SIXTH GRAVE ON THE EDGE (Charley Davidson #6) by Darynda Jones-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 20 2014

Few things in life can come between a grim reaper and her coffee, but the sexy, sultry son of Satan is one of them. Now that Reyes Farrow has asked for her hand, Charley Davidson feels it’s time to learn more about his past, but Reyes is reluctant to open up. When the official FBI file of his childhood abduction lands in her lap, Charley decides to go behind her mysterious beau’s back and conduct her own investigation. Because what could go wrong?

Unfortunately, another case has fallen into her lap—one with dangerous implications. Some very insistent men want Charley to hunt down a witness who is scheduled to testify against their boss, a major player in the local crime syndicate. If Charley doesn’t come up with an address in 48 hours, the people closest to her will start to disappear.

Add to that a desperate man in search of the soul he lost in a card game, a dogged mother determined to find the ghost of her son, and a beautiful, young Deaf boy haunted by his new ability to see the departed as clearly as he sees the living, and Charley has her hands full. The fact that Reyes has caught on to her latest venture only adds fuel to the inferno that he is. Good thing for Charley she’s used to multi-tasking and always up for a challenge…especially when that challenge comes in the form of Reyes Farrow.

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REVIEWS: SIXTH GRAVE ON THE EDGE is the sixth instalment in Darynda Jones’s paranormal/UF Charley Davidson series focusing on grim reaper Charlotte (Charley) Davidson. As with all of the Charley Davidson storylines we find our heroine the target of more than one being-some demonic, some corrupt, many dead but all wanting something in the end. Told from first person POV (Charley) SIXTH GRAVE advances the series but a few days.

There are several focuses in the storyline including a man who lost his soul in a game of cards and Charley’s dogged determination to uncover the truth about Reyes’s past. She knows some of the ugly details of his childhood but she will set her sights on the people she believes gave birth to the Son of Satan. When Reyes demands that she stop her investigation, Charley’s inquiring mind doesn’t necessarily want to hear the story behind the story.

We will be introduced to the Dealer-a demon from Hell who knows more about Charley’s predestination than Reyes has revealed. The Dealer offers up ‘a deal’ to those in need but his price is steep and beyond what most people can pay. Charley is drawn to the Dealer if for no other reason than to learn the truth about who and what she has been ‘born’ to do.

Angel, Charley’s forever thirteen year old ghostly assistant, will have a more active role in this particular storyline. We will learn the truth about his death and the woman who wants to know if her son is still on this plane of existence. Some stories are harder to tell and Angel’s story is one that has been building since book one.

Cookie is her usual manic self-from the brains behind Charley’s PI investigations to the woman who has fallen for Charley’s Uncle Bob, Cookie is a one woman power house who plays off of Charley’s natural sarcastic banter-a perfect combination in any storyline or series. When Charley sets up a series of dates for the voluptuous assistant, Ubie (or Uncle Bob) becomes suspicious when he recognizes one of the men with whom Cookie has been paired.

SIXTH GRAVE ON THE EDGE is not as dark as some of the previous instalments. Charley’s knack for putting herself into dangerous situations continues but any near death experiences will not result in weeks to months of rehabilitation as in the past. Charley has yet to say YES to Reyes proposal and he is a man possessed to make Charley his wife and his own.

The relationship between Reyes and Charley is imaginative, erotic and arousing-psychic sensuality is something we should all strive to achieve. Reyes is the epitome of sex; his allure is far reaching but he is intensely captivated by only one woman-a woman who was made especially for him.

The ending and revelation were not unexpected for this reader but it was a definite twist in the storyline development. When the prophecies have decreed that the Twelve Hounds from Hell will destroy Charley, there is another Twelve waiting to protect the daughter they have all been waiting to see.

Darynda Jones writes from the heart with humor, sarcasm, an astonishing concept of friendship and a brilliant mind. The Charley Davidson series is a phenomenal UF/paranormal series that focuses on a kick-a$$ heroine who knows there are limitations to her powers but has yet to reach her ordained levels prescribed in the hierarchy of all things supernatural and decreed.

Reviewed by Sandy