The Dirt on Ninth Grave (Charley Davidson, #9)

by Darynda Jones

'If you enjoy Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, you will certainly enjoy Charley Davidson.' Suspense Magazine

Working in a New York diner, Jane Doe is a girl with no memory of who she is or where she comes from. So when she begins to realize she can see dead people, she's more than a little taken aback . . .

Stranger still are the people entering her life: they seem to know things about her, things they hide. Her saving grace is the diner's fry cook, a devastatingly handsome man with a breathtaking smile and a scalding touch. With him close by, she feels almost safe. But no one can outrun their past, and the more lies that swirl around her - especially from the man she was beginning to trust - the more disoriented she becomes.

To find her identity and recover what she's lost will take all her courage and a touch of the power she feels flowing like electricity through her veins, but she's up to the challenge. In fact, she almost feels sorry for that devil in blue jeans - the disarming fry cook who lies with every breath he takes. She will get to the bottom of what he knows if it kills her. Or him. Either way.

www.daryndajones.com

'Hilarious and heartfelt . . . I'm begging for the next one!' J.R. Ward

• ISBN10: 1250074487
• ISBN13: 9781250074485
• Publish Date: 12 January 2016 (first published 5 January 2016)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 9 February 2022
• Imprint: St. Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

My personal health reality includes sleeping medications, so I rarely suffer from anything that could be called insomnia.  Except on very rare occasions when they fail, and last night they failed spectacularly - I never went to sleep.  I finally started to nod off when MT's alarm went off and I briefly contemplated instigating a domestic disturbance.   

The good news - I guess - is that I finished The Dirt on Ninth Grave in one sitting.  I was engrossed enough in the story to not want to put it down, but I'd have preferred not feeling like a zombie on toast today.   I definitely, thoroughly, enjoyed this book but I liked it the least of the nine books so far.  It was the amnesia thing.  We finally got to a place in the story arc where we had answers and a clear goal in site and then this book comes along and we're temporarily rebooted to Charley not knowing anything.  I thought this would only last a few chapters... maybe half the book at the outside, but nope: Charley doesn't snap out of it until the end.   

I saved this book until The Curse of Tenth Grave was released because I'd read from several places that Ninth Grave ended on a cliffhanger.  I'll argue this ending isn't a cliffhanger though, because the action comes to an end; the story is paused.  A major story-arc plot twist is revealed, but it's more a 'how will this affect the arc' twist, rather than 'ohmigod is someone gonna die in chapter 1 of book 10?!?'.   ...I think.  

Thankfully, I have the next book sitting here waiting, so I can find out.  After I take a nap. 

[Berls]

4.5 stars! Bummed to be caught up...

[liz089]

Check out this review and others on my blog Freyja Eats Books !!


STANDALONE or SERIES.
Series !! This is already the ninth part of the Charley Davidson series.

WHY this book.
Because I LOVE this series, I LOVE Charley, I LOVE Cookie, I LOVE Reyes, I LOVE Bob, I LOVE Osh, I LOVE Garrett.. I just love this series very much and after the eight part (which ended really exciting) I was totally bummed I had to wait for the next one.. And now I’m really bummed I have to wait for the next one again XD

FIRST THOUGHTS.
AWESOOOOME !! Oh how I felt for Charley in this part, she has been through so much already and now she even have lost her memory !! Just like the Mercy Thompson series, is this a series for me that feels like coming home. I know everybody, I love everybody and I’m so happy to read more about them. It’s just really one of my favourite series and this next instalment is just as great as the other ones. Maybe even more so, because you really want the old Charley you’ve come to love to come back..

