Third Grave Dead Ahead (Charley Davidson #3) by Darynda Jones
Urban Fantasy
Hardcover
January 31, 2012
St. Martins Press

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Scene: “Oh my god!”

“What?”

“You’re naked.”

“I’m not naked.”

“I’m blind.”

“You’re not blind. I’m wearing pants.”

“Oh.”

At the end of Second Grave On The Left, Charley Davidson, grim reaper extraordinaire, did the unthinkable and bound the sexy supermodel son of Satan to his physical body when he was about to off himself and exist only in his metaphysical form. That left super sexy man a not so very happy camper. So unhappy that super sexy man refuses to see or talk to Charley. Now Charley is now drinking copious amounts of stolen coffee (cause that’s the best tasting) to avoid sleep because Reyes comes to her in her dreams and does some remarkably blush worthy things to her body. His visits leave her exhausted and hurt. Charley senses the anger Reyes feels and she knows that he doesn’t want to be there with her, doing the things they do. When Charley is given a new missing persons case she figures this is the best way to get Reyes out of her head but when he breaks out of prison with a crazy story that the man he supposedly killed isn’t dead and he wants Charley to find him she realizes that coffee isn’t going to cut it anymore. All the while she is dealing with her guilt ridden father, a nun who “eavesdrops” on the voices in her head, hot scruffy bikers, and a knife welding ghost who likes to pose as a hood ornament.

If you read no other books this year, you must stop and pick up Darynda Jones’s Third Grave Dead Ahead. A hilarious, wickedly sexy, action packed, mystery that will have you howling with laughter as you follow Charley and her overqualified, underpaid receptionist/ and bff Cookie into the exciting world of private investigation, coffee thievery, and boundary challenged ghosts. A strong character driven series, this urban fantasy takes you on a crazy laugh filled adventure with strong emotional story lines, multiple subplots, charismatic characters, and witty dialogue. Our heroine, Charley Davidson, is the Grim Reaper. She has spent her entire life solving mysteries; first for her father and uncle and then for herself. It’s only recently that she began to accept her duties and help the dead cross over. She is still unsure exactly what her place is in the universe but according to Reyes she is a portal to heaven that if breached will in able Hell to reign on earth. Not to put pressure on her or anything.

Charley’s character grows in here. There is an edge to her that is more apparent; horned by the events in book two. She’s standing up more for herself and not allowing her family ties to strangle her as much. Still wonderfully sassy and snarky, she balances business and pleasure with some of the most brilliant one liners out there. Noone is safe from her mouth. I love how she doesn’t take herself to seriously. Armed with lattes and her jeep Misery, she jumps head first into the world and takes it by storm. Things happen pretty fast in here and there is a lot going on that changes the direction in which Charley has been going. I really can’t say much without spoiling but lets just say that the war between heaven and hell is closer then you think and Charley doesn’t have much time left to figure out her powers.

Plenty of secondary characters help round out the book, adding depth and deception. Each one so well defined you can easily imagine them with their own story. We see old and new in here, expanding on the storyline and provide clues towards the rest of the series. They are all as every bit as crazy as Charley. Donovan, the biker gang leader who now owns the land and asylum where Rocket lives, is an interesting new character and I look forward to seeing more of him in Charley’s future. They have something in common, unknown to either of them, that promises much fun and hijinks. Charley and her sister Grace don’t have a lot of bonding time in here but they are steady becoming closer since revelations helped overcome some serious issues that kept them at odds.

“Before I tell you anything, I have to know three things.”

“Okay.”

“One, are you sitting down.”

“Yes.”

“Two, are you mentally stable.”

“More then you’ll ever be.”

“Well, that was uncalled for. And three, how so you spell schizophrenia?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to see if you’d tell me.”

The best relationship in here is between Charley and her receptionist slash business partner slash bff, Cookie. The dialogue between them had me crying from laughing so hard.

”We need to talk.”

“Does this have anything to do with the mustache I drew on you while you were sleeping the other night?”

“No. This has to do with drugs.”

“You’re on drugs?!?”

“No. You are.”

“I’m on drugs?!?”

They are two peas in a pod and the love between them is readily felt. Cookie is the only one who Charley truly believes loves her for who she is. Cookie doesn’t want anything from Charley and always has her back. They have a wonderful friendship that translates well in the storyline. I love seeing Cookie and watching her help Charley. She is such a spaz yet so adorable you can’t help but laugh and cheer her on. She is a great sidekick for Charley.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the super sexy, mucho yummy, supermodel son of Satan; Reyes. Reyes has been a part of Charley’s life since she was born. Referred to as “dark and scary”, he paid a horrible price for trying to circumvent fate and arrange for he and Charley to live happily ever after. The sexual tension and chemistry between them literally burns up the pages, enhanced by the sense of danger and death that surrounds Reyes. As the son of Satan he is the ultimate temptation. He is also a demon and he warns Charley repeatedly that he will kill her to prevent world domination by his father. Your never really sure where he stands. Part him wants the fairytale ending and yet part of him sees her as the enemy. It’s hard to get a good fix because we don’t get his POV. He will love up on her one minute then threaten her the next. He’s a hand full.

There are three story lines in here that twist and turn around each other, coming together and resolving themselves towards the end. None of them are related to one another yet they all blend together fantastically. The ending is a high speed chase of action, suspense, and a quite a bit of intrigue as everything comes to a head and Charley is left once again holding the bag and trying to survive. All in all, Ms. Jones’s Third Grave Dead Ahead is a home run for 2012 and takes this series to a whole new level. I can’t wait for book four. I do not recommend reading this out of order as these books are not standalones.

Overall Rating: B+

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