Third Grave Dead Ahead

Darynda Jones

Jan 2012 · Charley Davidson Series Book 3 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

Third Grave Dead Ahead is the third installment of Darynda Jones' award-winning paranormal series that's "hilarious and heartfelt, sexy and surprising." (J.R. Ward)

Paranormal private eye. Grim reaper extraordinaire. Whatever. Charley Davidson is back! And she's drinking copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake because, every time she closes her eyes, she sees him: Reyes Farrow, the part-human, part-supermodel son of Satan. Yes, she did imprison him for all eternity, but come on. How is she supposed to solve a missing persons case, deal with an ego-driven doctor, calm her curmudgeonly dad, and take on a motorcycle gang hell-bent on murder when the devil's son just won't give up?

Ratings and reviews

The third book picks up right after the second, in “Charley” time, we’ve managed to move forward about a month, and here we learn a bit more about her, her friends and even the struggles she’s had with Reyes: now coming to her every time she closes her eyes for sleep. Adding to this strangeness, he’s furious with her for binding him, and she’s finding the intensity from his anger and their combustible chemistry to be too much. But a new case has come to her: a guilty husband wanting her to look into his missing wife, a not so hidden tail on her placed by Ubie, and the question that Earl, the man Reyes is in jail for murdering just might not be dead after all, and this has all the hallmarks of a never-ending set of adventures, all with Charley seeming to run off in multiple directions with apparent cluelessness, even with the little nudges and assistance she gets from her otherworldly helpers. Add in a strange message from Mistress Marigold, a nun waiting in her office and a warning that she’s got a guardian coming for her protection in roughly 48 hours, and things were never quite so strange around her. When you mix in a little girl with a death-grip on a knife appearing out of nowhere and not looking Charley in the eye, she’s battling her need to stay awake with more threats on her life, her father’s determination that she quit the PI business, and multiple leads on a husband who has a history of wives and their family members turning up dead, there has never been so much going on to both tickle and tempt her ADD. And what a fun ride this was – a guilty husband with tempting paper trails that all seem to go nowhere -but for the missing woman’s brother and sister, a need to get to Rocket in the abandoned asylum, now populated by a biker gang and patrolled by Rottweilers is almost her undoing, as Rocket won’t let her in, she makes friends with a Rottie, the last of the three left after they were poisoned, and some questions and answer time with the bikers – and she’s off to meet her sister at an out of the way convenience store, where she’s responsible for aiding Reyes in the second step of his plan to escape and hunt down his former guardian, Earl, the man who tortured and abused him for most of his young life. From one crazy moment to the next, peppered with Charley’s need for caffeine and Cookie’s help in the search trying to find the missing woman, the missing not-murdered, not-dead Earl, and the continual pushes from her father to stop being a PI, and more than one Charley’s life is in danger, and while she still hasn’t learned everything she can do, she’s getting closer. More important than finding the answers and people here though is Charley’s own revelations – having been used as bait by her father in the last book, and now by Reyes in this one, with her believing that Garrett is dead as a result of Earl’s bullets, she’s now convinced that those who aren’t using her for their own ends are going to betray her – a sharp comeuppance for the girl who blunders into situations usually with the best of intentions, trying to do some good in the world. It will take some doing (I hope) to discourage her from wanting to make a difference, even as she knows hat often things go pear shaped, but her heart is bruised (as is her body) and something will have to give. 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.

Charley Davidson is back and she’s drinking copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake because Reyes Farrow, the part- human, part- supermodel son of Satan is a bit angry and haunting her every sleeping moment. Now she has to solve a missing persons case, deal with ego-driven doctor, cam her curmudgeonly dad, and take on a motorcycle game while being sleep deprived and set as bait once again. Once again, the saucy and snarky Charley Davidson has readers eager for another visit from the Grim Reaper in this mega suspenseful and splendidly delightful read. All the characters in this series are strong and full of vibrant life that make it easy for readers to not only connect with them but wanting them to extend their time with them as much as they can. Charley, herself is a fun ‘knock them dead’ heroine that reader can enjoy and live vicariously through with her wicked wit and feisty attitude. The chemistry between her and Reyes burns with lots of fire and sparks fly in every direction in their unconventional yet passionate relationship. The plot is fast paced and full of exhilarating suspense that has readers turning the pages in anticipation of the next thrilling moment and with Charley’s busy, chaotic life there is never a dull moment to be found. The perfect blend of humor and suspense makes this book a dynamite read that readers can’t get enough of. New characters bring more excitement and adrenaline pumping thrills to the story while recurring characters continue to add their own brand of spice and sauce to the story and readers find themselves locking out the world in order to get the full enjoyable and entertaining experience of this fabulous read.

This was another wild adventure for Grim Reaper Charley Davidson. With the addition of new characters that I’m itching to find out how they play into Charley’s future escapades, there was also a lot of angst between her and Reyes. Things are rocky in romance land for this dysfunctional couple and just when you think they’re going to work things out…well, this is Charley we’re talking about so things usually go sideways. The humor here continues to be just as sharp as each book before it and the dynamic between Charley and her best friend Cookie highlights the quirkiness that is an essential part of Charley’s personality. The case she’s working on this time has a bit of a twist I didn’t see coming. Another twist at the end almost made me tear up. You won’t end this book with the thought it’s safe to stop the series at this point. Instead, like myself, you’ll be anxious to go right into the next one. Which I’ll be doing ASAP. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the author

Winner of the 2009 Golden Heart(R) for Best Paranormal Romance, DARYNDA JONES lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two sons.