So a couple or few years ago there was a bundle deal to get 24 graphic audiobooks for $24 and that was too good for me to pass up. Especially since it had many of my favorite authors included. I haven’t listened to any of them yet so I decided I should. I chose one I hadn’t read in any format.
An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris Narrator: Colleen Delaney
Series: Gunnie Rose #1
Published by Graphic Audio on October 17, 2020
Genres: Historical Fiction, Urban Fantasy
Length: 9 hours, 30 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
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.
An Easy Death is a unique world, sort of an alternate history set in the time of the Great Depression. It reminds me of a tv show Jericho with Skeet Ulrich that had 1.5 seasons awhile ago. That’s the feel of it for me. The whole world is changing and breaking fast and people are trying to survive, moving to different places.
Elizabeth Rose is called Gunnie Rose, because her job is that of a gunnie. She is so young, nineteen. She has her mother and step-father, and the step-father is a nice guy. He taught her some things including shooting. Her work is to protect others by shooting those who might hurt them. It really is the wild west!
The plot here is where she goes with her normal crew of four people and they get attacked. She has to work to survive and fulfill their contract.  When she finally returns home, she ends up with a new job guarding some Russian wizards. She doesn’t like it but needs a job.
The world and character development were fascinating and the pace was steady. I was engaged in this unusual world and its people. I also have the next book in the Gunnie Rose series from the bundle and look forward to reading A Longer Fall. There are 5 books in the series with a new one on the way.
The books and audios are at my libraries, the graphic audio on Hoopla, but also this first book is currently in Kindle Unlimited and some of them are in Audible Plus as well. So there are many options to read it.
I also listened to the first chapter of the regular audiobook from the library to get a feel for the differences. The story was the same. It was just more colorful in the Graphic Audio version and didn’t have the he said, and other book descriptions because it just happened, more like a movie. We get a good feel for the Gunnie Rose’s thoughts from her point of view.
Review copy was received from Purchased. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris Narrator: Colleen Delaney
Series: Gunnie Rose #2
Published by Graphic Audio on August 3, 2020
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Length: 5 hours, 16 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
In this second thrilling installment of he 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.
Gunnie Rose joins a new crew to take a crate to Dixie on the train. She doesn’t know them well but they seem nice.  Dixie is a strange place and very segregated, seems like pre Civil War where the Black people are all servants. The white people are all entitled assholes.
Things on the train go badly and most of the crew ends up dead or injured and they lose the crate. Gunnie Rose teams up with Russians again to make sure the dead and injured are cared for and have money, and to find the crate. Since a woman in pants or traveling alone, unmarried is looked upon badly, she has to dress like a Southern Belle and pretend to be married to Eli who she knew in the first book.
They succeed in the end but it is all very dangerous and uncertain. I’m enjoying the series and plan to continue when I can.
Narration:
An Easy Death was my first Graphic Audio experience and I really enjoyed it. I’m impressed with the full cast narration and sound effects.  I listened comfortably at my usual 1.5x speed.
The full cast includes: Colleen Delany, Robbie Gay, Carolyn Kashner, Marni Penning, Dani Stoller, Bradley Smith, Kimberly Gilbert, Jessica Lauren Ball, Harley Gordon, Michael John Casey, Yasmin Tuazon, Stephon Walker, Mort Shelby, Rose Elizabeth Supan.
Listen to a clip: HERE
I went on to A Longer Fall.  The full cast includes: Colleen Delany; Robbie Gay; Amanda Forstrom; Yasmin Tuazon; Stephon Walker; Bradley Smith; Ken Jackson; Michael Glenn; Alejandro Ruiz; Elizabeth Jernigan; Steve Wannall; KenYatta Rogers; Karen Novack; Nora Achrati; Nanette Savard; J.W. Rone; Jefferson A. Russell; Michael John Caesy; Richard Rohan; Nick DePinto; Dawn Ursula; Christopher Walker; Eric Messner; Rose Elizabeth Supan; Carolyn Kashner; Duyen Washington; Joe Mallon; Scott McCormick; Ren Kasey; Kimberly Gilbert; Ryan Carlo Dalusung; James Lewis; Lolita Horne; Elliot Dash; Chris Davenport.
About Charlaine Harris
Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball’s “True Blood” series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.
When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.
A change in publisher and editor led to Harris’s novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.
She’s thinking about what to write next.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 25-Audio
- 25-COYER
This is a fun series. I think I’ve read the first three books and then just stopped for whatever reason. Glad you enjoyed them!
Thanks Tammy. I think the 6th and final book is coming out later this year. I really love the Graphic audio for these.
Thanks for the comparison of the graphic audio and normal audio experience. I’ve been curious about and now you’ve got me intrigued.
I really liked it for this one. It just makes it a shorter audio because the sounds take care of some of the description and the rest is either in the characters’ thoughts or abbreviated. But the full cast and sound effects are awesome. Every audio series might be different but this one was excellent.
It’s been a while since I’ve read anything by Charlaine Harris but I have loved the books I have read. This sounds fun.
It was really good and the graphic audio is available at the library and through Hoopla.
Interesting and sounds refreshing!
yes I really liked the full cast and sound effects.
O.o I have some of these on Graphic Audio. I keep meaning to get to them.
I really really liked these. I’m looking forward to more graphic audio now.
I’ve got the print copy of this, but I’ve really enjoyed Graphic Audio editions so I will definitely try that edition when I get to this series. Looks like a good start.
They were available at my libraries and Hoopla. I really liked them.
I loved the Sookie Stackhouse books and show, although I need to finish the last two books. Haven’t read any others by this author, but probably should. Thanks for sharing these!
I’m still mad about how the Sookie Stackhouse series ended. But I really like this new series with Graphic audio.
I need to try the graphic audio! I’ve liked other books by this author and this series has been on my radar.
I am glad my first Graphic audio was such a great experience. This one is at the library, Hoopla.
I really like the sound of this series. I might have to try the graphic audio with this one. I wonder if I’ll like that version. It’s on my Audible Plus catalog. I also watched Jericho with Skeet Urlich, but I don’t remember much of it now.
You could easily give it a try with Audible Plus since you have it. I can tell you they listen fast- just a day or two at the most.