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

May 02, 2015 Carmel (Rabid Reads) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads.

The pacing of this series has been gaining speed with every new installment, so although I did find myself wishing that Darynda Jones would just get on with it already, overall I enjoyed the breather that THE DIRT ON NINTH GRADE provided. Also, what reader hasn’t wished for the power to turn back the clock, and re-discover their favourite characters all over again? This book allowed fans to do exactly that, well until the ending catapulted us into an oh-shit free fall th Reviewed by: Rabid Reads.

The pacing of this series has been gaining speed with every new installment, so although I did find myself wishing that Darynda Jones would just get on with it already, overall I enjoyed the breather that THE DIRT ON NINTH GRADE provided. Also, what reader hasn’t wished for the power to turn back the clock, and re-discover their favourite characters all over again? This book allowed fans to do exactly that, well until the ending catapulted us into an oh-shit free fall that is.

One thing became evident in this novel; Charley’s memories aren’t what define her. She’s still the quick-witted, trouble magnet that we’ve come to adore, even though she now goes by Janey Doerr. I loved that her oddball personality was able to come through in spite of her retrograde amnesia. The theories that she came up with whenever one of her powers manifested itself were priceless as well from Davidson thinking she’s a genius for knowing multiple languages, to being a time traveler.

Bobert, Cookie, Osh, Garrett and Agent Carson’s attempts to keep Charley in the dark were an absolute blast because of the heroine’s ability to detect lies, and feel people’s emotions. It made deceiving her next to impossible, so most of them kept their distance except for her BFF. *queue awesome Cookie antics* Reyes’ frustration at being estranged from his soul mate was palpable, but the heart wants what the heart wants, even when the brain forgets!

This installment was rather tame in comparison to Jones’ customary CHARLEY DAVIDSON stories. There was still a throng of plot threads what with Mr. Vandenberg’s conundrum, Erin’s baby woes, and the otherworldly intrigue that surfaced in the closing chapters. However, they were slow moving, and the recap didn’t show up until the conclusion was well underway which made finding my way after an eight month break more of a hurdle than it should have been.

I liked THE DIRT ON NINTH GRAVE almost as much as Charley loves coffee! ~4.5 Stars ...more

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Apr 17, 2015 Sunny rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc

Originally posted at Scandalicious Book Review

ARC Review

Dirt on the Ninth Grave is book 9 in the Charley Davidson series. This is one of the longest standing relationships I have with any on-going series. At this point, series fatigue should be settling in, right? Admittedly, I encountered some of that in previous books, but not this one. Darynda Jones does a wonderfully unexpected reboot to the series.

If you are new to Charley Davidson, you need to know that Charley is a big-hearted, smart-mout Originally posted at Scandalicious Book Review

ARC Review

Dirt on the Ninth Grave is book 9 in the Charley Davidson series. This is one of the longest standing relationships I have with any on-going series. At this point, series fatigue should be settling in, right? Admittedly, I encountered some of that in previous books, but not this one. Darynda Jones does a wonderfully unexpected reboot to the series.

If you are new to Charley Davidson, you need to know that Charley is a big-hearted, smart-mouthed, caffeine-addicted private investigator who would give the shirt off her back if there was somebody in need, even if that meant that she would freeze in sub zero temperatures. It also happens that she’s the Grim Reaper. This Grim Reaper is not the harbinger of death, but rather a portal to the Otherside and a god. The love of Charley’s life is Reyes Farrow. He is the dark and mysterious, all-powerful supernatural being who also happens to be the son of Satan. Yes, it is a complicated relationship.

Dirt on the Ninth Grave balances the over arching storyline of discovering Charley’s full identity and her role as a private investigator. The strength of the stories lives not only in her adventures, but also more importantly, in her relationships with her friends and family. With laugh out loud humor, this story could easily slip in to the comedy genre, but the deep and abiding relationships with her friends and family keeps the narrative from getting too slapstick. The care in which she loves her crew reminds me a little bit of my favorite Nancy Drew books that I loved as a kid.

Dirt on the Ninth Grave is a reboot to the on-going storyline. At the end of Eighth Grave After Dark, Charley suffers a terrible loss. A loss so traumatic, she is transported to a random city in another state without her memory. She has retrograde amnesia. As Charley discovers more about herself, we begin the journey with her again. It is a chance for the fans, as well as new readers, to rediscover the chemistry that makes Charley unique and fun – her ability to see dead people, her immediate camaraderie with best friend Cookie, her explosive attraction to Reyes. From fresh eyes, we get to see how Charley and Reyes’ love is absolutely essential, how it transcends time and amnesia.

