Murder by Death

The last book in the series; the one meant to wrap up all the loose ends, and it does so admirably.

When I read the first book, I liked it for the mysteries and the humor, though the humor was a little over-played (her penchant for naming everything grated on my nerves, and though she never stops doing it, it plays a much smaller part in the narratives of future books).  As the series progressed, I still read them for the mysteries and I enjoyed the humor more because it became more balanced, but I also got stuck into the mythology Jones was using for the overall series arc.  And I genuinely became attached to the wacky cast of characters that surrounded Charley.

This final book winds up the arc concerning the prophecies involving Charley and Reyes - and keeps the possibilities open for a future series featuring their daughter and her prophesied battle against Lucifer.  Since the 13th book was meant to be the finale, there are no loose ends or questions - though there were a couple of didn't-see-that-coming twists, one full-blown M. Night Shyamalan shocker, and a single misty-eyed moment I'm wiling to admit to.

The only bit that left me disappointed was the end-end; the part where we find out what Charley and Reyes do.  It's not anything short of a happy ending, but I didn't like it.  I get it, and I get why it was the perfect ending, but I still didn't like it, and mostly for juvenile reasons.

While I'm sad to see the story end, and sad I won't see the gang anymore, I'm happy with the series ending now rather than past its prime, and Darynda Jones has a new series coming out next year that sounds like it might be fun, so perhaps I'll have a new series to love and look forward to.

I read this book for Halloween Bingo's 13 square.  13 in the title, and 13th in the series.