I received this book for free from my own shelves in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: my own shelves
“Guns for the Dead”
by
Melissa Marr
horror, urban fantasy in a Kindle edition that was published by MM Ink on October 1, 2011 and has 52 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Unbound, Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions, Fragile Eternity, Ink Exchange, Wicked Lovely, Radiant Shadows, “Changing Guards”, Cursed by Death
A short story, 1.6 in the Graveminder horror urban fantasy series, that focuses on Alicia Barrow, a former Graveminder.
This short can be found in the back of Cursed by Death, 2, or in Naked City: “Guns for the Dead”.
My Take
We get background on Alicia’s conflicted past with Charles and an introduction to the land of the dead through Frankie Lee’s interview through Marr’s use of third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Frankie Lee’s and Alicia’s perspectives.
Alicia has an interesting partnership with the Undertaker as well as Death. Although, Death does have limits. There are simply some things that Charles will not permit.
It is an “interesting” interview that begins with shots being fired. Alicia’s thoughts are unexpected and yet they do reflect the reality of this land of the dead. Frankie Lee’s thoughts are, well, a practical sort of wonder.
That follow-on interview with Death caps my view on Marr’s world. Weird, and yet it could be a fun place to spend eternity with its wide-open lifestyle that, so far, appears based in the Old West and the early 1900s.
The Story
Frankie Lee may be dead, but it looks like he’ll still need to earn a living, and where better to find employment than with Alicia Barrow, the owner of the General Goods store.
The Characters
Francis Lee “Frankie Lee” Lemons is a newly dead criminal.
Alicia Barrow, a former Graveminder, has been dead for several centuries and now runs the General Goods store in the land of the dead. Boyd, Alicia’s right-hand man, got shot in Mr D’s bar, the Tip-Top Tavern. Milt is another of her men. Lewis is an information runner.
Mr D, Charles, is the old bastard who runs the land of the dead. Some of the employees at the Tavern include Steven and Elizabeth. Millicent, one of the Tadlock sisters, is from Alicia’s time, but doesn’t think Alicia is much of a lady.
The Title
The title is accurate enough, as Alicia wonders where Frankie Lee got his, and Charles is forbidding in “Guns for the Dead”.