PLOT.
In the last part Charley finally had her baby Beep and survived yet another slaughter. But to keep her child safe, she had to give it away and after all that happened she just broke. She disappeared out of nowhere and found herself in New York, Sleepy Hollow with no memories of who she is or what she can do. In this one we find her without her memories working as a waitress in Sleepy Hollow, surviving and being very confused. She found out she can see dead people, and that she can stop time. Charley wouldn’t be Charley if she didn’t think up the most funny explanations as to who she is and the people surrounding her, like she is a time traveller and Cookie is psychic. Everyone she knew is near her, and she is kind of suspicious about their motives.. but don’t remember anything. Even though she don’t know, she quickly falls back into her knack for trouble and before she knows it people try to kill her and she tries to safe everybody.

I really enjoyed this plot, to have Charley lost in a new place, discovering everything again.. It mixed things up and I liked that. I also liked all the different mysteries around her, finding her. The trouble with Erin and her child, the store owner down the street being held hostage, Ian the creepy cop, it makes it really exciting and I could not put it down.

ROMANCE.
I felt so sorry for Reyes and Charley.. After everything they have been through to lose each other again and have to start over. Mostly for Reyes because he still remembers… To see the woman he loves so lost and nothing he can do about it except watch from a distant. But they belong together, and even though she doesn’t remember that bond still pulls her to him. So romantic and really hot ^^

SETTING.
This story is set in a world of angels and demons, were there are gods from different dimensions, and of course, grim reapers. It is a nice change of scene from the werewolves and vampires, with it’s own unique twist.

It is nice to have a change of scene too, to be in Sleepy Hollow instead of Albuquerque. Of course there had to be a headless man on a horse haha. It was funny to watch Charley and Cookie as waitresses instead of private detectives, mainly Cookie with her clumsiness haha.

But instead of Charley knowing what and who she is, she sees it from a completely blank point of view, and it was nice to see how she discovered things about herself all over again.

CHARACTERS.
I LOVE them all, after a while I got to know most of them and they are really great persons. It is nice to see them from a fresh point of view from Charley with her memory loss. About that, even though she lost her memory Charley is still the same weird, selfless, awesome person that I’ve missed. Some new ones too, like Dixie and Erin, that made for some exciting news. I love how bad a liar Cookie is, and how she barely escaped situations where she almost revealed everything. I love Reyes, and how he only has eyes for her.. he is truly loyal to her. I loved Osh making things more fun, or Garrett trying to help her. And HA ! Bobert XD How awful ! It’s just a great set of people.
And a special mentioning to her father, for making the ultimate sacrifice.

FAVORITE.
Even though I love everybody, I love Charley the most. She is just a really special and unique person. I’ve never come across anyone quite like her. I laughed out loud a couple of times for the situations she got herself into and those around her. Like the robbery, poor Lewis. She just really makes this book with her personality.

LEAST FAVORITE.
Easy one, Ian. Totally creepy guy that doesn’t take no for an answer.

THE BAD.
The bad connects good with my least favourite character, because I do think that I was not really satisfied with his ending. Yes, he got what he disserved in the end, but he murdered multiple people, so how about their families ? And the headless guy, was it really and accident of had Ian a part in that? Wished that she told me more about that !

FAVORITE QUOTES.
“Je t’ai aimée pendant mille et un. –R.”
.
“You know?” he asked.
“Yes. I know what I am.”
“You – you do?”
“I’m a time traveler.”
.
“As far as superpowers went, if a vengeful madman hopped up on 24-Hour Sudafed and wielding a broadsword named Thor’s Morning Wood ever attacked us, we were screwed. Six ways to Sunday.”
.

FINAL THOUGHTS.
Because I’ve known Charley for a while now, and I’ve read along with her and all the things she has been through it really is a part of me too. I don’t know how else to explain it, but it is just really great to read about her again and how her story continues. Unfortunately I have to wait again now for the next part, which will be out this June.. so luckily not a very long wait, but still.. I want it ALL NOW. So for the rating, I would like to go for the full 5 Freyja’s.. because the writer really made Charley real to me, and as a writer that is a great accomplishment.

