Review: The Trouble With the Twelfth Grave (Darynda Jones)

From Goodreads: Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the twelfth installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times bestselling paranormal series.

Ever since Reyes escaped from a hell dimension in which Charley accidently trapped him, the son of Satan has been brimstone-bent on destroying the world his heavenly Brother created. His volatile tendencies have put Charley in a bit of a pickle. But that’s not the only briny vegetable on her plate. While trying to domesticate the feral being that used to be her husband, she also has to deal with her everyday life of annoying all manner of beings—some corporeal, some not so much—as she struggles to right the wrongs of society. Only this time she’s not uncovering a murder. This time she’s covering one up.

Add to that her new occupation of keeping a startup PI venture—the indomitable mystery-solving team of Amber Kowalski and Quentin Rutherford—out of trouble and dealing with the Vatican’s inquiries into her beloved daughter, and Charley is on the brink of throwing in the towel and becoming a professional shopper. Or possibly a live mannequin. But when someone starts attacking humans who are sensitive to the supernatural world, Charley knows it’s time to let loose her razor sharp claws. Then again, her number one suspect is the dark entity she’s loved for centuries. So the question becomes, can she tame the unruly beast before it destroys everything she’s worked so hard to protect?

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My Thoughts: To be honest, I'm probably going to read everything that comes out in this series because our heroine makes me laugh.  She's snarky, she's a coffee addict, and she'd do anything for her best friend...what's not to like?!  That being said, while I've enjoyed the series, I wasn't sure where it was going and thought maybe it was losing a bit of its punch after 11 books.  I was hitting the dreaded series fatigue, and while I was still a fan, I wasn't sure the eagerness to dive into the next book was quite the same.  I take all those thoughts back after reading book 12. Wow. Hit me in the emotions in ways I didn't expect, and definitely sets the series up for some new and interesting directions.  I don't think there's ever a true doubt about where Reyes falls in terms of good vs evil in this book, but the story itself, the buildup, it all comes together to keep you wondering and eventually in tears and then angry that you have to wait for the next book to come out to find out what the heck happens next.  Well worth picking up, even if you found yourself in a bit of series fatigue up to this point.  

(advanced copy obtained through Edelweiss)