In An Easy Death, Charlaine Harris brings together Western and Fantasy through an alternate American history, with a little magic thrown in the mix. I loved Gunnie Lizbeth Rose. She was strong, intelligent, self-assured and confident. Gunnie Rose kicked ass. She followed orders and she gave them. She could shoot, but she didn't kill without reason. Growing up in such a harsh world, with cruelty all around her, Lizbeth has become a good person. She is fair, though not always kind. She is loyal and honourable. I am invested in what happens to Lizbeth now. An Easy Death is the first in Harris' new Gunnie Rose series and after that ending, I wonder what is next for Lizbeth Rose.
Her mother did well for Lizbeth and for herself. She married a good man, who seems to care for Lizbeth. There were times, however, I wondered why Candle wasn't around her daughter more when she returned from jobs. She did fuss, but Gunnie kept giving the reason that she wanted to go home, to her own house. She didn't want to inconvenience her mother and step-father or bother them. If it was my daughter, in this harsh life, I think I'd tell my husband I was going to spend a couple days with her. At least one overnight? Maybe I'm reading too much into it. Jackson, Gunnie Rose's step-father wasn't affectionate, but he treated both her well, also ensured to cover anything owed by his step-daughter while she was gone - owing someone is not a position you want to be in.
I was maybe a little in love with Eli too. He is so different than Gunnie Rose, but they connect. They learn to trust each other deeply. There are many words unsaid between them, but they see beyond that. Apart from his relationship with Gunnie Rose, Eli goes through a lot. He suffers different, deep losses and I think it was good that Lizbeth was there.
The alternate history is really interesting. The way Harris explained it in the novel was woven in well. It didn't feel like an info dump, though I knew that is what it was. You can only mention "New America" and "Texoma" so many times before you have to explain what happened. Is it weird that the Canadian in me likes the idea of Canada getting a chunk of the northern states? (The good thing is that they'd all have universal health care.) Mexico gets a chunk of the south too. When the Russian royal family flees, they don't all die. Instead the Tsar settles in California and some western states become the Holy Russian Empire. I really wish I had a map. The copy I read is a library ebook. I'm going to have to check out a print edition the next time I'm in a bookstore or library to see if there is a map. I think one would be fascinating.
There was so much that pulled me into An Easy Death, but the main thing was Gunnie Rose herself. It's a harsh, hard world that she lives in, especially for women. Yet she survives and even thrives. I'm interested to see where her journey takes her and I wonder if she'll make it to the HRE one day.
