Never underestimate the power of a woman
on a double espresso with a mocha latte chaser high.
—T-shirt
Charley Davidson isn’t your everyday, run-of-the-mill grim reaper. She’s more of a paranormal private eye/grim reaper extraordinaire. However, she gets sidetracked when the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, moves in next door. To further complicate matters, Reyes is her main suspect in an arson case. Charley has vowed to stay away from him until she can find out the truth…but then dead women start appearing in her apartment, one after another, each lost, confused, and terrified beyond reason. When it becomes apparent that her own sister, Gemma, is the serial killer’s next target Charley has no choice but to ask for Reyes’ help. Arsonist or not, he’s the one man alive who could protect Gemma no matter who or what came at her. But he wants something in return. Charley. All of her, body and soul. And to keep her sister safe, it is a price she is willing to pay.
Charley Davidson is at it again in Fifth Grave Past the Light, the sexy, suspenseful, and laugh-out-loud funny fifth installment of the New York Times bestselling series by Darynda Jones.
Series: Charley Davidson #5
Release Date: July 9, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Shannon
Rating:
Buy the book at:
Reviewer’s Thoughts
I’m not sure how Darynda Jones does it, but she manages to out do herself with each and every installment to this series. Charley embodies every virtue I strive to have as a woman: sarcasm, wit, keen investigative skills, a love of coffee and one hot son of Satan wanting to do all sorts of naughty good things to her.
This installment into the series starts a few months after Earl Walker has died and Reyes has moved in next door. While Charley tries to figure out just what is up with Reyes, she discovers her apartment is filled with 30 or so spirits. None will talk and all seem pretty upset, so she sets off to discover exactly what happened to them. It sets her on the trail of a serial killer and once again Charley finds herself in horrible danger. But that’s not all. Garrett is acting slightly strange and comes to Charley and Reyes with a message about just what Reyes’ father is planning for the two of them and she suspect she knows who’s the arsonist is running around town and she only hopes she can bring the person into the police with a deal before someone else finds out.
This book was my favorite because of the interactions between Charley and Reyes. Reyes is still scary as hell, being the son of Satan and all, but we see a softer side to Reyes. A side that truly loves Charley. It’s almost as if the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders, now that Earl is gone, and he’s becoming the man he would have been had everything gone according to plan. If you didn’t already love Reyes, you will fall for him now.
There are some very funny, laugh out loud moments as Charley works to try and solve the mystery involving Kings Ranch. Charley’s sarcasm and wit are in full effect, with Uncle Ubie, Cookie, and her therapist (to name a few). By far, my favorite comedic moment came from Charley’s bootleg navigation app, which was set to Ozzy. If only my iPhone would be set to that! But Darynda Jones does a great job of weaving some very serious, very scary moments into the storyline as well. It’s a masterful mix that had me staying up very late to finish the book and wishing there were a few hundred more pages to go.
If you haven’t picked up the Charley Davidson series, do so. It’s a must read and one that I mark the days off on my calendar for.
There is a tour-wide giveaway of a signed copy of FIFTH GRAVE PAST THE LIGHT. To enter, complete the Rafflecopter form below (if the form doesn’t appear, click the link to be taken to it).
EXCERPT
Ask me about life after death.
—T-shirt often seen on Charley Davidson a grim reaper with questionable morals
The dead guy at the end of the bar kept trying to buy me a drink.
Which figured. No one else was even taking a second look and I’d
dressed to the nines. Or, at the very least, the eight- and- a-halves.
But the truly disturbing part of my evening was the fact that my
mark, one Mr. Marvin Tidwell, blond real estate broker and suspected
adulterer, actually turned down the drink I’d tried to buy
him.
Turned it down!
I felt violated.
I sat at the bar, sipping a margarita, lamenting the sad turn my life
had taken. Especially to night. This case was not going as planned.
Maybe I wasn’t Marv’s type. It happened. But I was oozing interest.
And I wore makeup. And I had cleavage. Even with all that going for
me, this investigation was firmly wedged between the cracks of no and
where. At least I could tell my client, aka Mrs. Marvin Tidwell, that it
would seem her husband was not cheating on her. Not randomly,
anyway. The fact that he could’ve been meeting someone in par tic ular
kept me glued to my barstool.
“C-come here often?”
I looked over at the dead guy. He’d finally worked up the courage
to approach and I got a better view of him. I figured him for the runt
of the litter. He wore round- rimmed glasses and a tattered baseball
cap that sat backwards on top of muddy brown hair. Add to that a
faded blue T-shirt and loosely ripped jeans and he could’ve been a
skater, a computer geek, or a backwoods moonshiner.