Staying true to her character, Darynda Jones throws in a couple of unexpected twist and turns that will surely satisfy her long time fans. You would think after so many books, I would be immune to any surprises. Nope, the author sneaks in a moment that completely breaks my heart that left me in a puddle of tears. I thought I knew what I was getting, but Ms. Jones threw me a curve ball. This is why I love these books!

The story ends with a seemingly impossible dilemma. How Charley will resolve this issue is anybody’s guess, but one thing I know for sure, she will do with snark, humor, love and care.
...more

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May 11, 2015 ☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) rated it really liked it

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 Charl 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 ...more

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Jul 17, 2015 Melanie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, z-2016-audiobook, 5-star-narration, 4-5-stars, z-2016

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 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. ...more

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Aug 25, 2015 Marcela (BookaholicCat) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc

4.5 Stars

Originally posted at The Bookaholic Cat

The Dirt on Ninth Grave is the ninth book in the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones.

The Dirt on Ninth Grave starts couple of weeks after the events in Eighth Grave After Dark. Charlie is suffering from amnesia and living in a new town away from home. Luckily for her, people around her are helping her find her way. She’s working as a waitress at a dinner and making friends along the way. What she doesn’t know is that most of her new friends ar 4.5 Stars

Originally posted at The Bookaholic Cat

The Dirt on Ninth Grave is the ninth book in the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones.

The Dirt on Ninth Grave starts couple of weeks after the events in Eighth Grave After Dark. Charlie is suffering from amnesia and living in a new town away from home. Luckily for her, people around her are helping her find her way. She’s working as a waitress at a dinner and making friends along the way. What she doesn’t know is that most of her new friends are the people closest and dearest to her, who have left everything behind to be with her. They are not pressuring Charlie to remember because Gemma told them it wasn’t a good idea. The problem is Charley knows when people are lying, so it’s not easy to trick her. Adding to this a mystery or two and you get a funny and highly entertaining story from beginning to end.

The Dirt on Ninth Grave shows us that even without memory Charley is the same Charley we love. I loved the different conclusions she got to when she discover the things she could do; she is simply hilarious. The Dirt on Ninth Grave also shows us the lengths her love ones are willing to go to protect her. Seeing Cookie and uncle Bob trying to keep the truth from her was funny as hell.
Reyes broke my heart, I can’t imagine how hard it must be to love someone who doesn’t remember you; How hard it must be to be next to that person, but not been able to tell her who you are and what you once had. The only good thing about it it was seeing Charlie falling in love with Reyes all over again.

The Dirt on Ninth Grave felt like the first books in the series, the ones that made me fall in love with Charley and her friends; after the disappointing end of Eighth Grave After Dark that was a good thing.

We learn new things in The Dirt on Ninth Grave and Jones shows us some glimpses of what it’s to come for Charley and friends. I’m still a little bit disappointed about the way “beep” plotline was addressed in previous book, but I can almost say that with this installment Jones has redeemed herself.

The Dirt on Ninth Grave has everything I love about this series, the laughing out loud moments, the mystery behind Charley’s investigations, the camaraderie between the characters, and an end that left me dying to get my hands on next installment. The Dirt on Ninth Grave is a must read for fan of this series. The Dirt on Ninth Grave doesn’t work well as a standalone.

I’m looking forward to June 28th, to the release of The Curse of Tenth Grave. I can’t wait to see what Darynda Jones has in store for Charley and friends. ...more

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Aug 25, 2015 Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, urban-fantasy, charley-davidson-series

It’s been a month since Janey (aka Charley) showed up in Sleepy Hollow, New York, without any memories of her past. Taken in by the owner of a local restaurant, she is making friends and learning that she’s a bit unique - like the fact that she can see dead people and their parallel dimension. With each day that goes by, Janey gets more and more frustrated, especially when she thinks that those around her may hold the keys to her past.

If you have followed my reviews of the Charley Davidson seri It’s been a month since Janey (aka Charley) showed up in Sleepy Hollow, New York, without any memories of her past. Taken in by the owner of a local restaurant, she is making friends and learning that she’s a bit unique - like the fact that she can see dead people and their parallel dimension. With each day that goes by, Janey gets more and more frustrated, especially when she thinks that those around her may hold the keys to her past.

