An Easy Death (Gunnie Rose, #1)

by Charlaine Harris

"In this alternate history where the US has collapsed during WWII and been split into five different countries, including the southwestern territory of Texoma, Gunnie Lizbeth Rose is hired by two Russian magicians to find Alex Karkarov, and his family, as they need to bring them back to the New Russia-held west coast states for the blood of the Karkarov line is healing to the ruling family. Little do the magicians know that Lizbeth is Karkarov's daughter, and that she killed him"--

• ISBN10: 1481494937
• ISBN13: 9781481494939
• Publish Date: 30 July 2019 (first published 2 October 2018)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster
• Edition: Reprint ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[ibeforem]

This book isn't as easy to categorize as other Charlaine Harris books. It's a little bit western, a little bit alternate history, a little bit fantasy....

Lizbeth "Gunnie" Rose is a gunnie (basically, a bodyguard/escort to get people through the badlands) who has suddenly found herself without a crew. Her country is not the US that we know. Franklin Roosevelt's assassination, quickly followed by the depression and an influenza outbreak left the country vulnerable, and many parts have been taken over by other countries. Most notably, Russia now controls the west coast, and the Romanovs were never killed. Instead, they, along with Rasputin and his magic-using Grigoris, have fled across the ocean and now rule safely from California.

Two of these Grigoris have shown up at Lizbeth's door, looking for her help to find a man who happens to be her dead father's brother. Except she hasn't told them about her connection. And it seems that someone is very intent on stopping them.

The alternate history aspect of the story left me feeling somewhat unmoored in time for much of the story. It took me a long time to really wrap my mind around the time period, and I continued to struggle with the setting throughout the novel (this is a book that could have really used a map). I tried to just think of it as a western, but there are cars, which sort of messed with the pictures in my head. My issues with the setting are the only reason I'm giving this 3 stars rather than 4.

But beyond that, I did enjoy the story here. Lizbeth is a strong female lead, but she's not invincible. Harris is not afraid to show her hurt and struggling. There's magic in the story, but it's not always the saving grace. The second book just came out, and I hope I get a chance to pick it up soon!

[Quirky Cat]

An Easy Death is the first in the newest series by Charlaine Harris, called Gunnie Rose. I have to say that I’m always impressed by how varied all of Charlaine Harris’ series can be. This one is nothing like the others I’ve read by her (though I’m reminded that I need to get caught up in the Midnight Texas series).
Gunnie Rose is intended to be a trilogy, and it is an alternate history fantasy series. Normally I don’t love alternate history books, but this one was shockingly compelling. It’s set in the United States, sometime after the 1930s. There are a couple of major changes that make it an alternate history series. First, everyone believes in magic in this world, and they have good reason to. Second, after FDR was assassinated the country was split up, with each competing country getting a chunk to itself. This splitting of the nation resulted in different laws in areas with lawless zones in between them. Gunnie Rose lives in one of the lawless areas.
Okay, lawless is a bit of a misnomer. There are police, but it’s more like the old fashioned sheriff types. And they’re dreadfully understaffed. They probably have some laws too, but with more criminals that officers it’s safe to say that they’re not well enforced.
On the bright side, that’s the reason why people like Gunnie Rose can do what they do. See, Gunnie is a gunslinger. It’s her job to protect her clients from those criminals, and it doesn’t much matter if she kills them or not. This is ideal, considering that she’s a very very good shot.


Warnings first: In a world like the one I just described to you, it probably isn’t surprising that some horrible things happen in it. In this case there’s a lot of murder, and a decent amount of rape as well. When reading about a gunslinger the murder part probably isn’t too shocking though. There is one somewhat graphic rape scene that occurs in the course of the novel though; not to the main character, but she is around for it. You can see it coming, and can easily skip a page or two to avoid it. There is mention of it being a concern before and after this point, but that is the most detailed part.
An Easy Death was such an enchanting read, I almost wish I could go back and read it all over again for the first time. But sadly, I can’t so instead I’m just going to wait for the next book in the series. At least I have that much for a consolation.
I said it above, but I really don’t read that much by way of alternative history. I think for me it usually just isn’t what I’m looking for – I’d rather see a whole new world than an altered past. But I just couldn’t pass this one by; partially because of the author behind it, and partially because of the description. I’m so happy I made the decision to read it, and so I urge anybody that normally skips over this genre to take a moment and think about it as well.
Gunnie’s character is rough around the edges, but on the whole is extremely endearing. She wants to be seen as rougher and tougher than she is, and in a way that’s a sort of shielding and protection very much needed in her world. But under that false layer is a kind and caring woman. Is she willing to do whatever it takes to protect herself and her charges? Absolutely. But part of that determination comes from her passionate nature – she knows what would happen to those people if she didn’t stand up and protect them (though the money is nice too, I’m sure).
The reason for magic being in the world is an interesting one, and in a way is also very much tied into the history of the novel, and of the world. I don’t know if I would have enjoyed that element as much, if not for the setting it was in. But it really works well in Gunnie’s world.
What I really loved the most about An Easy Death is that there was a little bit of everything: fiction, history (though obviously not of the accurate sort), intrigue, mystery, romance, action, survival, and politics. That may sound like a jumbled mess, but they were all balanced really nicely.
I’m looking forward to the next book in the series, even though realistically that won’t be for a year or two. I can wait. Maybe in the meantime I’ll even get caught up in the other Charlaine Harris series I’ve been enjoying (Midnight Texas).


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[kimbacaffeinate]

In Lizbeth's wonky world the US fell after the assassination of FDR in the 1930s, and was picked off by the UK, Canada, Mexico, and Russia. Lizabeth Rose is a gunnie *gunslinger* who makes her living providing safe passage for folks. She and her security team escort them from Texoma (formerly the states of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and  Colorado) to Mexico where opportunities and jobs are plentiful. Ironic twist huh?

After a bad run, Lisbeth reluctantly accepts a job from two Russian wizards employed by the Czar and their success determines whether someone lives or dies.   Eli and Ilya are searching for a direct descendant of Grigori Rasputin.  Despite her niggles, she wants to know what they are up to and how they are tied to her past. The tale that unfolds provides plenty of twists and action.

The world is interesting with gunnies, sorcerers and spotty electricity. The US seems to be trapped in a wild west movie.We are given a vague understanding of the state of the United States. In some parts slavery is still legal, roads and infrastructures never happened and well as modern medical advancements.  Magic is openly accepted but still shrouded in mystery and distrust. I liked how Harris tied Lizbeth's own history into the job with the magicians. It allowed for some growth and connections while giving the listener insight into our young gunnie.

History buffs will find this alternate history fascinating, particularly when it comes to the Romanovs. While these three are searching they are not the only ones, and they will face opposition from others as powerful, if not more so than our wizards and skilled gunnie. I love a good quest and this aspect drew me in.

However, while I enjoyed the overall tale, some aspects felt like a rinse and repeat. The group would enter a town, investigate, gain answers, escape from others and flee to the next town. Only for the same scenario to happen, again and again. Of course we got to see some of Lisbeth's skills, and learn about the wizards as Harris eked out the world,  but it slowed down the middle of this tale for me knocking over a full cup of coffee.

We see some romantic developments, witness some cool magic and gained some closure before the tale wraps up. Despite some of my issues with An Easy Death, I am looking forward to the next Gunnie Rose audiobook.

Eva Kaminsky was the narrator and it was my first time listening to her. I enjoyed her voices, accents and pacing for the tale. I think she added another layer to the story and these characters. I am hoping she continues to narrate the series. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer