Book Reviewed  -  Fourth Grave Beneath my Feet  - by Darynda Jones.
Let me start off by declaring that "I am a fan" of Darynda Jones.   I loved the "Grave Series" and "Charlie Davidson" from the start.  The story line and the characters have been strong and dynamic from the beginning of the series "First Grave on the Right".  So I was waiting impatiently for this book to be released.  I began this new release expecting to meet  Charlie as the bigger than life character she has always been in the earlier books.  Imagine my surprise when the character who has been through so much and still remained her unshakable self has been reduced to a shaken woman full of fear and self doubt by a mere human.  This struck me as totally out of character for Charlie and just didn't ring true.  The first quarter of the story seemed thin in plot and without much direction.  I was beginning to worry, where had the Darynda Jones I loved so well gone.   The early part of the plot needed to be better developed with more connections to all the main and secondary characters through the story line.  But to go further would only reveal too much of the plot for those yet to read this book.
  I am more than happy to let you know that the Darynda Jones style I am so fond of makes a full recovery in the second half of this book.  Charlie and Reyes both come back to life with all the colour and passion we have come to expect from them, restoring my faith once again.  My usual rating for  the series has been 5 out of  5 stars but with the somewhat shaky start to the fourth novel I  give it an honest rating of 4 stars, still worth the read but not her best effort.