An Easy Death

Starred review from July 23, 2018
In a bleak alternate history of what’s left of a broken-up United States after Franklin Roosevelt is assassinated—where poverty is rampant and magic is real but not widely accepted—Harris (the Midnight, Texas series) tells the harrowing story of a young bodyguard, Lizbeth “Gunnie” Rose, whose job is to keep others alive. After her team and closest friends are killed in a mission gone wrong, Rose is forced to move on for the sake of survival, even if it means taking a gig protecting those she’s spent her life hating: two Russian wizards, or grigoris, who have come to town looking for another wizard. She tells them he’s dead, but doesn’t mention that she killed him—or why. It’s not until she’s too deep into the search for his brother that she finds out her own life is in danger: these wizards are more hunted than they realized, but she may be the one the hunters really want. In this fast-paced thriller fueled by magic and gunslinging, no one can be trusted. Harris’s vividly detailed story will leave readers enthralled with the fascinating setting and a heroine who’s sure to be a new fan favorite.

Eva Kaminsky's engaging narration plunges listeners headlong into Charlaine Harris's new alternate history-western-fantasy series, featuring Lizbeth "Gunnie" Rose. Following the assassination of President Franklin Roosevelt, the U.S. fragments into a domain of multiple empires. Tragedy strikes hard and fast during a routine desert escort, forcing the young gunslinger to accept a job protecting wizards of the Holy Russian Empire as they travel through Mexico and Texas. Kaminsky gives the resourceful heroine a no-nonsense tone and sharp-eyed pragmatism, and provides distinctive characterizations of supporting characters. As their fraught southwest journey unfolds, Kaminsky heightens the action and intrigue with deliberate pacing. Despite a disappointing conclusion and Kaminsky's occasional slight inhalations, this production leaves listeners hoping for more. J.R.T. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine