REVIEW by @UrbanFantasyRev: First Grave On The Right by Darynda Jones (@Darynda)

Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. 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 (like 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. But what does he want with Charley? And why can’t she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in?

This is the debut novel from Darynda Jones and introduces us to Charley Davidson, who is a Grim Reaper, which means she can see and speak to dead people and helps them “go into the light”. Being a Grim Reaper doesn’t pay the bills so she also works as a private detective and with the police department with her Uncle Bob. Her family are aware of her talents and since her father was a former detective and her Uncle Bob is a current detective they have both had Charley helping them since she was a small child. Three lawyers have been murdered and Uncle Bob has called her in to help. Charley is also has an entity that she has been seeing all her life that she is now having hot..ok really hot dream sex with, now she has to figure who and what he is.
Ok, I just finished reading this book yesterday and I liked it I just really can’t figure out how much. Charley is a pretty interesting character, she is fearless and constantly in danger. Growing up with her gift gives her some issues especially with her step-mother. Charley is also extremely sarcastic, I mean really really snarky and most of the time it is very funny but sometimes it seems canned and it’s there just to be sarcastic or for lack of a better dialogue and that’s why I can’t figure out how much I liked this book. She puts me in mind of a cross between Stephanie Plum and Betsy Taylor, both series I love but not as funny as either one.
Now the plot, there are really two mysteries you’re following. One is the murder of the three lawyers and the other is the dark mysterious Entity. The murders of the lawyers is a straight forward who dunnit, the Entity on the other hand isn’t. Charley has to figure out if he’s good, bad or something in between, how he ties in with her past and what exactly he is if he is not a ghost. There is a nice hook at the end that explains and sets up the next book in the series. I will grab the next book, cuz well I want to know more about the Entity and what happens next. If I made it sound like I didn’t like the book that isn’t the case I did like it, it was interesting moved along nicely and couple times I laughed out loud…she names her boobs for shit’s sake, “I pointed to my right breast. “This is Danger.” Then my left. “And this is Will Robinson. I would appreciate it if you addressed them accordingly.” But it just wasn’t a 5/5 book for me, if you like a light funny read the by all means grab this one curl up and enjoy.
4 stars! It was really good.
Click here to get your copy of First Grave On The Right from Amazon.com!

This book has also been reviewed for Pure Textuality by Heather. Click here to read Heather’s thoughts on First Grave On The Right.