Audiobook Review: An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris

An Easy Death
Author: Charlaine Harris
Narrator: Eva Kaminsky
Series: Gunnie Rose (Book 1)
Publication: Gallery / Saga Press; Reprint edition (October 2, 2018); Recorded Books
Length: 332 p.; 9 hours and 48 minutes

Description: From the beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, the inspiration for HBO’s True Blood, comes “a gripping, twisty-turny, thrill ride of a read” (Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author) following a young gunslinging mercenary on deadly mission through the American Southwest.

In a fractured United States, a new world where magic is acknowledged but mistrusted, a young gunslinger named Lizbeth Rose takes a job offer from a pair of Russian wizards. Lizbeth Rose has a wildly fearsome reputation but these wizards are desperate. Searching the small border towns near Mexico, they’re trying to locate a low-level magic practitioner believed to be a direct descendant of Grigori Rasputin.

As the trio journey through an altered America—shattered into several countries after the assassination of Franklin Roosevelt and the Great Depression—they’re set on by enemies. It’s clear that a powerful force does not want them to succeed in their mission. Lizbeth Rose has never failed a client, but this job may stretch her to her deadly limits.

My Thoughts: In a dystopia set in a fractured United States, nineteen-year-old Lizbeth Rose makes her living as a gunnie. She lives in Texoma which was formed from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and a part of Colorado. It is a lawless time with bandit gangs roaming the land,

After Lizbeth's crew is killed trying to bring a group of displaced settlers north, Lizbeth is hired by two grigori - magic-users from the Holy Russian Empire - to try to locate a man named Oleg Karkarov. Lizbeth needs the job and the money offered and takes the job even though she already knows the fate of Oleg Karkarov. She shot him dead when he returned to the area. After all, he had raped her mother when she was just sixteen resulting in Lizbeth's birth. 

As she travels with Ilya "call me Eli" Savarov and Paulina Coopersmith who are both wizards sent to track down this Karkarov because he's a descendant of Rasputin whose blood is the only thing about to keep Czar Alexi I alive. And if they can't find Karkarov, a direct descendant of his will do nicely.

However, there is another faction which doesn't want Eli and Paulina to succeed and who have sent other grigori to stop their mission by killing them. Luckily, Lizbeth has a bit of magic herself along with her prodigious skills with a gun to keep her clients and herself safe.

This was an excellent story with great worldbuilding. There were excellent descriptions of the people and places they saw as they hunted for Karkarov's brother and possible daughter. The story was filled with exciting magical battles and gunfights. It is also a romance of sorts since Eli and Lizbeth seem to be building a sort of relationship. 

Eva Kaminsky did an excellent job with the voices and pacing of this story. This is the first in a four-book series. I'm eager for more of Lizbeth's adventures.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.