The Dirt on Ninth Grave (Charley Davidson, #9) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Jan 07, 2015 Steph rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series-ended, author-favorite, series-completed, arc-netgalley, series-i-love, author-웃, year-read-2015

Despite the undesirable circumstances Charley unknowingly finds herself in after the events of Eighth Grave After Dark, The Dirt on Ninth Grave is just what the doctor ordered. Eighth left my jaw quaking on the floor, so I jumped at the chance to receive an ARC of Ninth from NetGalley.

* The only unblocked spoilers below are mentioned in the blurb for this book *

I had forgotten something once, but I forgot where I put it.
I forgot. I forgot. I forgot.
It was so small. So fragile. Yet it held

Despite the undesirable circumstances Charley unknowingly finds herself in after the events of Eighth Grave After Dark, The Dirt on Ninth Grave is just what the doctor ordered. Eighth left my jaw quaking on the floor, so I jumped at the chance to receive an ARC of Ninth from NetGalley.

* The only unblocked spoilers below are mentioned in the blurb for this book *

I had forgotten something once, but I forgot where I put it.
I forgot. I forgot. I forgot.
It was so small. So fragile. Yet it held such power, this tiny thing that I promised to protect. I'd lost it.

Janey Doerr, "because Jane Doe was so last week, ... a girl with no memory of who she is or where she came from", is living in Sleepy Hollow and working as a waitress at the Firelight. Dixie, the owner of the Firelight, took her in when she woke up in the alley a little over a month ago with no memory. All she had was a major headache and a "hocking big diamond" on her ring finger.

I'd been waiting for four weeks, three days, seventeen hours, and twelve minutes. Waiting for him to find me. For anyone to find me.

Janey has regulars who stop in every day; she even has a best friend, though she's not quite sure how or why. Cookie, who started at the diner two days after Janey, is very sweet, honest (most of the time) and appears to have real feelings for Janey, but they've only just met. She enjoys Cookie's companionship, so she's not questioning it or the little lies she knows Cookie tells now and again. One of her regulars, Reyes Farrow, is one she both fears and desires. She can tell he's "... something else, something dark and powerful".

About a month ago, Janey realized she could see dead people. More than that, she can see their realm, their dimension. She tends to leave them be, not bothering them in hopes they won't bother her. She's not sure how Cookie would react to the whole, "I see dead people" thing, so she keeps the knowledge to herself. Yet, sometimes, she feels the need to help the dead. Furthermore, she's realized she can feel things - like lie vs. truth. This is awesome! What's not awesome - she feels like she's being watch or hunted.

While making a food delivery to a near-by business owner, Janey immediately feels the tension and fear radiating off of the owner; she also notices the strange men in his shop. Not exactly sure how to handle the situation, she acts as if she's oblivious and carries on back to work. In a very Charley-esque sort of way, Janey begins to plan ways she can determine what's happening, who and/or what's at risk and how to help.

As a mega fan of this series, I admit I wasn't sure what to expect from this installment after reading the summary of it. But, I shouldn't have worried a bit. Knowing or not knowing who she is doesn't make her any less powerful or witty. The way in which her family and friends gathered around her to not only monitor but secretly support her as she works out who she is was so heartwarming. (view spoiler) I'm SUPER excited for The Curse of Tenth Grave due out Jun 28, 2016.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from the pre-published copy and may be altered or omitted from the final copy. ...more

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Jan 17, 2016 Lee rated it it was amazing

I wish I could give it 500stars. Darynda Jones is that good. I'm in love with these characters! ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

May 22, 2015 D rated it liked it

A bit of a filler, but several tight plots kept my attention.

3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 09, 2018 Netanella rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ghosts, urban-fantasy, amnesia, 2018-august-reading-challenges

I love Charley Davidson, so I'm already biased towards her books. I like her voice, her sense of humor, her wild cast of friends of both the human and paranormal variety. So, despite the fact that practically nothing happened in this book, I still enjoyed reading it. Because that's how I hang. (To use a Charley-ism.)

In this ninth book in the series, Charley is suffering from amnesia and working as a waitress in a small New York town. She's surrounded by her old crew - Reyes, Cookie, Uncle Bob, G ...more

1 like · Like · see review