Book 15, 2023
Seventh Grave and No Body by Darynda Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I finished Seventh Grave and No Body last night. It's the seventh (gasp!) book in Darynda Jones' "Charley Davidson" series. The main character is grim reaper, Charley.
Charley's life is never dull, but this week is exceptionally busy. Twelve hellhounds have been sent to the earthly realm, and their sole purpose is to kill Charley. On top of that, her father is missing in action, her dead ex-BFF is haunting her, she's been asked to assist on a rash of baffling suicides, a teen ghost claims her body is missing from the cemetery, and a local celebrity is stalking Charley's fiance, Reyes. With the hellhounds in the picture, Reyes isn't letting Charley out of his sight, which makes her job as a private investigator difficult. At least Reyes is encouraging Charley to explore and expand her own powers. It's a good thing, too, as she just may need them to save not only her life, but everyone else's.
This may be my favorite of the series. There was a lot going on, which is typical of these books, but things dovetailed together nicely by the end. Charley continues to be her witty, sarcastic self while still being a kick-ass grim reaper. I enjoy her relationships and interactions with other characters, including regulars and those who merely put in an appearance in this book.
Favorite lines:
♦ Reyes seemed to be the campfire that melted her creamy center. She was warm. Really warm. And her warmth was making me warm. Like a lot. I couldn't be 100 percent, but I was pretty sure we were in the midst of a ménage.
♦ There must be a special, less volcanic portion of hell that was partitioned off and set aside for people who weren't all bad, just a little vindictive. They could call it the drama queen ward. It would be a huge hit.
♦ "I contemplated changing my name to It when I was a kid to make playing tag more ironic."
♦ "What would you attempt to do if you knew you couldn't fail?" // "Calculus, prolly."
♦ "I'm not licking you." A line I rarely said aloud.
♦ Holy water may fend off demons, but spiders were completely unfazed by it.
♦ Clearly, the day was going to proceed as usual: hectic and slightly bizarre.
♦ "Fuck," I said. "And now I said fuck. Son of a fucking bitch. I'm going to be the worst mom ever."
♦ "Go talk to her." // "I can't go talk to her. She has a boyfriend." // "Oh, my gawd, you're such a girl. Want me to pass her a note before gym class?"
♦ "Everyone and their dog is mad at me or has been mad at me at some point today."
♦ "Are you off your soapbox yet, because I need to do laundry."
♦ My jaw fell open. "I am so indignant right now."
Love these books! Five stars!