Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet by Darynda Jones (Charley Davidson #4)

5 Stars

I have given every book in this series 5 stars!  Each book is awesome and gets awesomer (it’s a word).  As always, Charley is appropriately sarcastic to a point that makes her funny and not annoying.  This is very difficult for authors to achieve (at least for me),  too much and it is just immature and obnoxious.  In this book we find out what happens to Reyes after everyone knows he didn’t kill Earl Walker, and he is a very busy boy.  Like all the books, Charley is working many cases at once, but only after she starts to come out of the coma she was living in after Earl Walker’s torture.  She is still mad at both Reyes and her father for their separate but equal betrayals.  As usual, she gets herself beat up pretty bad on multiple occasions.  I do wish that the author would insert a bit more ability for Charley to take care of herself, but I suspect that is will come all in good time.      

Harper Lowell is the first case she takes.  This poor girl has been stalked and traumatized her whole like and no one in her life believes her.  Charley does and takes the case to help figure out what is going on.  

There are the “gentlemen” bank robbers who she thinks she recognizes although they are masked.  Of course, she does recognize them and gets herself into some trouble in that confrontation. 

Uncle Bob is working a serial arsonist case and wants her help, but I think this case will move more into the next book.

And of course, the ever present demons are still after her and she still needs to find out what she is capable of. 

The reader does get to know a lot more about reaper history and (hold on to your seats) why Reyes calls her “Dutch”.  We get more Reyes time, more Donovan time and more Gemma time.  I actually really like Donovan, he is no Reyes, but I hope that he doesn’t get hurt in all this.  Her guardian is present and very effective.  Denise (step-mother) comes for a visit and while I think the author wants the reader to feel at least a spark of sympathy towards her, I personally, do not.  You do not slap a child or spit in their face!  I hope that Charley makes her work hard to even get into the outer circles of her inner sanctum.

Favorite Quote:

I soon found out Gemma had ulterior motives in hanging with me and drinking like a fish on dry land.  I could read it in her body language, in the shifting light in her eyes, but mostly when she said, “I have ulterior motives.