BOOK REVIEW - FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT by DARYNDA JONES - CHARLEY DAVIDSON # 1

By : Darynda Jones
Published By : Piatkus, St. Martin's Press, Hachette
Released : Available Now
Details : Paperback , 310 Pages

RATING : 4.25 SMEXI REYES STARS!!

Book Blurb : Taken From Goodreads

A smashing, award-winning debut novel that introduces Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper .

Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.
This is a thrilling debut novel from an exciting newcomer to the world of paranormal romantic suspense.
Private investigator Charlotte Davidson was born with three things: looks; a healthy respect for the male anatomy; and the rather odd job title of grim reaper. Since the age of five, she has been helping the departed solve the mysteries of their deaths so they can cross over. Thus, when three lawyers from the same law firm are murdered, they come to her to find their killer.

In the meantime, Charley's dealing with a being more powerful - and definitely sexier - than any spectre she's ever come across before. With the help of a pain-in-the-ass skip tracer, a dead pubescent gangbanger named Angel, and a lifetime supply of sarcasm, Charley sets out to solve the highest profile case of the year and discovers that dodging bullets isn't nearly as dangerous as falling in love.

BOOK REVIEW:

Well wasn’t this read a whole lot of fun, with some uber smexi dreams thrown in, a mystery to solve, and a grim reaper who is almost a ghost whisperer type character. I didn’t ‘feel’ that whole grim reaper thing currently suits Charley’s character description. In further books, maybe, but this one made her appear more of a ghost whisperer, even though we were reminded she is a grim reaper. Well, put it this way, she isn’t the grim reaper you have in your mind.

Darynda has some wonderful snarky, fun dialogue for Charley. I really enjoyed this as she is a character who is always getting a bit of a beating from somebody, but she just dusts herself off and limps and winces herself through the book.

Enter a couple of guys who are very easy on the eye that make this book interesting. Reyes Alexander Farrow has some mystery around his character, he is our uber smexi and a bit naughty *waggles eyesbrows* lad and we also have Mr Cranky Pants, Garrett Swopes. There is something there with Garrett and his crankiness with Charley. Me thinks he is crushing.

Charley and her Uncle Bob aka Ubie work cases together, Uncle Bob getting all the credit as how do you explain that a ghost told you who killed them.

Charley is a bright light to ghosts and when she has helped them, they go through her and Bob’s your Uncle, you go upstairs or downstairs...yes I know that was bad of me, but it kinda fit..ha!

Charley tries to go about her day as a Private Investigator mixed with helping out the APD, Albuquerque Police Department, but ghosts keep popping up for one reason or another. Her father is retired from the Police force and has a bar. Charley has a stepmother who she does not get along with. It’s kind of an odd relationship she has with her father considering how Charley feels about her stepmother. Uncle Bob is more of the male influence in her life, watching out for her.

There is a great little mystery which introduces us to some great sub characters, alive and dead. Angel , Cookie, Amber and Rocket.

I did laugh cause once I named my boobies, when I was younger * red faced*, I don’t feel so silly now as Charley named hers......and her ovaries. I will let you find their names out for yourself. I think the ovaries are funnier..hehe!!!

This was a wonderful start to a series by a debut author. By the time you get to the end, you feel like a lot is going to change in book 2.

OOOo!! Because things have gone up a considerable sized notch.

Michelle