Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet [Hardcover]

Darynda Jones (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 30, 2012

Welcome to the world of grim reaper extraordinaire, Charley Davidson. Try as she might, there’s no avoiding her destiny.

 

Sometimes being the grim reaper really is, well, grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple of months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above . . . or at least get dressed. It becomes clear something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane. But the more they refute the woman’s story, the more Charley believes it.

In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved.

Just when life was returning to normal, Charley is thrust back into the world of crime, punishment, and the devil in blue jeans in this hilarious fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling series from Darynda Jones. .

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for
THIRD GRAVE DEAD AHEAD

“Jones perfectly balances humor and suspense.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Wickedly witty…will delight aficionados of humorous paranormals.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Charley Davidson is one of the most fun characters I have had the privilege to read. She is witty, independent, and lives a little on the crazy side of life.”—Dark Faerie Tales

“Absolutely amazing…a thrill ride from the very first page until the very last.”—Red Hot Books (5 stars)

“A hilarious, wickedly sexy, action packed, mystery that will have you howling with laughter… A strong character driven series, this urban fantasy takes you on a crazy laugh filled adventure with strong emotional story lines, multiple subplots, charismatic characters, and witty dialogue.”—Smexy Books

“Love!”—Oh My Books! (4 ½ stars)

“A barrel of laughs mixed with some intense action. Jones' trademark humor makes this series a must read for urban fantasy readers who like a good laugh with their suspense. Jones gives readers some of the most entertaining characters to come along in a long while.”—Debbie’s Book Bag

“Hilarious engrossing paranormal mysteries with absolutely no vampires or werewolves…with an easy-to-root-for herione.” Quirky Girls Read (A+)

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

Better to see dead than be dead.

—Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper

Sometimes being the grim reaper really is that. Grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple months off to wallow in self-pity...until a woman, who may or may not be insane, shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her. Meantime, Satan’s son, the devilishly handsome Reyes Farrow, is out of prison—and finally out of Charley’s life. But Reyes’s absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While Charley has a world of other matters to contend with, including a series of arson attacks throughout Albuquerque, she can’t quite keep away from Reyes. Especially when it looks like he may be the arsonist. Where there’s smoke there’s fire…and just as her life seemed to be returning to normal, Charley is thrust back into the world of crime and punishment—and the devil in blue jeans.

Everybody loves Charley!

“Smart, wickedly hilarious.”—Publishers Weekly

“A true paranormal princess.”—Night Owl Reviews

“…and let’s be honest—the sex is pretty hot.”—Library Journal

 

 

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (October 30, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9781250014467
• ISBN-13: 978-1250014467
• ASIN: 1250014468
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (223 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious RITA, a Golden Heart, and a Daphne du Maurier. 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.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#85 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#85 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just sucks you right in and doesn't let you go October 31, 2012

By A Book a Day TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Charley Davidson series is easily in my top five favorites of all time and defines the magical escape I'm looking for when I pick up a book. For those of you who are not familiar with the series, and for those of you who are, it's a unique and refreshing urban fantasy/paranormal romance world with a surprisingly large, but never boring, cast of characters, hysterical wit and humor, touching and heartbreaking moments, fast paced action, sinfully smexy chemistry, and a darn good mystery to boot. If you've never read one of these, you definitely need to go to the first book, but I'd be willing to bet, you'll catch up very quickly.

This book picks up after the events from Third Grave Dead Ahead and we get to see a very scared and vulnerable Charley. She's holed up in her apartment and refuses to leave, stewing in fear and betrayals, until a desperate new client, heiress Harper Lowell, hires Charley to investigate who's stalking and trying to hurt her. Step by step, we see charley coming out of her shell a little more as she builds up her courage to face her demons, including her father's betrayal, Reyes' betrayal, her step mother issues, Swopes seeming abandonment and other demons, quite literally. During her investigations, she crosses multiple mysteries, some which are wrapped up at the end, and others left for future stories, but all intriquing and entertaining. There's a twist at the end, that I should have seen coming, but admittedly, she got me.

For most of you, the answer is yes, there is plenty of yummy Reyes goodness included and Charley and Reyes spend more time than ever exploring their explosive chemistry. In the past, I've struggled with how great all the men are in Charley's life and how I'd be happy if she ended up with any of them and quite frankly, this still holds true. This installment adds a new layer to the growth of Charley's abilities and a glimpse into the war to come. Omens abound for a not so happy ending, but I have full confidence the author will ultimately lead us to a satisfying conclusion. One thing is for certain, I won't miss this ride.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet - A fun, crazy ride October 30, 2012

By Jess

Format:Hardcover

We open with Charley, still dealing with the effects from the events that ended book 3, Third Grave Dead Ahead. Her way of dealing? Spending money she doesn't have on anything and everything she sees on late night, home shopping channels. Her apartment is overflowing with boxes, a home she hasn't left in 2 months and this is about as broken a Charley as we've seen. It takes an ass kicking/intervention (involving baked goods and margaritas, Cookie-style) from Cookie, Uncle Ubie, her sister and even Reyes to get her moving again. That and the fact that she's broke and needs to work. So she takes a case, trying to help a woman being terrorized who has no support from her family and no friends. This is just one of many cases Charley has her hand in as she helps this woman, she's also helping her Uncle track an arsonist, she stumbles into a case about a group of bank robbers and she helps find missing persons; just another typical look into Charley's crazy life.

