152) Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet by Darynda Jones

The Blurb :

Sometimes being the grim reaper really is that. Grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above. Or at least get dressed. She quickly realizes something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane. The more they refute the woman’s story, the more Charley believes it.

In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, has been cleared of all charges. He is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved. Just when life was returning to normal, Charley is thrust back into the world of crime, punishment, and the devil in blue jeans.

My Thoughts :

Speeding through this series, due to being too late to this awesome party, I now find myself, like everyone else, at the end of book four eager for book five. If I could give an award to the best series ever, right now, it would be this series. Five stars and an A+ go to Darynda Jones and of course Charley Davidson. It is hard to put into words how super these books are.

Witty, funny and sarcastic, Charley Davidson may not be a role model for your kids but she definitely is for us female readers. The answers she gives and the things she comes up with are just hilarious and I can't help laughing out loud while reading this series. Sure there is a serious side to the books. It isn't all fun and games for a Grim Reaper but the humour takes the edge of things and just makes Charley even more lovable.

Loads happened in this book and Charley did some amazing work, as always. How she got to the end was a fun roller coaster ride that had me laughing and worried at the same time. All the usual suspects appeared and it was nice to catch up with the gang again. The plot was superbly thought out and with a few mini plots wound through it. Lots of twists and a few turns led Charley all the way home in style.

I missed Mr Yang this time around. He was mentioned briefly but I was really hoping for that mystery to be solved. I will also forgive Charley for not figuring out who her new neighbour was until the end of the book. She had a lot on her mind but I guessed it straight away. It was maybe even too obvious to the people who have been following the series since the beginning and have a feel for Darynda's twists and turns.

The ending was, once again, a bit of a cliffhanger. Charley did some things during this fourth installment that will surely be a major topic in the next book. There are also a few things that happened with her friends and family that also could make for interesting developments in book five. I just hope we don't have to wait too long to find out what comes next. Rest assured, however long the wait, the author will once again deliver a spectacular well thought out and well written read filled with even more suitable bumper sticker and t-shirt quotes.

I knew about this series for a long time but never got around to reading it until this year. So when I finally did these books I was kicking myself for not picking them up sooner. So make sure you don't miss out on this amazingly super grim reaper goodness. Anyone who loves the paranormal genre, likes a good laugh and enjoys a well thought out mystery, really needs to be checking this author out. If you like audio books then I highly recommend listening to them. The narrator totally rocks the books and makes them even more enjoyable.

Charley Davidson Series

#1 - First Grave on the Right
#2 - Second Grave to the Left
#3 - Third Grave Dead Ahead
#4 - Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet
#5 - Fifth Grave Past the Light (July 2013)

Darklight Series

#1 - Death & The Girl Next Door
#2 - Death, Doom, and Detention (March 2013)
#3 - Death and the Girl He Loves (2013)