz. The dialog is also frequently in the fast-paced style of detective fiction and the action in unflinchingly direct and sometimes brutal. My favorite description of an Eddie LaCrosse story is to say it's like a James Bond movie in a Midieval setting. But truthfully, Eddie is more like Bond after he's gotten the womanizing out of his system. He's settled but not afraid to take on pretty much anything. And the whole package really works.

Which brings me back to the Amazon rating. I was genuinely surprised when I saw the 3 star rating sitting there, though there are only 4 reviews in so far (and Harriet Klausner doesn't count). And I couldn't help think that the few who have reviewed the book so far didn't get the premise. One reviewer did bring up the violence of the book, and it can be somewhat graphic, but that wasn't an issue for me because I feel like Bledsoe made a stylistic choice and stuck with it. "Burn Me Deadly" is entirely consistent with the world created in "The Sword Edged Blonde" and one of the few books I read last year that I couldn't put down. I liked it so much I put it on my "best of" list for 2009. In my opinion Bledsoe has already solidified himself as a writer that can deliver a wry, action-oriented story that reliably entertains.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book well enough to finish it, despite my reservations. It's a few years after the end of The Sword-Edged Blonde, and Eddie and Liz have settled into a happy domestic arrangement, with Eddie continuing to provide confidential services to those who need things or people found, and Liz continuing to run her messenger service. Then Eddie meets a desperate woman fleeing her torturers, promises to protect her, and immediately has to eat that promise as she's murdered and he's left for dead. The story unfolds even more smoothly than in the previous book, with no overly-clever plot manipulation for an explosive denouement. I like the new characters introduced here, and was particularly struck by one of the subplots that completely subverts expectations and that even Eddie doesn't see coming. Since it ends by wrapping up my biggest complaint from the last book, I was generally satisfied.

But I still had some major issues with the book, and the biggest was the extraordinary amount of violence against women--graphic, torture-violence as well as threats of rape and murder, all of it described in enough loving detail that I have to class this as very close to torture porn. That level of detail was not only disturbing, it made no sense, and as much as I hate to ascribe motive to an author, I have to wonder if Bledsoe, as a man, didn't realize just how disturbing it could be to female readers. Even Liz, who was probably the toughest of the women in the book, didn't escape this treatment.

And that leads me to my second problem, which is that Liz is just a little too idealized as the perfect girlfriend. She takes even the most painful and difficult revelations in stride, which wouldn't be so much of a problem if we saw her reacting in a selfish human way to anything else--and since she's not present for much of the book, there's no opportunity for us to see her as anything but the tough, sensible, logical, unflappable woman I imagine many men would like to have in their lives.

Finally, and spoiler-y, I thought the central plot--the big mystery Eddie has to unravel--was weak because the two possible solutions weren't equally plausible, and there was never any real doubt about which one was true. Eddie claims to be an agnostic, and his doubts about the reality of dragons make sense--no creature could possibly have all the traits ascribed to dragons, the legends have flaws, etc. But the evidence to the contrary is all there from the beginning, and Eddie holding to his point of view in the face of things like burns that don't heal smacks of willful self-deception. That's not enough to provide plausible support for the dragons-aren't-real argument. The story would have been a lot more compelling if the reader genuinely wasn't sure which was the true answer.

Overall, a lot of stylistic/structural improvements over the first book, but some of the content left me cold.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, Alex Bledsoe has sucked me in and refused to let go. In all honesty, I didn't even WANT to read this book; I was going to get off the couch and look for another one. But this one was on the table next to me, so I thought "I'll just read the first chapter and then I'll get up and find a different book."
Suddenly I'm half way through the book, my eyes are tired and it's almost an hour past when I usually go to bed.
If that isn't a recommendation, I don't know what is.

As with "The Sword-Edged Blonde" this is a fantasy-mystery, and there's something about the way Bledsoe writes that just makes it *work*. I don't know how - I don't normally gravitate towards the mystery genre - but I really like these books. The author doesn't waste time trying to find the most difficult word. His language is simple, but never simplistic, allowing the reader to blaze through the narrative without getting hung up on paragraphs of useless description or catalogs of personal characteristics. Easy to read, easy to enjoy.

Also, just like Sword-Edged Blonde, this books starts out with a bang and just keeps moving right up until practically the final chapter. Unlike the first book, Eddie stays in the Necedah area the entire time, not journeying from kingdom to kingdom. With two noteworthy exceptions, he doesn't brush elbows with the rich and powerful, and there isn't the powerful backstory being slowly revealed, driving the current story forward. The conclusion and wrap-up of the mystery is suitably anchored in the fantasy genre, while the hard-boiled detective's investigations are straight mystery/noir.

I guess the biggest criticism I have of the book is that the clues and reveals don't seem to flow as well as they did in the first book. It seemed - and perhaps I'm just remembering the first book through rose-colored glasses - that the clues were less based on chance and coincidence than they are in this one.

No matter.

It makes for a good story. The world that Bledsoe developed gets a tad bit deeper, rather than broader, in Burn Me Deadly. Our sarcastic hero Eddie LaCrosse gets a bit of life story development, and we even get a few hints about what is going to happen (or what already happened?) in book three, "Dark Jenny."

