Review: Wake of the Bloody Angel ~ Bookish Whimsy

Wake of the Bloody Angel
by Alex Bledsoe

Plot Summary:

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.

Expectations:

Pirates and mystery! I was expecting a good swashbuckling adventure!

Review:

Adventure, mystery, ghosts, sea monsters, and pirates! There is a lot to love about this book! It’s an excellent plot-driven story, with strongly realized characters and packed with action and suspense. The main character, wry and sarcastic Eddie LaCrosse, takes us on his investigative journey to find a man who has been missing, dead or hidden for twenty years, and with such a cold trail, it's a wonder he manages to sniff out clues. The details in his logical approach to investigating was very interesting to a mystery-lover like me. His fellow sword jockey, Jane Argo, is a great character - a perfect foil to Eddie LaCrosse’s thoughtful, dispassionate approach to his work, and her antics which are sometimes funny, sometimes fierce and decisive, was always entertaining.

There are several tense scenes in this book that really drew me in and were perfectly captured in words by the author. The danger and mystery was in equal measure throughout and made it very difficult to put this book down. I highly recommend this book to all mystery and adventure fans!

review copy kindly provided by the publisher in connection with TLC Book Tours. Click on the link below to visit this book on it's other tour stops. You can enter a giveaway contest for this book by visiting Unabridged Chick.