His cause of death was not immediately apparent. No stab wounds
or gaping holes. No missing limbs or tire tracks across his face. He
didn’t even look like a drug addict, so I couldn’t tell why he’d died at
such a young age. Taking into account the fact that his baby- faced
features would make him look younger than he probably was, I estimated
him to be somewhere around my age when he’d passed.
He stood waiting for an answer. I thought “Come here often?”
was rhetorical, but okay. Not wanting to be perceived as talking to
myself in a room full of people, I responded by lifting one shoulder
in a halfhearted shrug.
Sadly, I did. Come here often. This was my dad’s bar, and while I
never set up stings here for fear of someone I knew blowing my
cover, this just happened to be the very same bar Mr. Tidwell frequented.
At least if it came to a knockdown drag- out, I might have
some backup. I knew most of the regulars and all of the employees.
Dead Guy glanced toward the kitchen, seeming nervous before he
refocused on me. I glanced that way as well. Saw a door.
“Y-you’re very shiny,” he said, drawing my attention back to him.
He had a stutter. Few things were more adorable than a grown
man with boyish features and a stutter. I stirred my margarita and
pasted on a fake smile. I couldn’t talk to him in a room full of living,
breathing patrons. Especially when one was named Jessica Guinn, to
my utter mortification. I hadn’t seen her fiery red hair since high
school but there she sat, a few seats down from me, surrounded by a
group of chattering socialites who looked almost as fake as her boobs.
But that could be my bitterness rearing its ugly head.
Unfortunately, my forced smile only encouraged Dead Guy.
“Y-you are. You’re like the s-sun reflecting off the chrome bumper of
a f-fifty- seven Chevy.”
He splayed his fingers in the air to demonstrate, and my heart was
gone. Damn it. He was like all those lost puppies I tried to save as a
child to no avail because I had an evil stepmother who believed all
stray dogs were rabid and would try to rip out her jugular. A fact that
had nothing to do with my desire to bring them into the house.
“Yeah,” I said under my breath, doing my best ventriloquist impersonation,
“thanks.”
“I’m D-Duff ,” he said.
“I’m Charley.” I kept my hands wrapped around my drink lest he
decide we needed to shake. Not many things looked stranger to the
living world than a grown woman shaking air. You know those kids
with invisible friends? Well, I was one of those. Only I wasn’t a kid,
and my friends weren’t invisible. Not to me, anyway. And I could see
them because I’d been born the grim reaper, which was not as bad as
it sounded. I was basically a portal to heaven, and whenever someone
was stuck on Earth, having chosen not to cross over immediately after
death, they could cross to the other side through me. I was like a giant
bug light, only what I lured was already dead.
I pulled at my extra- tight sweater. “Is it just me, or is it really
warm in here?”
His baby blues shot toward the kitchen again. “Hot is m-more
like it. S-so, I— I couldn’t help but notice you t-tried to buy that guy
over there a drink.”
I let my fake smile go. Freed it like a captured bird. If it came back
to me, it would be mine. If not, it never was. “And?”
“You’re b-barking up the wrong tree with that one.”
Surprised, I put my drink down— the one I bought myself— and
leaned in a little closer. “He’s gay?”
Duff snorted. “N-no. But he’s been in here a lot lately. He l-likes
his women a little . . . l-looser.”
“Dude, how much sluttier can I get?” I indicated my attire with a
sweep of my hand.
“N-no, I mean, well, you’re a l-little—” He let his gaze travel the
length of me. “—t-tight.”
I gasped. “I look anal?”
He drew in a deep breath and tried again. “H-he only hits on
women who are more s-substantial than you.”
Oh, that wasn’t offensive at all. “I have depth. I’ve read Proust.
No, wait, that was Pooh. Winnie- the- Pooh. My bad.”
He shifted his non ex is tent weight, cleared his throat, and tried
again. “More v-voluptuous.”
“I have curves,” I said through a clenched jaw. “Have you seen
my ass?”
“Heavier!” he blurted out.
“I weigh— Oh, you mean he likes bigger women.”
“E-exactly, while I on the other hand—”
Duff ’s words faded into the background like elevator music. So
Marv liked big women. A new plan formed in the darkest, most corrupt
corners of Barbara. My brain.
Cookie, otherwise known as my receptionist during regular business
hours and my best friend 24/7, was perfect. She was large and in
charge. Or well, large and kind of bossy. I picked up my cell phone
and called her.
“This better be good,” she said.
“It is. I need your assistance.”
“I’m watching the first season of Prison Break.”
“Cookie, you’re my assistant. I need assistance. With a case. You
know those things we take on to make money?”