All in all, a very fun, fast read. Very recommended. As an added bonus, you don't even really *need* to read the first book, since Bledsoe writes his stories in an episodic style, rather than series-based style. Pick up this series whenever, whereever you'd like.

[Olga Godim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t like this story quite as much as the first one in the series about Eddie LaCrosse, a PI in a fantasy world. The tale, with its mix of mystery and fantasy, is engrossing, and the writing solid, but the ending disappointed because the stakes are so blurry. This PI is on a quest for justice without a case.
For the entire novel, Eddie is trying to figure out who killed the girl in chapter one. He follows a kingpin gangster, investigates a bunch of religious fanatics, and generally risks his hide repeatedly out of the goodness of his heart, with no paying client in sight. It’s hugely out of character for him. He’s not a bad guy, don’t get me wrong, but he is a practical man who earns his living. He can’t afford to spend time and money following leads for a non-existing case.
Then, when in the grand finale his girlfriend is captured by a vicious killer, Eddie is not the one who delivers the victory. Instead, a baby dragon burns the villain out of Eddie’s way by accident. It’s a deus ex machina all the writing books warn the writers not to use. And then Eddie kills the creature to save himself. Really blah.
Although the book reads easy and fast, the end left a bitter taste in my mouth.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Below is my review from 2017 when I first read the book. The review still stands. This is an awesome book, series and author.
***********
Eddie Lacrosse is an interesting character. This is the niftiest blend of noir mystery and fantasy. Love that Eddie is a 'sword-jockey', a private investigator. I love that term. Eddie is for hire, but he also can be had for free when it's for the right cause.
Anachronistic fun, this book. Murder, mayhem, might be dragons? All told with sort of modern speak while riding a horse and hoisting a pint.
I've had the first book in this series, SWORD-EDGED BLONDE, on my WWBL for a while. I love that title. Haven't found it yet, but it doesn't keep me from reading or listening to a couple of others in the series. Both BURN ME DEADLY and WAKE OF THE BLOODY ANGEL were awesome and reinforced my search for the first one.
I can definitely recommend this book and series.

[Eleanor With Cats · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series, but this particular novel took me a really long time to get into. In fact I read this series in the order 5, 1, 4, 3, 2. It works out pretty well that way though. The Eddie novels have an odd chronology, usually feature older Eddie in one plotline and a younger Eddie plotline with him in the past, and frequently refer to each other. For instance, this book (2) makes a reference to the events on the island in book 3, but older Eddie telling the story in book 3 is probably from later on in his life than he was in book 2. I think. Anyway, read them in any order you want, they seem to make sense that way.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second Eddie LaCrosse novel was another fabulous mix of hard-boiled noir detective story and classic fantasy. The characters were all very well portrayed, and the plot was fast-paced and completely engaging. It was almost better than the first book, THE SWORD_EDGED BLONDE; I really enjoyed this one all the way almost to the end where there was one point that struck me as out-of-character for which I could find no explanation, but that point didn't really have much bearing on the overall story and I almost got over it. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to picking up the third volume.

[Jennifer Estep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable entry in Alex Bledsoe's series about Eddie LaCrosse, a sword jockey for hire (think private investigator). Epic fantasy meets detective noir in this story about dragon worshipers, mobsters, a murdered woman, and more. Not quite as good as the first book in the series, The Sword-Edged Blonde, but still a very entertaining read, especially for those looking for something a little different in the fantasy field.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantasy-noir romp from Alex Bledsoe, this Eddie Lacrosse novel is second in the series. The sword jockey's narration style seemed a bit anachronistic at first, but it fits the breezy style of the action. At the same time, the characters are fully developed, and the ending is surprisingly moving. Of particular note, I like how Eddie surrounds himself with tough, capable women. Though he does some rescuing, he's also helped out by them.

[Corry Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great installment of the Eddie Lacross series. You could definitely pick this book up without having read The Sword-Edged Blonde, though having read the first book adds some depth to the characters and humor to the narration.

I didn't find this quite as funny as the first book, though Eddie remains a fun narrator and the pace of this book moves you right along.

[Hobart · Rating 4 out of 5]

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
One night, riding outside of town on a routine job Eddie LaCrosse comes across a woman in pretty rough shape. She's naked, bruised, cut and burned—many of the burns look skillfully inflicted, as are all the rest of her injuries. Whoever worked her over knew what he was doing. A damsel in a lot of distress and after a brief conversation, Eddie offers to help her get away from whoever did this and protect her.

Then he's struck from behind and wakes up as someone's captive—she's there, too. Not long after that, he wakes up again, at the bottom of a cliff, barely alive. The damsel didn't fare that well. Once he's patched up well enough to move and think, Eddie sets out to find out who she was, who killed her—and nearly him—and get a little revenge.

His search puts him in the way of one of the strongest criminal figures in his neck of the woods (a man that Eddie would've been happy never to have crossed paths with) and a government official trying to stop his investigation. Then an old friend of Eddie's is killed, and that may be related to his case. Which sends him off into several other directions—including a new dragon-worshiping cult that's somehow tied to the crime boss.

