The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe

It should have been a case like any other: a missing princess, a king willing to pay in gold for her return. But before he realizes it, sword jockey Eddie LaCrosse is swept up in a web of mystery and deceit involving a brutally murdered royal heir, a queen accused of an unspeakable crime, and the tragic past he thought he'd left behind. In order to uncover the answers he seeks, Eddie must delve into the dark underbelly of society while digging deep into his own private history, drawing past and present together. Vast conspiracies, women both beautiful and deadly, and a centuries-old revenge scheme are only a few of the pieces in a lethal puzzle. The Sword-Edged Blonde is a tour-de-force foray into a realm of action, intrigue, and murder. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

This was fun and for the most part not too deep. Did have a bit of rough backstory for one of the characters but otherwise fun. Reminded me a bit of Garrett, p.i. Since that hasn't come out in audiobook yet - this is the hardboiled detective/fantasy mash up I found.

Great prose. Great premise. Great storytelling.
What more do you want?

I enjoyed the mystery and to a certain extent the story, but I didn't think the writing itself was the best. I also got a little tired of every female character being either a sex object, a whore or a salacious criminal. The only way any woman was ever described, was based on her appearance and how likely it was that said appearance would sexually attract a man. I don't usually pull out the gender equality issue in books, but this was rather blatant and tiresome when every single woman who made an appearance was described this way. I want to describe this as a light-hearted fantasy adventure, but I'm not sure the light-hearted part fits or the adventure. It's a mystery with fantasy trappings that was enough to keep me interested enough to finish, but when I finished didn't leave an overly great impression. It was okay. I didn't really feel any great heartfelt feelings for the protagonist or the people involved with the mystery and I think that was it's biggest miss for me. I didn't care as much as I felt I should have. To me that is what makes a great book - one that can make you think, feel, cry and laugh. I'm pretty sure I didn't do any of those while reading this book. It's okay for a quick read to pass the time, but I don't see it leaving a lasting impression on me.