Blurb:
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.
Excerpt:
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.
Excerpt:
I took
the interior stairs back to my office, refusing to spare another glance his
way. Just as I put my plate on my desk, I noticed a priest waiting in Cookie’s
office. He was wearing a jacket and jeans, but the collar gave it away every
time. We’d apparently forgotten to lock the door, but in all my years as a PI,
a priest was new. I felt like I should do the sign of the cross as I walked
forward, but I could never remember if it was up-down-left- right or
up-down-right-left. I was so bad with directions.
“I’m
sorry,” I said, going over and holding out my hand. It was shaking even more
now than it had been that morning. Shaking from too much coffee was one thing,
but shaking from none at all? Utter agony. Torturous. Inhumane. Of course,
Reyes and his new gal pal could have had something to do with my trembling. “I
didn’t mean to leave anyone waiting here,” I continued. “I’m Charley.”
He stood
and took my hand into his. He looked like one of those jolly priests who
preached about hellfire and damnation but then qualified his sermon with an
assurance that if his parishioners strayed, they need only repent to be washed
of their sin. I’d tried to be washed of my sin once, but I ran out of Dial.
Tricky business, that.
“I’m
Father Glenn,” he said, his voice and manner full of exuberance. He had sandy
hair, thinning up top, and wire- framed glasses fitted over chubby cheeks. “I
didn’t mean to interrupt your lunch.” He gestured toward the lunch he could see
through the adjoining door. It sat on my desk, calling my name. Metaphorically.
My
stomach growled on cue. I offered a sheepish grin, then said, “Oh, no, I’m
saving it for later. I’m not the least bit hungry.”
“Gutsy,”
he said as I sat in the chair next to the one he’d been sitting in.
“Gutsy?”
He
followed suit, crossing his legs to get comfortable. “Fibbing to a priest,” he
explained.
“Oh,
that.” I laughed and waved it off. “I do that kind of crap all the time. Except
to my clients,” I assured him. “I don’t lie to my clients.”
Holy Hellhound!
The
previous book ended with a surprise that had all fans chomping at the bit for
this book. As indicated in the summary, Charley is now trying to be a
responsible adult. There’s a good reason for this, and it makes for some truly
funny moments when BFF Cookie tries to be “responsible” with Charley. Cookie is
an awesome friend! That “Devil’s blood” scene cracked me up! Speaking of
Cookie, I’m so glad she’s now paired up with someone and seems to be happy! Cookie
and her man are so cute together!
Boy,
did Charley have her work cut out for her in this installment. In addition to
the hellhounds that are after her, she’s got to figure out what’s behind all
those suicide victims. I found this storyline quite interesting! We get a
little bit more understanding of the prophecy. Sounds like things are gearing
up for something huge to happen in the next book! Reyes and Charley end up
spending loads of time together, because Reyes feels like he should be around
protecting her in case hellhounds show up. Charley is who she is, and I love
her for that. Sometimes she’ll do something, and it will make Reyes mad. All I
will say is that an angry Reyes is sexy! Just sayin’! These two continue to
create lots of steam when alone, like the scene that I’ve dubbed as “Pleasure,
Pain and Reyes Begging!” Holy hell!
There
is no doubt that I adore this series! I love being in Charley and Reyes’ world.
There is something in the way Darynda Jones writes these characters that keep
me coming back for more. Each book thus far has kept me thoroughly entertained,
and she continues to keep the surprises and twists coming for her readers. I
want the next book now!
Fans
of this series will enjoy this book. If you have not read this series, I also
recommend reading the books in order.
Audiobook
review:
The
Charley Davidson series is one of my all time favorite series to listen to on
audiobook. By now I’m used to the voices used for Charley, Reyes and the whole
gang! I look forward to the next audiobook, because Lorelei King always does a
superb job with her narration.
Meet Darynda Jones:
Are you a Charley Davidson fan? If you haven't started this series yet, do you like coffee? Comments appreciated. :)