“Prison. Break. It’s about these brothers who—”
“I know what Prison Break is.”
“Then have you ever actually seen these boys? If you had, you
would not expect me to abandon them in their time of need. I think
there’s a shower scene coming up.”
“Do these brothers sign your paycheck?”
“No, but technically neither do you.”
Damn. She was right. It was much easier to just have her forge my
name.
“I need you to come flirt with my mark.”
“Oh, okay. I can do that.”
Nice. The F-word always worked with her. I filled her in and told
her the deal with Tidwell, then ordered her to hurry over.
“And dress sexy,” I said right before hanging up. But I regretted
the sexy part instantly. The last time I told Cookie to dress sexy for a
much- needed girls’ night out on the town, she wore a lace- up corset,
fishnet stockings, and a feather boa. She looked like a dominatrix. I’d
never been the same.
NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious Golden Heart®, a Rebecca, two Hold Medallions, a RITA ®, and a Daphne du Maurier, and she has received stellar reviews from dozens of publications including starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and the Library Journal. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike, and she is ever so grateful for the opportunity to carry on that tradition. She currently has two series with St. Martin’s Press: The Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of almost 30 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys. She can be found at www.daryndajones.com.
Links To Author:
Shannon
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I’ve never seen a ghost but think I’ve “felt” them.
I only skimmed the review, I want to be surprised when I read the book. 🙂
I haven’t ever seen them, but I do see alot of stuff out of the corner of my eye. So i don’t know what I see, I’ve felt their presence before.
So excited for this giveaway!!! Thank you!!
We had a ghost in the house we had when our oldest son was a toddler. We never saw it but our son did. He said the ghost liked playing with his train set. Many times in the middle of the night the train would start on its own. We moved soon after.
I can’t wait for tomorrow so I can start Fifth Grave!!! And no, I have never seen a ghost lol
Love it!! Can’t Wait!
I’m so excited about this book. I can’t wait till it comes out !
Wonderful review! Just gets me more amped to read the book! haha 🙂
I’m just dying to read this book, Shannon. I can’t wait for tomorrow. Great review!
I can’t wait for this to come out. I love Charley. Wonderful review.
Can’t wait for this book! Although I skimmed the review because I want to be surprised when I get to read the book tomorrow – thanks for the review and excerpt. I love the Charley Davidson series – Darynda Jones is a fabulous author! If you haven’t read her books before now I suggest you hop to it – you won’t be disappointed!
I had a neighbor for almost 15 years; when we bought our house,he was already in his 70s. I started talking with him and eventually started helping him out by doing little things for him, groceries, shopping coming for a cup of tea and a talk etc…then he got sick and at 93, he passed away. We had a code him and I; every morning I would look out my window and see if his curtains were ope, this meant he was up. But one morning, they weren’t; by the time I came home from work it was too late, he had been taken to the hospital where he die a few days later. I missed him a lot and about 6 months after I could have sworn he came to see me as he often did and just sat down to chat with me.
Nice review, can’t wait to get my hands on this book tomorrow.
I really love your review! This book is my favorite as well and has me craving the next book.
Oh I can’t honestly say I ever seen a ghost..BUT I have seen an angel. I was about 5 or 6 and I had a dog that was my best friend. Her name was Shannon. My parents had to put your down because she was highly allergic to flea bites and back then, there wasn’t much for the vet to do to make it better. I remember my dad telling me and I didn’t believe him right away. That night It finally sank in that she really was gone and I cried myself to sleep that night, my heart utterly broken for the friend that was no longer there. Later that night I woke up to a soft voice and a VERY bright light. The light was just gorgeous and I knew immediately it was my Shannon and I knew instinctively that she was an angel. She told me that I had nothing to cry about and that she would always be in my heart and she was in a better place, watching over me. She said she was going to see me again some day. I smiled then, and when she told me not to cry anymore and to go back to sleep, I did. The next day I was refreshed and..lighter then I could of imagined. This is a true story and one that never leaves me. Thanks so much for letting me share this. Its been YEARS since I told another soul about my own guardian angel. 🙂
Never seen a ghost, think I’d freak if I did…lol. Thanks for the review and giveaway….just skimmed it today because I want to be surprised when my book gets downloaded to my kindle 🙂
So excited I can’t wait to readvit
I think the house that I lived in when I was a child was haunted because every night when we would lay down for bed me and my sister would hear running up on the third floor which was weird because we only used that space for storage. What else was weird was in the summer or when ever it was hot you would think that the third floor would be super hot because heat rises well not in this house it would always be cold like we had AC up there which we didn’t and when ever we would play up there it always seemed like someone was watching you like you were never alone and when ever you were up there you always had the feeling to run or get down from there as fast as you could it was a little creepy. Me and my sister still talk about it to this day I don’t fear ghost or the unknown. It almost gives me a feeling like there is something beyond death and that you should not be afraid and that if a ghost is there it’s for a reason and you should never be scared! With that being said I sooooo can’t wait for this book I’m sending my boys to their grandparents so MAMA can read and not have to do anything else. OH CHARLEY AND REYES HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU SO GALD YOUR BACK!!!!!!!
