Audiobooks by Alex Bledsoe

Give the People What They Want and Other Stories of Sharp Wit, Cunning Women, and Wild Magic

"Skyboat Media presents Give the People What They Want and Other Stories of Sharp Wit, Cunning Women, and Wild Magic, an original collection of short stories from Alex Bledsoe. First, you’ll return to the noir fantasy world of Eddie LaCrosse, a sword jockey not afraid to get his hands dirty in order to get the job done—for twenty-five gold pieces a day, plus expenses. Then comes stories from the whimsical, musical realm of the Tufa, a mysterious race of fairies living in the Appalachian backwoods of East Tennessee. When you emerge from the Tufa’s Cloud Country, it’s time to peek into the lives of small-town reporter Ry Tully and the unlikely love of his life, Tanna, a powerful, blind witch who can only see when there are fireflies around. And then for something completely different! Join the odd pair of Linda Fontana and T.S. Bunch, friends from childhood who grew up to be big-game hunters, as they track down jaguars in Matto Grosso and rhinos in the African grasslands; and then attend an unfortunate photoshoot at a zoo with a tiger who is very unhappy to be used as a prop. Finally, sink your teeth into a panoply of weird and wonderful stories about vampires, fairies, and deals with the devil; and be prepared to be scared with a previously unpublished novella, The Last First Zombie. Featuring tales from across genres and across Bledsoe’s career, Give the People What They Want is ideal for old fans and new listeners alike! Full Contents: I. Eddie LaCrosse Stories “The Key to the Coward’s Spell” “White Hart, Black Knight” “The Basikisk Bluff” II. Tufa Stories “Shall We Gather” “The Two Weddings of Bronwyn Hyatt” “The Castle in the Pines” III. Firefly Witch Stories Introduction “The Chill in the Air Wakes the Ghosts Off the Ground” “Lost and Found” “The Darren Stevens Club” “The Book of Cunning Women” IV. Linda Fontana and T.S. Bunch Stories “Next-to-Last of the Tiger Men” “Mack’s Last Rhino” “Fearful Symmetry” V. And The Rest “The Spirit of the Leech” “Give the People What They Want” “I Seen the Devil” “Sprig” The Last First Zombie"

Alex Bledsoe (Author), Gabrielle De Cuir, Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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Dandelion

"Reverend Deacon Elder does the Lord’s work in his own unique way. A former marine with the ability to detect and cast out demons, Deke goes where the need—and the evil—is greatest. After receiving a terrifying warning of a botched exorcism, Deke shows up in Somerton, Tennessee, ready for battle. The demon possessing sixteen-year-old Carlyss Bolerjack had only partially been driven out, and Deke must convince a traumatized Carlyss to submit to a second exorcism. But there’s more than one demon in Somerton. A powerful evil going by the name “Dandelion” has sunk its claws into Linda Scote, the local mean girl who was more than willing to invite the demon in. As Deke tries to save both women, he’s opposed by both a bogus tent-revival evangelist and Linda’s slacker cousin, who may harbor his own demon. He’s helped by Carlyss’s social worker, who draws the line at believing in true evil, and another minister who’s seen demons up close. But what part is played by the giant twenty-four-hour TLC-Mart outside of town, which hides its own sinister secret behind bright lights and insipid jingles?"

Alex Bledsoe (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Fairies of Sadieville: A Novel of the Tufa

"Charming and lyrical, The Fairies of Sadieville concludes Alex Bledsoe’s widely-praised contemporary fantasy series about the fairy descendants of Appalachia. “This is real.” Three small words on a film canister found by graduate students Justin and Veronica, who discover a long-lost silent movie from more than a century ago. The startlingly realistic footage shows a young girl transforming into a winged being. Looking for proof behind this claim, they travel to the rural foothills of Tennessee to find Sadieville, where it had been filmed. Soon, their journey takes them to Needsville, whose residents are hesitant about their investigation, but Justin and Veronica are helped by Tucker Carding, who seems to have his own ulterior motives. When the two students unearth a secret long hidden, everyone in the Tufa community must answer the most important question of their entire lives―what would they be willing to sacrifice in order to return to their fabled homeland of Tír na nÓg?"