If you have followed my reviews of the Charley Davidson series, you will know that I have a bit of a love-hate affair with the series. While I was pleased with most of the previous book, the ending, leaving Charley with amnesia in a far away town, set up The Dirt on Ninth Grave as a bit of a make or break book for me. Well, I am very happy to report that this book won back my love for all things Charley. Seriously… it’s that good. If you have been on the fence, I strong urge you to pick up the book and give it a chance.

I was worried about the whole amnesia aspect, but Ms. Jones uses it as a positive tool, rather than allowing it to further isolate Charley. Although she doesn’t know it, Charley is surrounded by everyone that loves her. Cookie is once again her best friend, and she has the hots for Reyes, knowing she loves him. But since she’s not weighed down by all of the revelations uncovered in the past few books, Charley is able to just be that carefree, funny woman we first met. She has all of the good traits that caused me to fall for her, leaving out the ones I couldn’t stand. And I fell in love with Reyes all over again. Seriously. I swooned. He has to act like he doesn’t know Janey - the love of his life. It pained me to see his struggles, along with all of Charley’s family, as they deal with Charley’s memory loss.

And the humor is out of this world funny. I cannot tell you how many times I literally laughed out loud. Some of the humor is trademark Charley Davidson/Darydna Jones, while some of it is Charley making fun of Charley. I freakin’ loved it. But the book isn’t all laughs. Unlike many of the other titles in the series, The Dirt on Ninth Grave brought me to tears, twice. Ms. Jones handled two very emotional situations with grace and perfection. The scenes were shocking, yet utterly beautiful for the maelstrom of emotions they generated.

Another great thing about The Dirt on Ninth Grave is that there aren’t a dozen different plots, sprawling in different directions. Aside from Charley trying to discover who she is and what she can do, there are only a handful of side stories. My favorite is the mystery of what is happening to shop owner, Mr. V, and his family. While she still doesn't make the best decisions, I like that Charley has solid reasoning for why she does what she does. And again, it's Charley at her best because she's not hampered down by all the otherworldly concerns and the complexities of her life.

Honestly, I would have given this title an A if it weren’t for two things. First, Charley has a stalker, and I felt the storyline’s conclusion was way too convenient and the set-up to get there was contrived. Secondly, the last 10% or so of the book was a HUGE info dump. It was too much information, and it broke the flow of the story, which was perfect up until that point. I got confused, and after a while, I just didn’t care.

As for the narration by Lorelei King - perfection. Seriously. I love her work. And this time around, I didn’t confuse Charley with Mercy Thompson (another series narrated by Ms. King). Ms. King hits all the right notes, using the perfect voices to match each of the characters, even tossing in some accents. She uses different voices for each character, and it honestly sounds like a cast instead of one person. But bottom line is, she nails Charley. She brings out Charley’s snark and humor, her ADD and confusion, as well as her confidence and heart. It’s not all laughs, and Ms. King reaches all the highs and lows.

In the end, I truly enjoyed The Dirt on Ninth Grave. It is probably my favorite book in the series to date because it combines the humor and storylines of the first few books, with the emotion and connection I’ve only come to know after reading this series for so long. Just like Charley had to find her way back, so did the series. And I’m happy to report, the Charley Davidson series has found its mark again.

My Rating: A-
Narration: A+

Review copy provided by Macmillan Audio ...more

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Mar 15, 2015 Angela Carr rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2015

I am amazed at how Darynda continues to keep her books sweet, funny, full of love yet heartbreaking and jaw-droppingly good. Each installment just as good if not better. This series is a must read!!!

You can take her memory away, but Charley will always be Charley even if she goes by Janey Doerr now. Living in a small town with her memory wiped out, Charley is still funny to the core, smart mouthed and the ability to attract trouble stays the same. Trying to make sense of her supernatural abi ...more

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Dec 20, 2014 Darcy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: uf, 2016, rw, e-book, angels, reaper, ghosts

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 22, 2019 Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms rated it really liked it

Shelves: fave-series, i-own, kindle, fave-author, adult, read-in-2019, romance, paranormal, paranormal-adult, urban-fantasy

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. ...more

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Feb 21, 2016 Viviana Izzo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

You know that feeling of anticipation and of having to wait to not only find out what happens next to your favorite characters... but to also see how the author is going to move the pieces to make things work out. You're watching for excerpts, teasers, and as a reviewer, your inbox for the ARC. Then the day arrives where you get the ARC and in my case the ARC in audio YIPPIE. I downloaded immediately and began listening to it at once.