[ellieroth]

Qué nunca se acabe la serie

[Melanie]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

In this story we have Charley waking up with retrograde amnesia. She doesn’t know who she is or anything about her past. It has been about a month and she is working in a diner in Sleepy Hollow, New York. All of her friends and family have joined her, but they haven’t told her they know who she is. Charley’s sister Gemma warned that it would be too hard on her to force the memories back on her. Charley needed to come back to herself in own time.

It was fun to see that Charley was “Charley” no matter what. It did take her a bit to figure out her powers. She wasn’t sure about the fact that she really could see dead people. She was also very scared to tell anyone about it, scared she would end up in a straight jacket, who wouldn’t?? Watching her learn how she stopped time and how to deal with it was kinda fun. I’m sure I would be the same way. In awe and terrified at the same time.

She also got the chance to fall in love with Reyes all over again. Who wouldn’t want that chance? She got to go through those wonderful times of early love all over again. It wasn’t all hearts and flowers at first. She did see the darkest in Reyes and it scared her. She also saw the anger in him, which is also scary.

Watching all of the secondary characters that we know and love tiptoe around Charley trying not to reveal who they are to her, all while Charley can sense their emotions was hilarious. Not to mention, she can tell when someone is outright lying. Garrett, Osh, Cookie, UB (or Bobert as Charley calls him while she doesn’t know him), Swoops are all there. Angel even made the trip to keep an eye on Charley.

One thing I also enjoyed was the secondary characters we got to meet in this story. The fact that this took place in New York instead of New Mexico, means that we had to have a whole new cast of characters. There is Dixie the diner owner. There are the other diner workers in Lewis, Erin and Shayla.

Charley also works on two different cases that proves that she is a PI at heart. One that is police related and one that is departed related. She just can’t help but to help people who are in trouble. She also has a departed that she must help as well. We also learn that animals can be departed too.

This is a classic Charley Davidson story. It will make you laugh and cry. Even though this story Charley spent most of the story as Janey Doerr, it was still a fun story.

Narration
Lorelei King once again nails the narration of this series. She had to do some Russian accents in this one. She continues to pull of the snark that is characteristic of a Charley Davidson book. Add to that, she is also great with the parts that are also not snarky. She brings to the table whatever is needed for that scene and does it flawlessly. This is will always be a straight to audio series for me. If you haven’t tried it on audio yet, you don’t know what you’re missing.

[EBookObsessed]

Charley Davidson might have lost her memory, but she hasn’t lost her talent for getting herself into trouble. We are as frustrated as Reyes waiting to see what it will take to finally return Charley to her old self, but the story has all the usual fun and quirkiness we have come to expect from Charley Davidson and Darynda Jones.

When we last saw Charley Davidson, she suddenly appeared in an alley in Sleepy Hollow, New York with no memory and a ghost guardian dog. She ends up being taken in by Dixie who owns the local diner restaurant. Dixie gave her a job and a place to stay. Her frantic friends and family were able to track her down and have spent the last few weeks casually keeping an eye on Charley. I believe the only one who doesn’t make a guest appearance in this story is Rocket. Whether posing as a waitress like her BFF Cookie, or posing as three-meals-a-day regulars like Reyes, Garret and Osh, Charley’s friends are there to protect her and support her until her memory returns.

Not only does Charley have a knack for getting herself neck deep in trouble but trouble would find her even if she were hiding in a closet.

Charley might have forgotten who she is, but she starts to realize that seeing the departed and being able to feel what other people are feeling isn’t a normal occurrence. She picks up that Osh and Reyes are not completely human and that Reyes seems to be very angry at her and a bit resentful. Reyes is not only angry that seeing him hasn’t given Charley her memory back, but he is quite pissed off that the local police officer who found Charley wandering the streets has staked a claim and is declaring himself Charley’s boyfriend. Not a good idea to move in on the son of Satan’s woman.