Alex Bledsoe (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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Gather Her Round

"Love and tragedy are not strange bedfellows among the Tufa. Young Kera Rogers disappears while hiking in the woods by Needsville. When her half-eaten remains are discovered, the blame falls upon a herd of wild hogs, a serious threat in this rural community. In response, the county’s best trackers, including game warden Jack Cates and ex-military Tufa Bronwyn Chess, are assembled to hunt them down. Kara’s boyfriend Duncan Gowen mourns her death, until he finds evidence she cheated on him with his best friend, Adam Procure. Seeking revenge, Duncan entices Adam to participate in their own boar hunt. Later, Bronwyn and Jack stumble across a devastated Duncan, who claims a giant boar impaled Adam and dragged him off. As this second death rocks the town, people begin to wonder who is really responsible. Determined hunters pursue the ravenous horde through the Appalachians as other Tufa seek their own answers. Between literal beasts in the woods and figurative wolves in sheep’s clothing, what truths will arise come spring?"

Alex Bledsoe (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

Audiobook

Chapel of Ease

"When Matt Johansson, a young New York actor, auditions for Chapel of Ease, an off-Broadway musical, he is instantly charmed by Ray Parrish, the show’s writer and composer. As their friendship deepens, Matt learns that Ray’s people call themselves the Tufa and that the musical is based on the history of his isolated hometown. But there is one question in the show’s script that Ray refuses to answer: What is buried in the ruins of the chapel of ease? As opening night approaches, strange things begin to happen. A dreadlocked girl follows and spies on Ray. At the press preview, a strange Tufa woman warns him to stop the show. Then, as the rave reviews arrive, Ray dies in his sleep. Matt and the cast are distraught, but there’s no question of shutting down, and the run quickly sells out. Matt volunteers to take Ray’s ashes back to Needsville, where he hopes to understand more about the play and uncover the secret that Ray took to his grave. Matt’s journey into the haunting Appalachian mountains of Cloud County sets him on a dangerous path, where some secrets deserve to stay buried."

Alex Bledsoe (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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Long Black Curl: A Novel of the Tufa

"Long Black Curl is the latest installment in Alex Bledsoe's acclaimed urban fantasy series, where magic is hidden in plain sight and age-old rivalries simmer just beneath the surface. In all the time the Tufa have existed, only two have ever been exiled: Bo-Kate Wisby and her lover, Jefferson Powell. They were cast out, stripped of their ability to make music, and cursed to never be able to find their way back to Needsville. Their crime? A love that crossed the boundary of the two Tufa tribes, resulting in the death of several people. Somehow Bo-Kate has found her way back. She intends to take over both tribes, which means eliminating both Rockhouse Hicks and Mandalay Harris. Bo-Kate has a secret weapon: Byron Harley, a rockabilly singer known as the 'Hillbilly Hercules' for his immense size and strength, and who has passed the last sixty years trapped in a bubble of faery time. He's ready to take revenge on any Tufa he finds. The only one who can stop Bo-Kate is Jefferson Powell. Released from the curse and summoned back to Cloud County, even he isn't sure what will happen when they finally meet. Will he fall in love with her again? Will he join her in her quest to unite the Tufa under her rule? Or will he have to sacrifice himself to save the people who once banished him?"

Alex Bledsoe (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

Audiobook

He Drank, and Saw the Spider: An Eddie LaCrosse Novel

"Alex Bledsoe continues the adventures of freelance sword jockey Eddie LaCrosse in the thrilling He Drank, and Saw the Spider. After he fails to save a stranger from being mauled to death by a bear, a young mercenary is saddled with the baby girl the man died to protect. He leaves her with a kindly shepherd family and goes on with his violent life. Now, sixteen years later, that young mercenary has grown up to become cynical sword jockey Eddie LaCrosse. When his vacation travels bring him back to that same part of the world, he can't resist trying to discover what has become of the mysterious infant. He finds that the child, now a lovely young teenager named Isadora, is at the center of a complicated web of intrigue involving two feuding kings, a smitten prince, a powerful sorceress, an inhuman monster, and long-buried secrets too shocking to imagine. And once again she needs his help. They say a spider in your cup will poison you but only if you see it. Eddie, helped by his smart, resourceful girlfriend Liz, must look through the dregs of the past to find the truth about the present—and risk what might happen if he, too, sees the spider."

