The Dirt on the Ninth Grave by Darynda Jones
Series: Charley Davidson, #9
Paranormal Romance
Released: January 12, 2016
St. Martin’s Press
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “I’ve loved her for centuries and I will love her until the stars burn out.”
Awwww…
SOB!!
Fans of this series will remember that the end of book eight left us gasping in shock at its climatic and completely unexpected ending, pretty much guaranteeing we would have to read this book. I admit I was more than a little angry at what I deemed a manipulative ending. Of course, I’ve had a year to slow my roll and when I was offered this for review I jumped on it because regardless of my tantrum, I do enjoy the series as a whole and want to see how Jones was going to resolve this particular storyline.
We open with Janey aka Charley working in a small cafe in Sleepy Hollow, NY. At the end of book eight, Charley had reached the end of her rope and a single act ruthlessly pushed her over the edge of sanity. Suffering from amnesia, Charley is struggling to remember who she is while trying to understand the unusual things she seems to be able to do. Her friends are all with her though she doesn’t know that as they have been advised to not push her into remembering. When a malevolent force begins to stalk her, Charley begins to fracture a little, unsure if what she is seeing is real or if she is going insane. As the danger becomes more real and life threatening, Charley will have to decide if she is ready to face her past and all the baggage that comes with it.
“I feel like I went on a long trip and I left my most precious possession behind.”
Brimming with the usual humor and outrageousness that made this series a winner, Jones gives us a softer more laid back Charley that I admit makes me a little happy (the object naming is almost null). We are kept in the loop by an open line between Charley and the reader, allowing us to experience her journey right along with her. From seeing dead people to her never-ending wisecracks, we are quickly assured Charley is still Charley, she’s just hiding for a little while. And this goes far in reassuring readers that this storyline won’t advance past this book.
“I think you’re at the wrong address, buddy. You’re looking for 666 Highway to Hell Avenue. It’s a little further south.
I admit to not being completely taken with this book. Part of me enjoyed revisiting this world as it’s always good for a laughter filled action packed read while the other part of me wondered why Jones chose to drag out this plotline for an entire book. This is basically 300 pages of a day in the life of Charley with the last few pages divulging into the main arc and dissolving her memory. A huge appeal of this series is the romance between Charley and Reyes but because of her amnesia, it’s essentially a moot point. And I couldn’t help but feel there was a certain rehashing of the amnesia storyline from earlier in the series.
Seeing all the familiar faces of the series; Reyes, Cookie, Uncle Bob, Garrett, Osh, Angel, etc…and watching Charley get to know them all over again is both heartbreaking and funny. I loved hearing her little quips and thoughts about each of them; especially her thoughts and feelings towards Reyes. It was like watching them fall in love all over again but without all the external issues that befell them the first go around. Cookie remains her bff regardless if Charley remembers her or not.
“You’re always so nice to me,” I said. Out loud. A little surprised by that fact.
She squeezed my hand. “We’re besties, remember? Of course I’m nice to you. Otherwise, I’d be the suckiest BFF ever.”
Angel is still the same little perv who watches her back and then some while Garrett continues to act as her unwilling partner in crime. The love is there for everyone to see.
There are some areas of disbelief in here though. I found it odd that nothing changes in any of their relationships with Charley. They slip into their previous roles with nary a blip. I also wondered how they were all able to all show up mass exodus in this small town with no one wondering where they came from or why but Jones does address that at the end. We also meet some new faces in here also that help to provide some backup for two small subplots Jones inserts to help this not be 100% filler.
As with book eight, the storyline remains entertaining character wise but bland overall. I can’t help but feel this installment was one long waiting period; not really advancing the arc or telling us anything beyond what we already knew. Basically a means to further try to explain the reasoning behind the events at the end of book eight and to sustain us till book ten is ready. I do want to add that this series has an ongoing story arc and character base that bleeds from book to book and not meant to be read as standalones. Starting here will only confuse and possibly leave a new reader feeling apathetic in regards to trying the earlier installments.
As there are only two books left in this series, I will definitely see it through to the end, but I really want back the action packed, suspense filled, drama-laden story lines that we haven’t seen in the last two installments.
Grade: C+
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I found it odd that nothing changes in any of their relationships with Charley. They slip into their previous roles with nary a blip. I also wondered how they were all able to all show up mass exodus in this small town with no one wondering where they came from or why but Jones does address that at the end.
Thanks for that my dear fellas!
Thanks for that my dear fellas!!!