Reviews – An Easy Death & A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris

Posted January 13, 2020 by Carole in 2020 New Release Challenge, Book Reviews / 17 Comments

An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris
Series: Gunnie Rose #1
Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press
Publication Date: October 2, 2018
Date Read: December 12, 2019
Length: 320 pages
Source: Purchased
★★★★☆

Set in a fractured United States, in the southwestern country now known as Texoma. A world where magic is acknowledged but mistrusted, especially by a young gunslinger named Lizbeth Rose. Battered by a run across the border to Mexico Lizbeth Rose takes a job offer from a pair of Russian wizards to be their local guide and gunnie. For the wizards, Gunnie Rose has already acquired a fearsome reputation and they’re at a desperate crossroad, even if they won’t admit it. They’re searching through the small border towns near Mexico, trying to locate a low-level magic practitioner, Oleg Karkarov. The wizards believe Oleg is a direct descendant of Grigori Rasputin, and that Oleg’s blood can save the young tsar’s life.

As the trio journey through an altered America, shattered into several countries by 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 is a gunnie who has never failed a client, but her oath will test all of her skills and resolve to get them all out alive.

My Review

Well, I loved this!  I have been a huge fan of Charlaine Harris’s work but I haven’t picked up any of her new books since the Sookie Stackhouse series ended.  I have re-read a couple of the early Sookie Stackhouse books but I guess I was more than a little upset by how that series ended so I took a break from her work.  I decided that it was time to give her books another chance and I must say that I am very happy that I picked up this book.  It was an incredibly enjoyable read from beginning to end.

This book’s setting is an alternate America in the 1930s.  America has been broken up into several different countries and some areas are rather wild.  Lizbeth Rose works as a gunnie, or hired gun.  She takes her job seriously and will do whatever it takes to complete her mission.  She finds herself without a crew and decides to take on a job offered to her by two Russian wizards.

This story was really exciting and there is a ton of action to go around.  Gunnie Rose seems to be able to protect her charges very well even when they are not cooperating.  I loved Gunnie Rose.  She is a little rough around the edges but she is incredibly smart and knows when to keep her mouth shut.  She never stops trying no matter how the odds are stacked against her.  Eli and Paulina were also wonderful characters.  Paulina and Gunnie didn’t always see eye to eye which made for some rather interesting scenes.

I would highly recommend this book to others.  I loved the Old West setting along with the alternate world that is very different than what is in the history books.  This book was filled with action, wonderful characters, a bit of romance, and an interesting mystery.  I cannot wait to read more of this exciting series.

A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris
Series: Gunnie Rose #2
Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press
Publication Date: January 14, 2020
Date Read: January 1, 2020
Length: 304 pages
Source: NetGalley
★★★★☆

In this second thrilling installment of the Gunnie Rose series, Lizbeth Rose is hired onto a new crew for a seemingly easy protection job, transporting a crate into Dixie, just about the last part of the former United States of America she wants to visit. But what seemed like a straight-forward job turns into a massacre as the crate is stolen. Up against a wall in Dixie, where social norms have stepped back into the last century, Lizbeth has to go undercover with an old friend to retrieve the crate as what’s inside can spark a rebellion, if she can get it back in time.

My Review

I had a great time with this book!  After enjoying the first book in the Gunnie Rose series, An Easy Death, I was pretty eager to jump back into this alternate world and go on another adventure with Lizbeth.  The action in this book started right away and I found it to be a rather fast-paced novel.  I found it impossible to put this book down and ended up reading it in a single day. 

Lizbeth is working with another crew at the start of this book.  Her crew has been tasked with delivering a crate to Dixie.  It should be an easy job.  But of course, things go wrong.  Lizbeth is trying to hold things together when a familiar face shows up to help.  She must work to find the crate and complete the crew’s mission.

I liked this book just as much as the first one.  Gunnie Rose doesn’t give up on any mission and she seems to be able to instinctively know who should be trusted.  The town she finds herself in has a lot of problems and tensions are high.  She must work with her ally to find the crate and deliver it appropriately but she seems to find difficulties at every turn. 

There were a few surprises in this book.  The book takes place almost entirely in Dixie which is a different environment than what we saw in the first book.  I had a great time trying to figure out exactly what was going on and how Lizbeth would complete her mission.  I love the growth that we have seen in her character throughout the series.

I would highly recommend this book to others.  This is an original and exciting story with wonderful characters and a bit of magic.  I cannot wait to read more of Gunnie Rose’s adventures in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Gallery / Saga Press via NetGalley.

The Series – Gunnie Rose

Book #1 – An Easy Death
Book #2 – A Longer Fall
About the Author

Charlaine Harris is a New York Times bestselling author who has been writing for over thirty years. She was born and raised in the Mississippi River Delta area. She has written four series, and two stand-alone novels, in addition to numerous short stories, novellas, and graphic novels (cowritten with Christopher Golden). Her Sookie Stackhouse books have appeared in twenty-five different languages and on many bestseller lists. They’re also the basis of the HBO series True Blood. Harris now lives in Texas, and when she is not writing her own books, she reads omnivorously. Her house is full of rescue dogs.


Author Links: Website | Goodreads

17 responses to “Reviews – An Easy Death & A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris

  1. I have A Longer Fall on hold at my library and I'm up first when they get their copy in. I can't wait to read it as I really loved the first one when I read it. You haven't read the Midnight, Texas trilogy? Oh man, you need to check them out. I honestly think it's my favorite series of her's ever!

  2. Anonymous

    This sounds like a fantastic series. I love that it is set in the 1930's and has lots of action.

  3. I've read some Charlaine Harris and love some of her books but some of her books aren't for me so I've gotten a bit skittish about picking up her books. This one, however, looks fantastic! I definitely need to find An Easy Death!

  4. I love the sound of the setting in these, with America divided into different countries and the wild ares. Sounds like a neat alt history! Glad to hear these turned out so good!

  5. It's always a bit tricky when a favourite author kind of gives you a disappointing book and it can be hard to move on from… but I am glad that after the break you could pick up this series and fall in love with her works again!

  6. Well, I haven't and won't read any of her books after the way the Sookie Stackhouse books went. I just can't trust her anymore. I'm glad you were able to enjoy these and I'm sure she is writing some good books.

    Anne – Books of My Heart