With everything going on between Charley dodging demons and all the cases she's working, the story never feels jammed packed with too much stuff. Charley is dealing with many different storylines, but her crazy thought process and sarcasm makes it all the more fun. Seeing Charley unsure and scared at the beginning of the story was a change and it made her seem more human than we've seen so far in the series. That's always the thing that surprises me in every book. I get so caught up in Charley's antics and her off the wall humor, there's always a scene or two in every book that hits an emotional chord, and it lends such a great balance to her character and the series. In this case, those moments come courtesy of her dad, who she's been estranged from for two months, and the woman who is being terrorized, Harper. It just adds another layer to Charley that makes her hard to resist, making me laugh out loud on one page and feel for her on the next.

Things become even more confusing with the main series storyline, Charley being the portal to heaven and Reyes, son of Satan, connected to hell. We get some information about why the demons want Charley so badly from a demon, information comes from Garrett, a friend of Charley's who died and was brought back to life. He has a message from Satan himself but Charley can't tell who's lying to her and who's on her side. Reyes is more forthcoming with details, especially regarding Charley and her past. We get some answers to long running questions (we finally know why Reyes calls Charley Dutch!), we get a little more insight into the connection between Reyes and Charley and there are still more questions left unanswered. Charley's abilities being the big one. We (and she) learn about a few new things she can do, by accident and by the sounds of it, she may have no limits as to what she can do.

Charley's love life is just as wild as her work life. Donovan shows back up and his big, bad biker self is making news headlines. Charley of course walks right into the middle of that mess and ends up getting a toe curling kiss from the man. But Reyes is still the star of her romance life and things are a bit different between them. Before, she would only meet and talk with Reyes when his `self' was outside his physical body, since said body was in prison. Now he's out, but he's working with some of his own abilities that she didn't think possible. Their relationship to this point has always been love/hate/love/hate - but the problem lies with what the consequences are of these two people coming together, both with connections to heaven and hell and what that could mean for the world...world destruction, hell on Earth, nobody really knows. But Charley just can't say no to Reyes and frankly she doesn't want to (yay!). Along with their usual back and forth banter and frustrations with each other, we get some sexy, sexy time between the two. Reyes gets possessive (RAWR) and I felt like even though they still have their back and forth moments, they moved closer together in the end. The last page of the book sets up more fun to come between Reyes, Charley and even Cookie.

Once again, Darynda Jones gives us another fun filled, laugh out loud, heartwarming (and heartbreaking at times) adventure for Charley that tests her ability to focus despite her ADD and wild thought process. In the end, Charley always manages to get her case solved and while her craziness may be what stands out, she's a smart, perceptive character who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Or wrong place at the right time. Either way, she remains one of my favorite heroines to read about, in a series I've enjoyed from the start. A fun, enjoyable read and I'm already ready for more.

Blog rating: 4.5/5

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Charley Davidson: Battered Reaper November 20, 2012

By The Rekindled Reader

Format:Kindle Edition

Anyone else want to join me to protest the new, not improved Charley Davidson? We need signs! Seriously, Ms. Jones? BRING BACK CHARLEY! Warning: I've got smelly magic markers and I know how to use them!

I was so anxiously awaiting this book, but it was beyond disappointing. It was like getting a new puppy and then watching it get hit by a semi-truck. Okay, maybe a semi-truck is too harsh. More like a Ford Taurus. But, still, DISAPPOINTED!

When I started reading the series, I was blown away by the witty, sarcastic, badass Grim-Reaper-slash-Private-Investigator called Charley Davidson. I have pretty high standards for memberships in my "Kickass Bitches Club" but Charley made it in, no questions asked.

So, what the hell happened!? Charley went from hella kick ass to "glorified battered woman."

After seeing all the great reviews on here, I'm left with the opinion that there are two schools of thought: those who will see this as a racy story of romance and those who want to kick Reyes' in his son-of-satan nuts.

Which camp are you? Take the following quote from Chapter 18 (Charley regarding an "encounter" with Reyes):

"With a growl that sent my heart racing into overtime, he wrapped one hand around my throat and the other around my waist. From there, he led me back against the wall."

Did you find that romantic? If so, then you're going to love this book. Did you want to throw something heavy? Then welcome to my world.

I am just.not.okay with this role and I am even less OK with the fact that it's happened to someone who was so independent. This does not make sense.

I know I should be rambling about the plot, but I'd have to hire a private investigator to find it. It was kind of like...

Charley is agoraphobic and addicted to the home shopping network after being kidnapped and tortured by the man who once abused Reyes...after Reyes used her as bait. She's all pissed off at him (rightfully so), so she tracks him down at an underground fight club to give him a bill (for $1 million) to compensate her for her investigative services. But then she sees him and the whole fact that he nearly got her killed basically flies out of her vagina. So, yeah, he holds her up against a wall and tells her to be afraid and then she's all like, "YOU ARE SO HAWT! DO ME!"

Oh and every once and a while she's working on this case for a lady who says she's being stalked and someone is leaving dead rabbits in her cupboards.

Oh, and then she gets kidnapped again (won't say by who), but it's an amiable kidnapping and has absolutely nothing to do with anything else.

There's some demons after her, too. Sometimes.

Charley does, however, learn more about her Grim Reaper-ness. After everyone telling her how powerful she is yet never giving her specifics, Reyes randomly decides to open up. No reason. I mean, yeah, it could've helped her protect herself books ago, but why ruin the fun with being honest?

And then there were the explicit scenes of - you know what. Not that I particularly care for those in the first place, but these were excessively bad. And ew. And ew ew ew!

I know, totally articulate review, right? But I'm a Charley Davidson fan and this book was so not Charley.