Exclusive Excerpt: Seventh Grave and No Body by Darynda Jones

I am excited to welcome author the fabulous Darynda Jones, who is here to share an exclusive excerpt of her seventh Charley Davidson novel, Seventh Grave and No Body.

Twelve. Twelve of the deadliest beasts ever forged in the fires of hell have escaped onto our plane, and they want nothing more than to rip out the jugular of Charley Davidson and serve her lifeless, mangled body to Satan for dinner. So there’s that. But Charley has more on her plate than a mob of testy hellhounds. For one thing, her father has disappeared, and the more she retraces his last steps, the more she learns he was conducting an investigation of his own, one that has Charley questioning everything she’s ever known about him. Add to that an ex-BFF who is haunting her night and day, a rash of suicides that has authorities baffled, and a drop-dead sexy fiancé who has attracted the attentions of a local celebrity, and Charley is not having the best week of her life.

A tad north of hell, a hop, skip, and a jump past the realm of eternity, is a little place called Earth, and Charley Davidson, grim reaper extraordinaire, is determined to do everything in her power to protect it.

We’re doomed.

Make sure you stick around to the end. We’ll be giving away five copies of Seventh Grave and No Body.
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Excerpt: Seventh Grave and No Body

Strawberry stood there, petting a ragged Barbie doll with its hair chopped off in large chunks. Which wasn’t creepy at all. Poor Malibu Barbie. All her Malibu friends would be horrified. Taft told me his sister had always cut off her dolls’ hair. A fact that kind of scared me. I did have to sleep occasionally, and the thought of a departed child in dire need of therapy cutting my hair in my sleep did nothing to ease my mind as I fell into oblivion.

“Why am I in trouble this time?” I asked her, kneeling down and wiping a smudge off her cheek. She really was quite beautiful. It pained me to imagine who she would have become, given the chance. For the life to be ripped away from someone so young just seemed so terribly, terribly unfair.

“Because you’re going to die soon.”

On second thought, maybe she was better off. Away from other people and most sharp objects. I had a sneaking suspicion she would have become a serial killer. Or a telemarketer. Either way.

“Well, I’m hoping I don’t.”

“I hope you do. You can live with us.”

“She is adorable,” Jessica said, kneeling beside me. “What’s your name?”

Strawberry frowned. “I can’t talk to strangers. And I especially can’t tell them my name is Becky. Or that I’m nine. Or that—”

“Have you seen Rocket?” I asked, interrupting. We’d be there all day.

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Meet Darynda Jones!

NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious Golden Heart®, a Rebecca, two Hold Medallions, a RITA ®, and a Daphne du Maurier, and she has received stellar reviews from dozens of publications including starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and the Library Journal. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike, and she is ever so grateful for the opportunity to carry on that tradition. She currently has two series with St. Martin’s Press: The Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of almost 30 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.

Contact Info: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | GoodReads | Amazon | Pinterest

Want to purchase Darynda’s novels?
Charley Davidson

1. First Grave On the Right
2. Second Grave on the Left
3. Third Grave Dead Ahead
4. For I Have Sinned
5. Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet
6. Fifth Grave Past the Light
7. Sixth Grave on the Edge
8. Seventh Grave and No Body

Darklight

1. Death and the Girl Next Door
2. Death, Doom, and Detention
3. Death and the Girl He Loves

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Contest Time!

Thank you Darynda for taking the time to stop by Literary Escapism!

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