Loreil, the narrator, continues to ROCK! She captures the esse ...more

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Aug 20, 2015 Melindeeloo rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio_book, urban-fantasy, x2016, x2016-scavenger-hunt, x2016-audio-challenge

I finished Ninth Grave in audio. I enjoyed it but it really was a filler book - a teeny bit happened at the very end but mostly it was just Charlie not knowing she was Charlie. On the plus side no.mention of Danger and Will Robinson

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Dec 12, 2015 Liza rated it it was amazing

Review copy provided by publisher

I have listened to the first 8 books in the Charley Davidson series from Darynda Jones. Lorelei King is the narrator and she has brought Charley and the cast of characters alive for me. However, I was given the opportunity to read and review The Dirt on Ninth Grave early, and could not pass it up. I'll be honest and say I had some issues with Eighth Grave and I needed to read The Dirt on Ninth Grave to get some answers.

I absolutely loved pretty much everything ab Review copy provided by publisher

I have listened to the first 8 books in the Charley Davidson series from Darynda Jones. Lorelei King is the narrator and she has brought Charley and the cast of characters alive for me. However, I was given the opportunity to read and review The Dirt on Ninth Grave early, and could not pass it up. I'll be honest and say I had some issues with Eighth Grave and I needed to read The Dirt on Ninth Grave to get some answers.

I absolutely loved pretty much everything about The Dirt on Ninth Grave. It took me back to the earlier books in the series and made me fall in love with the series all over again. Charley is Charley even when she doesn't know who she really is. The fact that she is now Janey didn't change anything about her character. She is still totally ADD, in love with coffee and willing to put herself in harms way to help people she has come to care about. I loved that even though she had no idea who they were, Reyes, Cookie and Uncle Bob all came to Sleepy Hollow to be near her.

I loved that Janey and Cookie were immediately best friends, and laughed out loud every single time Cookie called her Charley and tried to come up with a reason why. My favorite was telling her that was the nickname she calls her husband Robert. I loved that Ubie was there for Charley and that she instinctively gave him and new nickname as Bobert without realizing why she gave him one. I loved that Reyes was there to watch over and protect her and man even when she didn't realize who he was, Charley still had such a pull to him.

Of course Janey being Charley, she is going to put herself in a situation where she is going to need all the help of her friends to get out of it. Honestly, I really thought the story line was so streamlined with The Dirt on Ninth Grave that I enjoyed it more. Charley does have a tendency to jump all over the place but really only focused on the here and now for the most part. Her figuring out she could see dead people and they could pass to the other side through her was both funny and heartbreaking at times.

I loved that the amnesia story line was wrapped up within one book. I love Charley and her friends when they all work together to work cases and keep the world safe. I think while I found her amnesia refreshing as she stayed on point more often, it would have gotten old had it gone longer than one book. I loved we learned more about the Gods on each plane and there wasn't so much new information I couldn't keep up.

I will say Ms. Jones made me cry my eyes out on more than once occasion with The Dirt on Ninth Grave, so make sure you have tissues ready when reading or listening to the story. The Dirt on Ninth Grave gave me all the feelings I had at the beginning of the series and might just be my favorite book in the series to date. I am now more excited than ever for the release of The Curse of Tenth Grave in June. ...more

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Mar 25, 2017 Anne - Books of My Heart rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library, audio, 2017

4.5

I confess I was afraid to read this one, that I wouldn't like it. Charley with amnesia didn't appeal to me. So I signed up for a giveaway and won, which forced me to get to it. But I shouldn't have worried.

There was the snarky, wonderful sayings and dialogue I enjoy. Charley still tried to help people and solve mysteries. Her family and friends found her and supported her.

Reyes was awesome. His love was heart breaking, swoon-worthy. I am glad we continue to get to know him better. He's so st ...more

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Jan 06, 2016 Viviana Izzo added it · review of another edition

Really enjoyed this installment! Full review coming soon!!!

This and other reviews available at Viviana, Enchantress of Books

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, Elisabeth Staab in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.
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