REVIEW: Seventh Grave and No Body by Darynda Jones

In Seventh Grave and No Body (Charley Davidson #7) by Darynda Jones, Private investigator and grim reaper Charley Davidson seems to be facing one crisis after another these days. Sure she still has her hunky fiancé, Reyes, to protect her along with a few other close friends and family. But her time on this earthly plane may be growing shorter as the twelve hounds of hell hunt her down with deadly intent. Plus, Charley still has her normal living to make as the grim reaper, if one could call that normal, helping departed souls find their way to…well, whatever comes next.

“I’m compelled to help the departed, Reyes. It’s like my calling. If they are in pain, in need, in straits, I feel compelled to the marrow of my bones to help them. It’s just who I am.”

As if things couldn’t get more complicated, a reporter intent on making Reyes her own shows up at the most inopportune times, making Charley want to go all Xena Warrior Princess on her behind. But delicate flower that she is, ahem, she leaves Reyes to handle that situation on his own. On top of all of that, Charley still hasn’t been able to locate her father, who was supposed to be retired but who seems to have launched an investigation of his own. When the details of his findings coincide with that of a file she was given by a Father of the Church, Charley begins to wonder if anyone is safe to trust.

I walked forward and stopped at the edge of the bed. “You. Reading. That is probably the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen a man do.”

His mouth widened and he finally looked up at me, closing the book in his hand and setting it aside. “Clearly you’ve never seen me pole dance.”

How is it that with each new novel, Charley and her unique friends only seem to get funnier and more interesting? Seventh Grave and No Body went a mile a minute with an incredible array of action and emotions for us in this sequel.

“If you die,” he said with a savage vehemence in his voice, “I will go straight to hell and kill every demon there. Or I’ll perish in the attempt.”

This series has been a joy to read so far. It hits all the bells and whistles I look for in a paranormal romance. There’s a ton of chemistry between Charley and Reyes, a lot of great humor woven throughout the dialogue and the plot, plus we learn more about Charley’s abilities and backstory with each new novel. I love the snappy, narrative writing style author Darynda Jones uses for this series. She keeps things interesting with the way the characters interact together. And even though this is obviously fiction, the relationships we explore and the emotions portrayed seemed realistic to me.

Like I said before, there was a lot going on here. And because the story builds with each new book, I would suggest reading these in order. Charley and her cohorts had several kooky cases to solve while trying to stay alert, looking out for the twelve hellhounds that were after her. I liked that we were kept on the edge of our seats, learning bit by bit how everything came together, and how everyone around Charley will play a role in her future battles against evil. Her personal relationships continued to evolve, especially with Reyes, who was just as badass and charming as ever. They had some really touching scenes together, one in particular towards the end, that melted my heart it was so good.

If you’ve been following Charley’s escapades, this is a book you can’t miss. A lot of questions are answered while some life changing events happen to our characters. Plus, I think Charley is at her comical best here. Thus far…

Book Info:

Publication: October 21st 2014 by St. Martin’s Press | (Charley Davidson #7)

Twelve. Twelve of the deadliest beasts ever forged in the fires of hell have escaped onto our plane, and they want nothing more than to rip out the jugular of Charley Davidson and serve her lifeless, mangled body to Satan for dinner. So there’s that. But Charley has more on her plate than a mob of testy hellhounds. For one thing, her father has disappeared, and the more she retraces his last steps, the more she learns he was conducting an investigation of his own, one that has Charley questioning everything she’s ever known about him. Add to that an ex-BFF who is haunting her night and day, a rash of suicides that has authorities baffled, and a drop-dead sexy fiancé who has attracted the attentions of a local celebrity, and Charley is not having the best week of her life.

A tad north of hell, a hop, skip, and a jump past the realm of eternity, is a little place called Earth, and Charley Davidson, grim reaper extraordinaire, is determined to do everything in her power to protect it.

We’re doomed.