Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet

by Darynda Jones

Published by: St Martins Press

Heather’s Rating: 

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.

Book Savvy Babe’s Review:

I absolutely love the Charley Davidson series.  I love Charley, she is super snarky, she talks to dead people, she’s an awesome Private Investigator, has a quirky sidekick, and she crushes on the son of Satan.  I wish Darynda Jones could write faster because I have loved each and every book in this series, and I just want to keep reading about Charley, Reyes, Cookie, and all of the other amazing characters.

Book three dealt Charlie some very difficult emotional blows, and in book 4, Charley is still dealing (well, avoiding with dealing), coming to terms and recovering with those blows.  Charlie has hidden herself away, but it’s time for her to get back to work and help a woman out.  She has to deal with Reyes, which is always a complication.  I like that Charley doesn’t let Reyes off the hook for his actions towards her, and I like that Reyes starts to step it up and help Charley out.  The pair of them have some hot chemistry and I was thrilled how things heated up in this book.

I love how Charley is growing in her abilities, learning more and more about herself and her powers.  Charley manages to move past some of her hurts, and she doesn’t cave in to the people who hurt her.  Charley’s family has their own issues.  Some of their actions baffle me and make me feel for Charley.  On the other hand, I’m glad that Charley is making progress with some of her family members.  I completely did not expect the storyline to end where it did.  I was surprised at how all of the mysteries came together and left intrigued by the new abilities Charley develops.

The Charley Davidson series has lured me in more and more at every turn, with each book in the series.  This series has it all, humor, mystery, supernatural awesomeness, romance, and snark.  Charley goes through difficult times (I’ve been moved to tears more than once throughout this series) and I have become attached to her character.  Charley is one of my favorite urban fantasy characters ever, right up there with Sookie Stackhouse and Cat from Night Huntress series .   I am very excited to see where Darynda Jones is going with this series and I am eagerly anticipating book 5, Fifth Grave Past the Light.

Note on the Audio: Fourth Grave was narrated by Lorelei King, and she did a fantastic job.  I enjoyed all of the voices (even the male voices), the narration really worked for me.  The timing and delivery was well done, and I would listen to more audio books narrated by Lorelei King.  In fact, I may just have to get Fifth Grave on audio… Everything about this book was 5 stars for me.  Excellent, awesome read/listen all around.

This is audiobook #3 for me on the Audio Book 2013 challenge!  Moving right along…