

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
Series: Charley Davidson #1Narrator: Lorelei King
Published by Macmillan, St. Martin's Press on February 1, 2011
Genres: Adult, Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance
Source: Library, Purchased
Also in this series:



PJV Quickie: I have heard from a few different people what a great series this is. What I did not realize was how funny it is! I absolutely loved Charley Davidson and didn’t want the book to end. Add First Grave on the Right to your “Must Read” list now!
UPDATE: I was supposed to review a totally different book this weekend, however, upon finishing First Grave on the Right, I immediately started book 2, then, moved to book 3, and am now halfway through book 4. This series is book crack. It’s going places I didn’t see coming, and I’m going to pick up books 5, 6, and 7 at the library today. (see more edited notes at the end of this review)
Review:
Charley Davidson is not your typical Private Investigator: yes, she does occasionally help out the local police department with difficult cases, but she’s got a little-known secret – she’s the Grim Reaper. That’s right, THE Grim Reaper, as in “Go into the light” and “I see dead people” Grim Reaper. Granted, she doesn’t get to pick and choose which dead people come to her for help, but being able to talk to them is a handy skill for solving murder cases. In First Grave on the Right, Charley is trying to solve the murders of three attorneys working on the same case, and each clue leads to more questions.
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Why did I wait so long to read First Grave on the Right? I purchased this book years ago, but it wasn’t until I got the audiobook from the library that I started reading it (I like to read and listen at the same time, it helps me catch anything I missed while listening). I honestly had no idea the book would be so funny. Charley is a kick-ass heroine who’s full of snark and doesn’t take crap from anyone, living or dead. Her interactions with the dead are usually hysterical, but sometimes very touching.
I also like that Charley is smart enough to surround herself with people who love her, because her ability can cause problems with people who don’t understand what she is and just think she’s crazy. Her dad and her uncle are cops, and she helps them solve murders, and sometimes they help her with her PI cases. Her secretary, Cookie, is one of the best friends a girl could ask for, and pretty darn good at her job, too. There’s also her ghostly assistant, Angel, who helps her in ways no living person ever could. She’s got a few ghostly contacts she can lean on for assistance, and one sexy, antagonistic cop she loves to hate, making a great group of secondary characters that keep the story moving.
I thought the narrator did a great job on the audiobook, my only complaint is that her voice for the female lawyer sounded like a man and I was a bit confused before I realized which character she was doing. Production-wise, there was no distinctive chime or notice that the disk ended and it was frustrating when the disc would start over without notice and I’d wonder what the heck was going on. I’m assuming this is not a problem if you’re using audible or some other service. (I do a lot of driving so I prefer listening to disks on my car stereo.)
While First Grave on the Right does have a complete story arc, we are left with enough questions to leave the reader immediately reaching for the next book. I absolutely can not wait to read the next book in this series, Second Grave on the Left -: I’ve purchased a copy but in the meantime, my library copy and audiobook should be in today (!!!!).
Recommendations:
Fans of Paranormal Fantasy and Paranormal Romance will enjoy First Grave on the Right. The spunky heroine and her ghostly crew will keep you laughing. I tagged this as romance, even though the romance is pretty mild there is the promise of more to come. I would suggest this series for fans of Molly Harper or Gini Koch.
UPDATE: So I’m almost done with Book 4, Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet, and I am just obsessed with this series! There are some lingering questions I’m hoping will eventually be answered; I need to talk to someone about this series. OMG she had me going in book 3, certain events left me speechless. If you’ve read this series, comment here or hit me on twitter (no spoilers after book 4 please). My family doesn’t care how much I’m loving this series and I need to be a fangirl about it.
I read the first book but haven’t picked up the second. I thought it was pretty enjoy able and made me laugh a lot. I can see this would be a cute series to enjoy. Sadly my attention span doesn’t go past 3 books as of recently.
If I can, I tend to glom a series until I can’t stand it anymore, so 7 books was just about right for me 🙂 I hope you get around to reading the rest – it’s such a fun series!
I didn’t enjoy this as much as everyone else seemed to. I’m glad you liked it though. I couldn’t get on board with some of the plot points and character behavior, but some of it was fun and I listened to this in the car as well, so it entertained me at least.
Bummer 🙁 I’m glad you were entertained at least; the narrator is very good. I’d like to hear her reading another series.
I’m adding it to Goodreads!! Thanks!!!
I hope you love it as much as I do!
I need to read this series ASAP! Hopefully it’s something I buy for the Christmas holidays.
Oh, it’s so good – I honestly don’t know why I put it off so long.
Welcome to the Charley/Reyes Addicts group 🙂 It’s such a great group we have here. And yes – total book crack!
Hahaha, thank you, I’m happy to be a member of this group 🙂
Ahh!! Another person has discovered the wonder that is Charley. I read books 1 through 4 last year, a couple of weeks before my exam and boy it was a much need reprieve. I feel so happy when I meet people who love the same series as me, and I’m so glad you fell in love with Charley and gang too. The humor is amazing, and well there’s always Reyes! 🙂
Welcome to the club! 🙂
Thanks for the welcome – I’m loving this club 🙂 I love Reyes but I still don’t know if I trust him…
Yes, well to trust or not to trust? That question is surely there. Even when his feelings for Charley are clear, I still can’t convince myself that he doesn’t have any hidden intentions.
This is an audio only series for me. King is the main reason I keep coming back. Especially the later books. I actually DNF this one but gave it a 2nd chance a few months later and I’m glad I did. I think it was a mood thing the first time around.
Sometimes I DNF a book and like it better the 2nd time around. Glad you did that with this one 🙂
Isn’t this series so much fun? I just love it to death (pun intended). I love King’s narration. She is one of my favorite narrators. Sorry that it was confusing about the CDs starting over. My library doesn’t carry them, so I have to buy from Audible.
This series is sooo much fun! I just finished book 5, and that one tore me up -laughing, crying, it was awesome!
I listen to the CDs in my car, if I use audible, I have to put my phone between my chest and the seatbelt to hear while I’m driving 🙂
I enjoyed reading your review so much! First of all, I didn’t realize anyone else out there does audio and print at the same time but I understood you to say that you do so we must be at least partly kindred spirits, yes? I try to do both together as much as possible, which is almost always. YAY! Second, this series has been recommended to me multiple times and my library has the audios for every book except the first! That’s why I haven’t picked it up yet. I even checked again YESTERDAY. So I love the fact that I’m seeing this right now because it’s almost like a little nudge that YES I should totally find a way to read it. I need to have them order it actually. If I want to read it, chances are others do as well. FUN, FUN review. I love that you kept going with the series. I think you may have given me the nudge I needed to finally get going with these books!! Thanks!!
I drive a lot for work so I like to listen, but I have to pay attention to the road so sometimes I miss things. That way I can go back and read little things I missed, but the audio gives a nuance I may not have seen by reading only. I like it 🙂
Oh yes, definitely read it!! I can’t believe they have all but the first book – what’s up with that?
I also enjoy this series. The humor is a big reason why I love it,. Of course, Reyes doesn’t hurt. 😉
LOL, I keep flip-flopping about whether I like him or not. But usually I do *winks*