Two best-selling authors return this month with their latest entries in their most popular series: J. D. Robb and Darynda Jones.

               

Darynda Jones has been writing a series of romantic thrillers with a very supernatural twist starring Charley Davidson.  Charley has some different talents that has led her to a career as a private investigator.  When you can see and talk to the dead, you often have a step up on the ordinary, non-gifted police.  Charley has a reason that she can see and talk to the dead, she is the Grim Reaper.  Most people pass over without her, but occasionally, there are issues and a dead person does not want to leave and can only pass on through Charley.

               

Her latest is the final installment in the series, “Summoned to Thirteenth Grave,” in which Charley returns from a stint in the dark quiet of eternity for breaking one of God’s basic rules, she cannot return a dead person to the living.  Now, back on earth where only ten days have passed, Charley discovers that a shadow is growing over New Mexico that drives people mad.  With the help of her band of family and friends, she sets out to solve a series of mysteries that will give her the answers on how to stop this hell dimension.

               

Now from that description, a lot of people will pass on this series, but you really shouldn’t.  Just as the “Outlander” books have a time travel theme, it does not interfere with your enjoyment of the love story nor the historical background.  With the Charley Davidson series, you get a lot of mystery tied with some supernatural, great characters and a steamy love story.

               

J. D. Robb is better known as Nora Roberts.  Under that name she writes a series of mysteries known as the “In Death” series, about a New York cop in the 2060s.  Now don’t be put off by the futuristic timeline, it plays a minor part in all the plots usually with basic technology, but the thrust of the books is purely mystery.  It also has a great cast of characters, some nicely twisty plots, and another first-class romantic pairing.

               

The latest, “Connections in Death,” follows homicide cop, Eve Dallas, and her billionaire husband, Roark, on a case with personal connections.  Both Eve and Roark were victims of child abuse and they are investing their money into a brand-new school and youth shelter.  Having found the perfect person to head the facility, Eve is called out when Dr. Rochelle Pickering’s brother is found dead of an overdose.

               

What at first seems like a relapsed drug addict’s accidental death turns out to be far more and Eve soon ventures into the underground gang and drug world to find out who gave the order to kill a young man struggling to start anew.

               

There are almost fifty titles in the “In Death” series; you don’t have to read them in order, but it helps as her characters develop and change. 

               

Both Darynda Jones and J. D. Robb prove that you should give books that might have elements you don’t normally read a second chance.