I have seen a ghost. When I was little, my bother and I used to spend the night at my Grandmothers house. One night I got up to use the restroom, and as I was walking down the hall, I saw and older man leaning in one of the doorways watching me. He had longish gray hair and was wearing a red jacket. I was terrified and started screaming. As soon as my grandma came to see what was wrong, the man disappeared. I told her what I saw, and she thought I was dreaming. It wasn’t until I got older that I found out that the man who built that house committed suicide in it because he had gone bankrupt. To this day I don’t go to my grandma’s house at night.
Personally, I have never seen a ghost but I have family members who swear my grandfather haunted my grandparent’s house for a length of time after his passing. I cannot wait for Fifth Grave to be released on Tuesday so I can discuss it with all my fellow Reyes addicts. :p
I’ve seen a few ghosts. At least , I think that’s what they were. The dogs noticed them before I did.
Then there are the damn cats that stared at the walls.
So, I segue back, I WANT MY CHARLIE READ! What do I have to do to get my hit?
Oh. Yeah. Wait a day. Fine.
Great review! This is absolutely one of my favorite series!! Love it! Good luck to everyone on the giveaway!
This one is my favorite so far, of course I say that about every book at the time LOL! I can’t wait to see what happens in Sixth Grave!
Truth be told I’m on book 4 – trying to SAVE up and read them together! I love Reyes and can’t wait! #5th grave!
What a great review! Thank you so so much!!!! I am so grateful for all the Charley love. Good luck everyone!
Ohh this was a good review! I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
Oh I can’t wait to start 5th Grave!!! I finished up a main read on Saturday and filled yesterday and today with novellas so I’ll be finished and ready to start first thing in the morning! Squee!
I agree! She out does herself with every book. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Sixth Grave!
Counting down the hours til Tomorrow! Great Blog Cocktails and Books 🙂
🙂
I don’t think so but I felt some weirdness in my life. I hope they are out there.
My fav series!!! I <3 Darynda!
As if I didn’t already want it bad enough!!! Great review–you did a wonderful job of giving me just enough to salivate over without giving anything away!
Thanks, Jenny!
Thanks for your review and for the excerpt! I cannot wait to read this. As for ghosts, I have never actually seen one but I won’t rule out that they do exist. 🙂
I’ve heard them but not seen them! I believe 🙂
I love, love, love this series! I think Charley is great! I love how sarcastic she is ( kind of reminds me of me) LOL and Reyes…. one word YUM. If you have not read this series you are missing out.
I am waiting to get book 4 & 5 together. I love everything Darynda touches. Ok not everything.. Everything she writes.
I have seen something. Not sure if it was a ghost but weird shadows that climb up walls still freak me out. I love this series. Can’t wait for it to get on my Kindle.
I’m so excited to read this book–I can’t wait! I love this series 🙂
One of my fave authors and series!! I have not seen but I’ve heard things.
No I haven’t seen a ghost, not sure I would like to see one that wasn’t a family member either. Eeek!
Love, love, LOVE this series. Can’t wait to read Fifth Grave.
Thanks for the awesome review and the giveaway! Darynda is amazing and I love this series. I’ve never “seen” a ghost but I have definitely felt the presence of ghosts before. I’m a true believer in things existing that we can’t see and I love the paranormal. Can’t say it doesn’t scare and creep me out from time to time, but I do love reading about it 🙂
I’ve never seen one, but on a few occasions I’ve wondered if one was in the vicinity.
I saw what looked like a man, but he was made of blue light. I saw it twice, but I don’t know if it was a ghost or if was lightning. But it sure was cool and the second time he was standing on the front porch by the window. Their is a roof over the porch. I love this series and I am looking forward to reading this one. Thanks for the giveaway.
Love your review – definitely the best in the series to date!
I cant wait to read it, but I want it to be on a day where I can devour it in one sitting..So does anybody want two boys one 16 and one 6 they both do chores and love to get paid by food..:)) Happy Grimlet Happy House
Can’t say that I have ever seen a ghost. A fact that is fine with me, lol.
I’ve never seen a ghost.
Never seen a ghost. Great review.
Hi, I check your blogs on a regular basis. Your humoristic
style is witty, keep it up!