Eighth Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones
Series: Charley Davidson, #8
PNR
St. Martin’s Press
May 19, 2015
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “Sometimes I wonder if the purpose of my life is to serve as a cautionary tale to others.”
Charley’s back and finding trouble everywhere; including her postage size closet. Pregnant, and forced to live in a church surrounded by twelve hell hounds who want her dead, Charley is suffering from serious boredom. And when Charley is bored, everyone around her will suffer for it.
The eighth installment of Darynda Jones’ Charley Davidson series, Eighth Grave After Dark, picks up right where the seventh book left off. Charley Davidson-Grim Reaper, P.I. extraordinaire, and a possible God, is married to the son of Satan and about to give birth to the savor of the world. No pressure there. Living on consecrated grounds offers her some protection from the hell hounds who have been stalking her every move but Charley isn’t one to sit down and knit booties while awaiting motherhood. She has a full plate with trying to find a missing teen, deal with Reyes’ adoptive parents, getting rid of the wailing lawyer in her closet, and is trying to figure out who killed the nun that haunts the church.
This series has shown growth and progression since book one. Charley started out an immature, somewhat flighty young lady whose need for parental love and guidance led her to take some dangerous chances with her life. Since meeting her husband, Reyes, Charley had matured considerably though she is still quite childish and self centered at times. Still one to jump in to the fire from the frying pan for a friend or loved one, she has more confidence in herself and in her love for Reyes and vice versa. That’s not to say she still doesn’t still have her moments of craziness.
Charley is far more somber than normal. Impending birth and being held hostage is wearing on her. We see less snark and avoidance on her end. It’s all rather low key in some aspects as this installment begins to prepare us for the end. Jones’ finally gives us the answers to some long standing questions and begins to tighten up ongoing storylines. Key players are being placed in their position as the fight between heaven and hell begins…on earth. Cookie, Uncle Ubie, Amber, Quentin, Mr. Wong, ect…just about everyone seen throughout the series has a special place in the overall picture and that picture is starting to become clear for the reader.
Reyes is also more mellow than usual. His love for Charley and his unborn child results in some very sweet and touching moments in the series. I enjoyed their easy camaraderie and the lack of tension that used to follow their every interaction. Of course, Reyes wouldn’t be Reyes if he wasn’t keeping things from her but as she does the same to him, it’s hard to get angry with him. A large part of the storyline is devoted to this and when we finally learn the reasons, I wasn’t impressed with his silence. I do wish this aspect of the storyline would disappear. It’s been an ongoing plot device that I feel has run it’s course.
Jones plies her magic and in a series of dramatic undertakings; leads us to a climactic finale that may leave some readers shocked and dismayed by the end. Others will applaud Jones’ bold and risky conclusion but will bemoan the fact they will have to wait till 2016 for book nine-The Dirt on Ninth Grave- which is scheduled to release January 6, 2016. While at the RT Convention, Jones’ did inform readers that the series is scheduled through eleven books.
Eighth Grave After Dark is altogether a fast and easy read though somewhat bland overall. It feels like nothing more than a bridge in which to end one major storyline while opening up a new one. I do feel that the lack of action and usual humor hurt the story overall and I am not sure how the new story arc will reveal in order to read fresh and new and not like a rehash from the beginning of the series.
RATING: C
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