My Personal Review of The Hour of Dust and Ashes by Kelly Gay

I got to admit, when I first picked up book one of the Charlie Madigan series, The Better Part of Darkness, I didn't anticipate falling in love with a series so completely that I would be racing to see if Amazon had book 4 on it's book site yet.  Get ready for the toughest challenge Charlie Madigan has to face and she learns some things that turns her life inside out.

Meet Detective Charlie Madigan. It's been one of those weeks for her and now all she wants is to sleep, relax and rest. Until she finds out that the Ash addicted people are killing themselves that is. Now desperate to find a way to save her sister Bryn, an Ash addict, Charlie finds herself knee deep in quagmire as she finds she has to deal with devious jinns, her growing attraction to her Siren partner, Hank and now staying alive just got quite complicated. Charlie has decisions to make and it doesn't matter what she chooses, someone is bound to get hurt no matter what.

I got to admit; I never anticipated finding a series where I am so eager to see what happens next for a set of characters that I am racing to the internet to find out on the next book. Ms. Gay delivers a high octane ride from start to finish with her latest addition in the Charlie Madigan series. The writing is tight, story moves quickly and there is enough plot twists that I almost fell off my chair trying to keep myself from yelling “OH MY GOD!!” a half a dozen times. What really keeps me invested in this series is how the characters grow with each book, showing layers of them as they deal with different issues-be it from their past or the latest case they are working. The world building here is actually quite intriguing. I loved the premise when I first picked up the first book, The Better Part of Darkness, and it just got better with book two and three. Ms. Gay delivers a spine tingling story that had me flipping pages in eager abandon as I raced along side Charlie while she tried to save the people she swore to protect. 

The dynamics between Charlie, Rex, Hank and other characters is quite enjoyable. All the main characters have their time in the sun yet it doesn’t take away from Charlie’s storyline at all. I love how this author is able to give my favorite characters screen time even as they fight for their lives. They are so intriguing, even the bad guys, you can’t but help but be intrigued by them all.

THE HOUR OF DUST AND ASHES is by far the best book in the series so far but the ending gave me shivers and yes a few tears as events played out that I sure wasn’t anticipating. It literally had my jaw dropping in shock and I wonder what this author has in store in the next installment of Charlie’s adventures. If you are looking for a heroine who really enjoys kicking ass then you will really enjoy this series. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a series filled with ancient beings, jinns and more to explore. I do have to say that it is better to read the books in order so you get the full nature of the Charlie Madigan experience. Now I am eager for more Charlie stories and hope we don’t have to wait long for the next installment.

My Rating for The Hour of Dust and Ashes: 4.5 Stars

Check out the entire series at Ms. Gay's website.