First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Charley Davidson, Book 1

Synopsis : 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.

Our review : I’ve been immediately attracted by this book, some paranormal Chick-lit, everything I can like. And with so much great opinions, I try to read it too ! I can say that I really like this first novel.

Charley Davidson is a Grim Reaper, the only one who exists. Her name is a little original, but she is very proud of it. She is a private investigator and helps the police to solve some cases since she is five years old. Seeing dead people helps her a lot, and of course, they all come to see her before going into the light. But this time, Charley has to deal with the murder of three lawyers, and she has to face the lover of her dreams that she doesn’t know anything about.
I’ve been really intrigued by this man : Reyes. He rescues her when she is in danger, watching over her as he can. We’re very attentive, all along the book to know who he is or what he is. After many assumptions and a few information, the revelation was amazing, but we can only understand everything at the end of the book. It was a total surprise, and it opens a lot of possibilities for the following books. I’m very curious to learn more !
 
For the Charley’s character, it’s a young stubborn and determined woman. She can’t take orders from anyone, but she can easily put herself in real trouble. She likes her Grim Reaper’s job, even if she doesn’t know why she can do it since she was born. It’s a little difficult to work with some persons who don’t believe in her and her gift. But like she says, there will always have some persons who will adapt and others who will denigrate her, but nobody could call into question her invaluable help.
The story is very interesting. The novel is shared in two big plots that we would like to know the answers. This first novel lays the bases of the story, introducing each character to let us with an end full of questions.

Charley Davidson is a very special private investigator. She is a Grim Reaper, which allows her to see dead people and help them to “go into the light”. In the first installment of this series, Charley tries to recover from a previous case when she is suddenly awakened by a ghost, then a call from her uncle, a police detective, who asked her to join him on a crime scene. She has to help him to solve the murder of three lawyers. And as if all of that was not enough, there is a sexy supernatural male Entity who has decided to invade her dreams. But who is her mysterious dream lover? And what does he really want? This is what Charley will have to discover… 

To solve this case, she can rely on the help of the ghosts of three dead lawyers. The investigation is of course very exciting but we cannot help but being intrigued by Reyes. How not to succumb to his charms? Just like our heroine, we ask ourselves a lot of questions about him, trying to understand who he is or rather what he is. The author gives us some clues, but it is only at the end of the book that we finally know. So we follow the Charley progress in her search to find more information about him. And the least we can say is that she will go from surprises to surprises. She is obsessed with him and we understand that! Reyes is an enigma to himself. And the more we progress in the revelations, the more we are fascinated by him. I really liked this character which is intriguing, mysterious and dangerous at the same time but also so protective when it comes to Charley. 
Regarding our Charley, I have to say that I loved this heroine with her sarcasm, her quick-wittedness and her humor. We learn a lot about her and her strange powers, her family and her job. And the least we can say is that her life isn’t easy or too quiet! Not to mention the fact that she is constantly facing danger. Not only she is a private investigator (a job that turns out to be quite dangerous) but she is also a consultant for the Police which often leads her to work with her uncle. Then she improvises barmaid when her father needs her, and the rest of the time she devotes herself to her job of Grim Reaper! 
Regarding the other characters, they are quite numerous. We have Uncle Bob and her father, an ex-cop who retired. We also learn that she has a stepmother who she does not get along well with her at all, and a sister who completely ignores her. There is also Garrett, another private investigator who is really annoying and does not believe in Charley’s abilities and Cookie, her neighbor / best friend / assistant. In short, we met all these characters we will have in the next books. 
I loved the first volume and although it took me a few pages to get used to this new series, I must say that I’m now addicted. I found that this mix of mystery / paranormal romance was perfectly proportioned. I enjoyed the world created by Darynda Jones and I want more! It’s funny, exciting, explosive and hot. I can’t wait to read book 2. 

15 thoughts on “First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

  1. I have this one sitting on my TBR because I think the concept is sooo cool! I think now that book two is out, I’m not gonna mind so much that this one ends with a lot of unanswered questions.

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