Eddie scoffs at the idea behind this cult—who, in his enlightened age, still believes in dragons? Eddie's skepticism (that word's too mild, but I can't come up with a better one) seems out of place for someone reader know has known both a deity and a man who has lived centuries. Whether or not he's right to disbelieve, the worshipers seem more than a little out to lunch, and are clearly easily manipulated.

There are a few good fight scenes, some good character growth and development since the last book (noteworthy because Eddie seemed to be dead-set against growth and development at the beginning of that novel). Liz, the courier we met at the very end of the first novel, is still around and is a huge part of Eddie's life. We get a taste of that, but not as much as I'd have liked (for good reasons, I should add, I'm not saying that Bledsoe wasted her).

I think this might be a better novel than The Sword-Edged Blonde—the story's a bit tighter, Eddie doesn't engage in any casual cruelty, the characters are better developed (just a bit). But I don't like it as much (each of the three or so times I've worked through the). There's a missing je ne sais quoi to this, however, that restrains my enthusiasm. Do I recommend it on its own merits? Yeah. Do I recommend it as a necessary installment in this series? Definitely—read them all.

I've only re-read the first two novels up to this point, when I move on to book three in a month or so, it'll be the first time I revisit it, and I'm really looking forward to that. It's possibly the best of the series—at the least, I remember it being a step above this.

[David Zimny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Burn Me Deadly is the second book of the Eddie LaCrosse series, though it's not a sequel to book#1, because the story and most of the characters are different. The Eddie LaCrosse novels are an interesting hybrid genre of fantasy and mystery. It's a fantasy world of kings and strange religions, and Eddie is a private investigator hired to solve mysteries. In Burn Me Deadly, however, Eddie stumbles into his own quandary; he is not hired by anyone. He meets a woman in terrible distress in a forest; soon afterwords a group of ruffians led by a man with a dragon insignia on his boots kidnaps them. The girl knows some valuable information that the kidnappers want, and they torture her for it, but she divulges nothing. They end up throwing her, Eddie, and Eddie's horse off a cliff.

Eddie survives the fall, but wants revenge against this group led by the dragon boot man. In Eddie's hometown an old brothel is sold to a weird group of people who all look very similar and wear red scarves. He infiltrates the building and witnesses the ceremony of a dragon cult. He finds out what the ruffians wanted from the girl- the location to a cave that houses the eggs of the cult's deceased dragon gods. But dragons don't exist. Don't they?

I enjoyed this book better than book one, though the first one was decent. If I could give half stars I would give this three and a half.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 . . .

Heather's Notes
I really liked this book, which I was surprised by. I liked Eddie and the narrotor did a good job with the voice. I will be going back to read book 1, well listen.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 in the series. This one kicks off when Eddie stumbles across a woman on the forest road into his town-- not the best town in the kingdom, but fairly profitable for his sword-jockey business. The woman is in bad shape, deliberately injured. He offers to help her and she accepts a ride into town, but they are ambushed before they get out of the forest. The woman dies while the bad guys are trying to get information out of her, so they throw her, Eddie and his horse off a cliff into a ravine. Eddie is really pissed that they killed his horse. He gets out and wakes up at the hospital with his girlfriend Liz looking after him. This story takes place mostly in the town where he lives. The bad guys mostly come into town to create trouble, including some loony dragon worshippers who think dragons are real and expect to find dragon eggs in the forest. The local prince and princess show up. Eddie's usual trouble with horses shows up again as he tries to find a horse to replace Lola. It's good stuff. I liked it.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Burn Me Deadly”, second in the “Eddie LaCrosse” series, features a mysterious Dragon cult, a criminal overlord, royalty and more.
It's just an ordinary day for Eddie … until he comes across a woman being attacked by thugs.
Never one to stand idly by, Eddie does what comes naturally - and wakes up at the bottom of a deep ditch alongside the horribly mutilated body of the woman.
Gravely injured there's nothing he can do until he heals.
He's got plenty of time to think of what his next move will be.
He's a 1940s-style P.I. in a medieval setting - there's no guns, but plenty of other ways to kill.
What follows builds to a very satisfying solution (though leaving Eddie with a mortal enemy).
4 Stars.

[Deborah Replogle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable second novel in the Eddie LaCrosse series. Lacrosse is a sword slinger in a sort of medieval world setting. He's also a private investigator. Lots of action and intrigue, and some really funny tongue in cheek moments; ie: King Hugh created a series of roadways throughout the kingdom, and so they were called hughways. (this was from his first novel in the series the Sword Edged Blonde, but I can't forget it)

[Dayna Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second installment in the Eddie LaCrosse series. As Eddie rides home from a job, he is accosted by a girl who has been tortured and seeks a ride into town. He agrees and then finds himself kidnapped by the people who tortured her. They kill her and throw her body and Eddie off the side of a cliff and leave him for dead. But he's not dead, he's pissed, and wants revenge. Fans of this series will love this book.