Since appearing in Sleepy Hollow, Charley has picked up a stalker cop, a perverted old man with a telescope trained on her apartment, and the ghost of the headless horseman chasing her down the street. She also starts to notice the odd behavior of the antiques dealer a few doors down from the restaurant, as well as the strange men who are suddenly hanging around and making Mr. Vanderberg very nervous. She also doesn’t believe the rumor circulating that Mr. V’s wife took the kids and left town. She fears that Mr. V and his family have been taken hostage for something that the antique dealer has, and in true Charley fashion, she secretly (not so secretly) begins investigating. She is going to save Mr. V’s family, even if it kills her…and it just might.

THOUGHTS:
I binge listened to this series, but I received an advanced paperback for Ninth Grave. The funny thing is that I heard the whole book in my head as if it was narrated to me personally by Lorelei King. Do you think that means I owe her a royalty?

True to her to usual writing style Darynda Jones tosses in a few curve balls along with the fun and excitement, and she also gets Charley beat up. A lot.

I kept waiting for Charley’s memory to flood back and Darynda really does manage to take us the whole way through the story until the bitter end for Charley to have her revelation. At her sister Gemma’s insistence that Charley needs to recover her memory on her own, no one is allowed to just sit her down to explain who and what she is. While we realize the characters stopping by are our favorite friends, there it no recognition by Charley. Even when Cookie slips and keeps calling her Charley, she doesn’t associate that name with herself. Charley might not remember who she is and while she does realize that Reyes isn’t entirely human, that doesn’t stop that deep down attraction from drawing them both together.

I would safely say that you won’t guess what it finally takes for Charley to remember who she is, but by the end, she will be returning to New Mexico with her family and friends and that leads to the bigger question of what is coming next for Charley now that she remembers who she is and the power that she controls?

Received an ARC from her publicist in exchange for an honest review.

[kimbacaffeinate]

The further into the series I get, the harder I find it is to review the story without spoilers, but I shall endeavor to try.

After the events in Eighth Grave After Dark, Charley ends up north with nothing more than the clothes on her back and a ring on her finger. She has no idea who she is. Stranger still, she can see dead people. She makes no mention of this to the people in the small town helping her. With their help, she gets a job at the local dinner and a small apartment. I loved how Charley was still Charley even without her memory. The name she chose for herself is so her and I laughed out loud. As much as I fretted for her, I could not help but giggle:snort. Some things remained the same like her coffee addiction, snark and hilarious personality.

I loved the way Jones brought the other characters into this new setting and of course, I was worried about getting my Reyes fix. No worries folks, “hail, hail the gang's all here.” It made me a little teary eyed seeing all of her friends gathered in this small town. Of course, we got some downright hilarious moments. I caution you not to eat or drink while reading this, because even the most mundane things will have you rolling. It is Charley after all.

While Charley might not know, who or what she is that does not stop her from being curious and getting herself into trouble. She can't just call in the authorities, she NEEDS to investigate. This is the ninth book with at least two more on the horizon and Jones continues to keep things fresh and exciting. If you doubt the existence of soul mates, Jones just might make you a believer. The interaction between her and Reyes was sad, funny, hot and beautiful.

As much as I laughed, some intense story threads put Charley in danger. Her memory loss also possesses a threat especially when she gets upset. The powers that be see her as a threat all of which led to some intense scenes and a promise made that has me anxious.

The Dirt on Ninth Grave wrapped up nicely and has me counting the days until The Curse of the Tenth Grave.

Copy provided by publisher, This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Cocktails and Books]

Oh Charley...or Janey....or whatever you want to call yourself, how I love you. Darynda Jones has once again given Charley fans a book that outdoes the last one. With Charley not realizing she's Charley, we had the same wonderful comedy, ghostly visits, Reyes hotness and our heroine in some kind of peril that we've grown used to. Except this Charley (or rather Janey) is a softer version of the character I've grown to love. Full review to come closer to release day.

[Linda]

Charlie with amnesia was not my favorite - even if I totally got why this happened. And it may have been important to the overall story, too. I didn't fully understand why it was best to keep her in the dark for most of the book, though.