The Dirt on the Ninth Grave by Darynda Jones
The Dirt on the Ninth Grave is another great installment in Jones' Charley Davidson series, and it proved to be just as hard to put down as the previous books in the series. Now I was not completely caught up in the series before I jumped into book nine however this book was a good one to jump into. Charley aka Janey has amnesia in this book so while Janey is trying to figure out her past and who she is the reader gets to go on the journey with her. While not an ideal book to start the series because the reader wouldn't catch some of the signature themes and understand all the secondary characters, I do believe that this could be read by new readers wanting to check out the series.
Jones' does a great job with her development of Janey aka Charley by showing her path and growth as a character from the beginning of the book until the end when her memories return. Charley's great sense of humor is one of the things I always enjoyed about this series, and I was pleased that Jones kept that humor with Janey. The secondary characters in this series have always added to the appeal of this series, and I loved seeing Bob, Cookie, Reyes, Angel, etc. all staying in Janey's life while trying to let Charley remember things on her own. The ensemble cast of characters in this series is always a delight, and these characters have helped make this series a favorite of mine.
The book's second and third stories are also interesting giving Janey a chance to put her PI skills to use even if she doesn't realize it. Janey becomes involved in a mystery when she notices the strange happenings at a neighboring business. She decides to find out what is happening there when she suspects an entire family could be in danger. In addition to everything else, Janey also needs to deal with a dangerous personal threat when someone in her life appears to be stalking her. Overall The Dirt on the Ninth Grave proved to be an amazing read that I would most definitely recommend. I look forward to reading Charley's next adventure.
Received a copy of The Dirt on the Ninth Grave through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.