Eleventh Grave Picks Up the Pace

ELEVENTH GRAVE IN MOONLIGHT
Darynda Jones
St. Martin's Press
January 24, 2017


It's not normal for your average Albuquerque PI to have
archangels tailing her. Neither are a spectral Rottweiler as a bodyguard, demons, hell-hounds, ghosts, and gods. That is, unless the PI is Charley Davidson; Grim Reaper, Goddess, and married to the Son of Satan, who tries very hard to be a good guy. Charley and her husband, Reyes Farrow, are also the parents of an infant girl who may (or may not) save the world. When we last saw Charley and Reyes they were leaving the child in hiding from an evil god who wants to kill her and break down the walls between Hell and our world. While Charley and Reyes try to figure out that problem, the PI business has to go on. This time the case involves very human villains who lead a nasty cult and have a connection to Reyes. Also, Charley's police detective Uncle Bob is acting strangely. The whole thing ends with a cliff-hanger of monumental proportions.

If the plot summary seems confusing, I have to say that Eleventh Grave in Moonlight is decidedly not a stand-alone in any sense of the word. Each book, starting with First Grave on the Right, sets the scene and builds the world for the next. I have enjoyed them all to a greater or lesser degree, primarily for the sheer imagination of the premise, snarky humor and likable characters who gather around Charley. In the past, I have thought that the story line was moving a bit slowly but Eleventh Grave picks up the pace. I saw a lot of growth in Charley's attitude and in her grasp of her powers. Darynda Jones has a sense of humor that I found fresh and engaging in the first book and I still do. I always look forward to the sayings at the beginning of each chapter; they are often small masterpieces of snark. I am looking forward to the next book to see how this cliff-hanger is resolved!

Thanks to St. Martins and NetGalley for an advance digital copy in return for an honest review. The entire series is great complete escape reading.

RATING- 4 Stars