Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet
Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet is my fourth encounter with the always awesome Charley Davidson, and just like every other time before, her escapades and snark manages to entertain me to no end. These books are sort of my guilty-pleasure series, except that I don't really feel guilty about them if that makes sense? I'm much too busy having fun, laughing my ass off and enjoying the *ahem* steamier moments ;)The thing I love the most about this series is that it's such an eclectic mixture of genres. Sure, it's an adult urban fantasy, but it also other stuff expertly blended into the mix there. These books are part mystery, part detective fiction, part supernatural and part romance all blended into one exciting adventure. In Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet, we get all of those aspects, and then some. It's like the author took your everyday mystery and weaved the less 'standard' plot points into it. For example: Charley could go to question a suspect in a stalker case and then she'd casually drops in for a visit with a ghost she's friends with. Said ghost might just live next to a biker gang headquarters, which are also friends of Charley's. After that, there might be a chat with her best friend and assistant regarding her next lead, or just some snarky back and forth about caffeine binges and/or attractive men. And then, Charley might just run into her crush - who just happens to be the son of Lucifer himself. See? It's so perfectly random and insane but yet, all of those elements just fit together. Somehow, it all works incredibly well!
Things kick off with poor Charley dealing with the traumatic events that took place at the end of Third Grave Dead Ahead. Or rather, not dealing. Charley has a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder which was beautifully and heartbreakingly portrayed by author Darynda Jones. Miss Jones clearly did her research on PTSD because there were no quick fixes or easy answers for Charley. She struggled with ordinary activities like leaving her house, going to work, and taking care of herself. And to be honest, as sad as it all was, after what transpired in the previous book, I was glad to see that Charley dealt as any human being would have, if they had been in her shoes.
To balance out the heavier emotional charge, I was delighted to see that Charley kept her humor and her snarkiness in check. Charley's attitude and outlook on life is, bottom line, what drew me into this series and what keeps me coming back for more. Despite being a grim reaper, and, dealing with some seriously messed up stuff, Charley maintains a wonderful sense of humor and a sunny disposition that always makes me smile. She's sarcastic as hell too though, which gives her just the right edge. Case in point: Charley had previously named her jeep and her boobs (ha!) which is sort of a running gag in the series, but this time around she attempted to name her couch, and we find out that she calls her brain Barbara, her skull, Fred and her heart? Betty White - which led to some hilarious moments throughout Fourth Grave. I so want to be friends with this girl!
However, it did feel like Charley seemed a bit more oblivious to what I felt was staring at her in the face this time around. Whether it was regarding Reyes, her father or her fears and latest supernatural enemies. It was understandable with her PTSD though, considering how she'd become a pro at avoiding anything uncomfortable, but still, I found myself wishing she'd clue in a bit quicker at times. And speaking of Reyes. Sigh. Well, Reyes is still beyond dreamy. Sure he's a total alpha and there are times when he says or does some things that irk me... but overall he's pretty damn dreamy and his character develops quite a bit here, which really fit in nicely with Charley and her own progression.
All things considered, I had a blast with Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet. It was a bit darker than it's predecessors, but I'm all for that. Things never run the risk of getting too dark, thanks to the wonderfully humorous way Miss Darynda Jones writes our beloved Charley. If you're a fan of mysteries + adult paranormals and have yet to get into this series, what are you waiting for?
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