Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet

Darynda Jones

Oct 2012 · Charley Davidson Series Book 4 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

Welcome to the world of grim reaper extraordinaire, Charley Davidson. Try as she might, there's no avoiding her destiny.

Sometimes being the grim reaper really is, well, grim. And since Charley's last case went so awry, she has taken a couple of 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. It becomes clear something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she's insane. But the more they refute the woman's story, the more Charley believes it.

In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, 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 in this hilarious fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling series from Darynda Jones. .

Ratings and reviews

The end of the third book in the Charlie Davidson series was emotionally draining and somewhat traumatic. Betrayal all around, and I wondered how Charlie was going to come out of this one. Well, she doesn't exactly. Which was a stroke of brilliance by author Darynda Jones to make her seem more human and real. She is no longer the Grim Reaper and PI Extrodiarre, she is also Charlie - the woman who was hurt, betrayed, and tortured - trying to come to terms with what she's going to do next and looking for comfort in her credit card and home shopping channels. It takes a new case to start to bring her back to herself. And this case was pretty interesting. I loved the look at the psychology behind our memories and what trauma can do to them. There were some pretty nice twists in it as well, and while I sort of had things figured out, there was one really big surprise that I didn't see coming at all. I understand that Charlie's cases need to be action-packed and exciting, but I'd like to see her come of out one without a near-death experience. Reyes is back and not in Charlie's good graces. But he has a few things up his sleeve still to try and make things right with her. I'm incredibly curious to see where their storyline goes as we find out more and more about Charlie's unknown abilities and Reyes' background and motives. I think the narrator for this audiobook is one of my favorites. She tells the story so well and is very easy to listen to.

Let’s start with the simple things – this is a series that you can’t pick up in the middle and understand what is going on: you’ll enjoy it, sure, but with each story building on information and events of the previous instalments, make the time to read these from the beginning. You won’t have al the answers, but you’ll find that the stories will make sense as answers appear, in a Charley-induced sort of ADD-influenced way. Picking up about two months after the last book, Charley’s attack from Earl have left her with issues: she’s mostly healed from the physical wounds, but it’s the agoraphobia and fear, from a woman who actually never really felt that emotion before that have her hiding out in her building while ordering everything from a television shopping channel. She’s also not speaking to her father after his drastic choices to have her arrested to protect her, and everyone, including Cookie and her sister Gemma are worried. But a new case of a woman being threatened for most of her life, discovering that Reyes somehow dissolved from a corporeal body and the “Gentleman Bank Robbers” that, although masked, look familiar all have her attempting to regain her life and find a way to pay the bills. With so much coming at us from every direction, threads and issues move from fore to background as Jones manages to provide more information, snark, danger and questions as Charley seeks to find answers to the questions (and cases) she has. With her gang-banger Angel now at her ‘command’, her guardian Artemis appearing to frolic with every shower she takes, and the revelations from Amber that she knows what Charley is, has a grasp on Reyes and his “skills’ in the bedroom, and Charley’s guilt and worry that her life and choices have but Amber and Cookie into danger, and the renovation of the last vacant apartment on their floor – there’s plenty going on, especially when the new case leads her to the uber-wealthy side of town to meet with some not so forthcoming family (suspects) in her case. Best of all are the answers, and some additional questions that require Charley to really dig down and decide what her gut tells her about Reyes, and whether or not she’ll heed his warnings about the many demons that have stepped up their search for her – and the fact that it is her fear that comes off her in waves, that draws them. With encounters with several people possessed by the demons, a visit to the long-ignored Garret and messages he’s brought back from his time on the other side, a discovery about the bikers at the asylum and more time with Reyes that bounces from hotter than hell attraction through anger, fury, rage and an overwhelming charisma, the push-pull between these two also brings Charley some answers, more than ever before, and a strangely appropriate (if shocking) start at reconciliation with her father and stepmother. There is so much happening here, yet it all fits together building the world, the characters and the relationships in steady and solid ways, even with all of the frenetic action around it. All with a dash of snark, a dollop of self-delusion and the attention span of gnats in some moments – all adding to the joy that is Charley’s world - from this safe remove. I received an eBook copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own responsibility.

FOURTH GRAVE BENEATH MY FEET is the fourth storyline in Darynda Jones’ Charley Davidson series focusing on Charlotte “Charley” Davidson as the grim reaper and her no-nonsense approach to getting things done. Darynda continues her amazing and humorous writing style using one-liners and sarcasm, once again ensuring we laugh and nod in agreement with Charley’s take on the reality of the situation. Very few people are safe from our heroine’s tongue in cheek look at life and everything it has to throw at it. Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet finds Charley hoarding in her apartment about 2 months after her torture at the hands of a man once presumed dead. After her father turned her into the police and shut down her PI business, Charley felt it necessary to hold up in her tiny apartment maxing out credit cards on the Shopping Channel. How many turkey basters does one person need? Apparently 7!!! But hunger and poverty have a funny way of forcing her back into the real world when Charley accepts a new assignment investigating the strange accusations of a woman claiming she is being harassed. And to complicate matters, she hasn’t seen the man who weakens her knees in almost the same amount of time. The only contact with the outside world has been her assistant and BFF Cookie and Cookie’s daughter Amber, but things are about to change. Oh, and a rash of bank thefts by a group labeled the Gentlemen Thieves-the thieves all look very familiar to Charley. Since her confinement, Charley has not seen her dad. Anger, hurt and feelings of betrayal surface whenever she thinks about the one man she could depend on in her life. But something is wrong with her father and no one has come forward. As she continues to ignore her father’s requests to talk, it becomes apparent that her father may be moving on without her –in more ways than one. The father-daughter dynamic is infinitely strained and worsens when he tries to prove that Charley has changed. He knows more about Charley than she ever thought possible. The other constants in Charley’s life will continue to amuse us. Mr. Wong is currently buried beneath the rubble of boxes in Charley’s apartment she has labeled Area 51 and Aunt Lil will finally come to realize that she is no longer ‘living’ on this plane of existence but has no desire to cross over and miss out on all of the fun. Angel returns as Charley’s spiritual investigator, but when Charley begins to hunt for Reyes, it is Angel who will lead her into an impossible situation. And Darynda references many previous storylines and premises throughout every novel, to keep the reader well-informed without the need to look back and wonder what we missed. Reyes is the Son of Satan, a warrior and Charley’s protector. And finding Reyes risking his life time and time again, will force Charley into some situations that will risk both of their lives. Hunted by demons, Charley is slowly learning that she is developing some impossible powers and abilities. But the demons want her to join them in a war between heaven and hell, and the only person standing in the way is the man with whom she is falling in love. And Charley has another guardian of sorts, when Artemis makes her presence known every time a demon attacks. As Charley and Reyes grow closer, it will be an injured Reyes who reveals more about Charley’s heritage and direction in life. From birth, Charley has known she was the grim reaper, and with that acceptance also comes a price. As one of the demons has stated: they are waiting for the key of darkness to be inserted into the locket of light. Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet is a well-written and fantastic instalment in the Charley Davidson series of books. Darynda has once again, drawn the reader into the storyline using humor, sarcasm and the face-to-face confrontations making you feel like you are part of the story. The people are as real as the people you meet everyday with the exception of the paranormal powers and beings. I hope Darynda continues this series for a long time to come.

About the author

Winner of the Golden Heart® for Best Paranormal Romance for her manuscript First Grave on the Right, DARYNDA JONES can't remember a time when she wasn't putting pen to paper. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of more than twenty-five years and two beautiful sons, aka the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.