The Dirt on Ninth Grave by Darynda Jones

Published: January 12th, 2016

by: St. Martin’s Press

Series: Charley Davidson #9

Genres: Adult-Fiction, Paranormal-Romance, Urban-Fantasy

Format: ebook

Source: Library

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Goodreads

In a small village in New York lives Jane Doe, a girl with no memory of who she is or where she came from. So when she is working at a diner and slowly begins to realize she can see dead people, she’s more than a little taken aback. Stranger still are the people entering her life. They seem to know things about her. Things they hide with lies and half-truths. Soon, she senses something far darker. A force that wants to cause her harm, she is sure of it. Her saving grace comes in the form of a new friend she feels she can confide in and the fry cook, a devastatingly handsome man whose smile is breathtaking and touch is scalding. He stays close, and she almost feels safe with him around.

But no one can outrun their past, and the more lies that swirl around her—even from her new and trusted friends—the more disoriented she becomes, until she is confronted by a man who claims to have been sent to kill her. Sent by the darkest force in the universe. A force that absolutely will not stop until she is dead. Thankfully, she has a Rottweiler. But that doesn’t help in her quest to find her identity and recover what she’s lost. That will take all her courage and a touch of the power she feels flowing like electricity through her veins. She almost feels sorry for him. The devil in blue jeans. The disarming fry cook who lies with every breath he takes. She will get to the bottom of what he knows if it kills her. Or him. Either way.

 

Review

*I’m not sure how far any of you have read in this series – if at all – but this installment is tricky to talk about without revealing something that has happened along the way; mainly the last book.*

Charley, Charley, Charley……. Even when she doesn’t know who/what she is, the girl is still the same. Amnesia didn’t change her one bit. She’s dedicated, I’ll give you that. Got any lost dogs or relatives? Charley will find them for you, or die trying. I’d like to say her altruistic nature is sweet, but even she can take it too far sometimes. Here she is, thousands of miles from home – unaware of who she is, and she is Charley Davidson right down to her bones.

Before we get to Charley, let’s talk about Reyes and the gang. I swear I wanted to kiss Uncle Bob (on the cheek), and just hug the hell out of him. Cookie is the best friend that Charley needed when she was growing up. She’s so understanding and nonjudgmental. I want her to be my BFF. Osh and Garrett are the perfect male friends to have around. The fact that Reyes is still angry at Osh a little, for telling Charley her “real name”, is kind of laughable. Reyes is vulnerable here. He is so worried that she won’t want anything to do with him if she remembers everything. The point is, Charley is darn lucky to have such an amazing group of people behind her. These people didn’t hesitate to pack up and move clear across the country to get her. Gemma feels a little guilty about the “Denise” thing, but she still wants her sister back. And her dad? What he did made up for all the messed up stuff he’s done at the beginning of the series. He was a cop to the end. 

A part of me didn’t want Charley to remember, because the reality of what she had to do at the end of the last book would set in. Her emotions are all over the place, and she’s causing all kinds of things to happen. Things that some beings aren’t too happy about. You get more than some hellhounds in this installment. Charley is more powerful than she’s ever been. She’s also unstable. I love the setting for this installment. Charley landed smack dab in the middle of Sleepy Hollow, New York. I liked the take on the Headless Horseman. I think I laughed more with this installment than any other. Aside from the humor, Charley helps a couple save their child from evil spirits, helps a family in danger, and she also has a delusional admirer. He made my skin crawl. An old enemy makes an appearance, and Charley doesn’t really know he’s an enemy at first. It was all so strange having her out of the loop, but she was still very much herself. 

Overall, lots to cover with this book. Different setting, same awesome characters. Did I mention that Angel is the coolest kid ever? Because he is, you know. I know he wanted to tell Charley, but he couldn’t. He’s all over this book with the others, so you will get all your favorites here. Except, Amber and Quinton – they have school back in NM. Other than that, just another day of solving crimes and fighting demons. I really recommend reading this series.

Also in this series: First Grave on the Right | Second Grave on the Left/Third Grave Dead Ahead | Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet | Fifth Grave Past the Light/Sixth Grave on the Edge | Seventh Grave and No Body/Eighth Grave After Dark