Alex Bledsoe (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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Wisp of a Thing

"Alex Bledsoe's The Hum and the Shiver was named one of the best fiction books of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews. Now Bledsoe returns to the isolated ridges and hollows of the Smoky Mountains to spin an equally enchanting tale of music and magic older than the hills. Touched by a very public tragedy, musician Rob Quillen comes to Cloud County, Tennessee, in search of a song that might ease his aching heart. All he knows of the mysterious and reclusive Tufa is what he has read on the Internet: they are an enigmatic clan of swarthy, black-haired mountain people whose historical roots are lost in myth and controversy. Some say that when the first white settlers came to the Appalachians centuries ago, they found the Tufa already there. Others hint that Tufa blood brings special gifts. Rob finds both music and mystery in the mountains: close-lipped locals guard their secrets, even as Rob gets caught up in a subtle power struggle he can't begin to comprehend. A vacationing wife goes missing, raising suspicions of foul play. And a strange feral girl runs wild in the woods, howling in the night like a lost spirit. Change is coming to Cloud County, and only the night wind knows what part Rob will play when the last leaf falls from the Widow's Tree—and a timeless curse must at last be broken."

Alex Bledsoe (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

Audiobook

Wake of the Bloody Angel

"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 years ago, 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 ransom 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 sexy former pirate queen in search of the infamous Tew-and his even more legendary treasure."

Alex Bledsoe (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Hum and the Shiver

"In this valley songs live … and kill. No one knows where the Tufa came from or how they ended up in the mountains of east Tennessee. When the first Europeans came to the Smoky Mountains, the Tufa were already there. Dark-haired and enigmatic, they live quietly in the hills and valleys of Cloud County, their origins lost to history. But there are clues in their music, hidden in the songs they have passed down for generations. Private Bronwyn Hyatt, a true daughter of the Tufa, has returned from Iraq, wounded in body and spirit, but her troubles are far from over. Cryptic omens warn of impending tragedy, while a restless "haint" has followed her home from the war. Worse yet, Bronwyn has lost touch with herself and with the music that was once a part of her life. With death stalking her family, will she ever again join in the song of her people and let it lift her onto the night winds?"

Alex Bledsoe (Author), Emily Janice Card, Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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Dark Jenny

"Alex Bledsoe's fantasy novels have earned rave reviews for their ingenious blend of classic fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction. Now Bledsoe returns with another tale of intrigue and murder. Freelance sword jockey Eddie LaCrosse is in the wrong place at the wrong time while conducting an undercover investigation on the island kingdom of Grand Bruan. When a poisoned apple kills a member of the queen's personal guard, Eddie becomes the prime suspect in the murder. He must do some fast talking to keep his head attached to his shoulders. While trying to clear his name and find the real killer, Eddie becomes embroiled in a nasty political scandal. Someone is trying to ruin Queen Jennifer and doesn't care who is killed along the way. The more Eddie digs, the more twisted the lies become, until Eddie finds himself caught between two opposing armies. The fate of the entire kingdom lies in his hands. Murder, betrayal, and magic—just another day on the job for Eddie LaCrosse."

Alex Bledsoe (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Girls with Games of Blood

"Old World vampire Baron Rudolfo Zginski, staked in 1915 Wales, rises anew in 1975 Memphis. Through a group of modern vampires, including the beautiful perpetual teenager Fauvette, he has learned to navigate this new era and prepares to reclaim his former wealth and power. But fresh dangers lurk in this society of funk, fast cars, and racial tension. A celebrity sheriff cheated by Zginski becomes obsessed with revenge. Fauvette and Leonardo, another young vampire, begin to question his leadership. And two mysterious vampire sisters, who have nursed a lethal grudge since the Civil War, converge on Zginski. One is dark and serious and can draw energy without killing; the other is light, scheming, and without a conscience. Zginski must use all of his wits and vampiric powers if he is to survive the girls with their games of blood."

Alex Bledsoe (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

Audiobook