About the book

Twenty years ago, a barmaid in a harbor town fell for a young sailor who turned pirate to make his fortune. But what truly became of Black Edward Tew remains a mystery—one that has just fallen into the lap of freelance sword jockey Eddie LaCrosse.

For years, Eddie has kept his office above Angelina’s tavern, so when Angelina herself asks him to find out what happened to the dashing pirate who stole her heart, he can hardly say no—even though the trail is two decades old. Some say Black Edward and his ship, The Bloody Angel, went to bottom of the sea, taking with it a king’s fortune in treasure. Others say he rules a wealthy, secret pirate kingdom. And a few believe he still sails under a ghostly flag with a crew of the damned.

To find the truth, and earn his twenty-five gold pieces a day, Eddie must take to sea in the company of a former pirate queen in search of the infamous Black Edward Tew…and his even more legendary treasure.

352 pages (paperback
Published on July 3, 2012
Published by Tor
Author’s webpage

This book was sent by the publisher for me to review.

You may purchase this book by clicking the following link: Wake of the Bloody Angel (Eddie Lacrosse)

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I am an unashamed Alex Bledsoe fan. I have read three of his books so far (this being my third) and I’ve loved every single one of them. The thing about Bledsoe is that he has this uncanny ability to fully immerse the reader in whatever book of his they are reading and, depending on the book, the atmosphere and tone can be completely different. Bledsoe seems to wear many hats. Eddie LaCrosse is a mystery-crime-fantasy mix that is absolutely intoxicating. However, Bledsoe also writes books like The Hum and the Shiver (one of my absolute favorite books), which is hauntingly emotional. You kind of know what you are getting when you start reading an Eddie LaCrosse book, but that doesn’t make it any less of an adventure.

One of the bonuses with the Eddie LaCrosse books is that they are all fairly self-contained. Wake of the Bloody Angel is the fourth Eddie LaCrosse book, but only the second that I’ve read. While I haven’t read the first two in this series, I haven’t ever felt that I have been missing out on anything. Eddie is one of those characters that is an everyman. He could be your (hardcore) next-door neighbor, and while Bledsoe does reintroduce readers to certain aspects of Eddie’s life (for example, the fact that his office is above a bar, his girlfriend, etc.), he never needs to recap what happens in previous books because each book stands well enough alone. This allows readers (like myself) to pick up the series whenever they see fit and be able to connect to the characters and events just as well as they would have if they had started the series at the beginning.

Wake of the Bloody Angel is a bit more personal than the other Eddie LaCrosse book I’ve read, perhaps because the person who hires him in this installment of the series is none other than Angelina, the woman who owns the bar which houses his office. Once Eddie takes on Angelina’s case, Bledsoe takes the reader on a trip down memory lane. Readers will learn a lot more about Angelina and will eventually see her in a new light. Bledsoe does a wonderful job at humanizing a character who seems rather aloof and mysterious. Angelina has a rough and layered past which is almost as interesting to learn about as the mystery that Eddie is trying to solve. Both go hand in hand, however, and Angelina seems to unfold and reveal more of herself and what made her who she is as Eddie learns more about the case he is trying to solve.

Eddie doesn’t undertake this adventure alone. His companion in Wake of the Bloody Angel is an ex-pirate captain named Jane Argo. Jane is a fascinating character who adds quite a bit of zeal and pep to the book, as well as a nice dose of humor. Adding her to the book as a counterpoint to Eddie was a smart move for Bledsoe. She is a lot of fun, but also a bit more raw and (in some cases) emotional than Eddie. Jane isn’t limited by her sexuality, in some cases she seems much more self-assured than Eddie. However, she is unmistakably female and the addition of a female character in a primary role balances out Wake of the Bloody Angel more than I thought it would.

Like always, Bledsoe’s prose are flawless and his plot is incredibly fast moving. Wake of the Bloody Angel is one of those books that a lot of fun to read, and the fast pace will ensure that the pages turn themselves. Some predictability is to be expected, and there are some references to previous books hidden in these pages, but that shouldn’t put off readers. Wake of the Bloody Angel is a fast paced crime-mystery-fantasy mash-up that is sure to please a wide variety of readers. This book is fast, action packed, and fun. Bledsoe seems to improve with each novel, and this is no exception. Time tried fans of the series will fine enjoy the addition of Jane Argo and the change of scenery, as well as the rich personal history they will learn about the mysterious Angelina. New readers to the series will fall in love with Bledsoe’s prose, fast pace and entertainment offered in this novel.

4/5 stars