REVIEW: Wake of the Bloody Angel by Alex Bledsoe

 

PUBLISHER:
TOR

Eddie LaCrosse #4
  

"Wake", was a surprise in my mailbox from Tor Books. I was immediately drawn in by the cover and the description: " 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"

 

When I went to add the book to my goodreads account I discovered this book was fourth in a series. My first thought was:  Oh no!  With my staggering TBR pile and other commitments I wouldn't have time to read the previous three books anytime soon. So I took a risk and just started to read. I'm glad I did!

 

Within a few pages I was completely engrossed in Eddie's world. Eddie is the hired sword equivalent of a gumshoe detective. He has an office over a very popular Tavern owned by a gorgeous yet complicated woman named Angelina.

 

Barely back from his latest job, Eddie finds himself on the case to find out the fate of Edward Tew.  Eddie is surprised to find out Angelina's connections to the famous pirate and wonders about her decision to look for Tew almost twenty years later. Eddie moves forward however, motivated to help a friend and by a heavy purse of gold. Eddie decides to  enlists the aide of Jane Argo a former pirate now a sanctioned pirate hunter. It's Jane that begins to talk about some of the stories surrounding Tew, most notably his sunken, treasure filled ship.

 

As the two follow cold clues and discover startling information about Angelina's past, a tale of death, greed and heartache begins to unfold.

 

 

This was such a fun yet also dramatic read! I really enjoyed the balance of action and humour. Alex has also created some of the most well rounded group of female supporting casts I've ever read. These women are brave, strong, fragile and often flawed.

 

Eddie's first person narration gives the reader all the information they need to navigate his world.  I was intrigued by Eddies strengths and his vulnerabilities. The reader also learns a lot about Eddie through the women he surrounds himself with. They each represent something he wants and needs. I didn't really connect much with his girlfriend Liz but I'm sure her character is more fleshed out in the prior novels .I left this novel completely fulfilled and looking forward to reading the prior novels. So glad I took a chance and read a book out of order. It's also really smart of Alex to make this book new reader friendly, so give this series a chance :)