Second Grave on the Left (Charley Davidson #2) by Darynda Jones

• Title: Second Grave on the Left
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Paranormal Romance/Mystery
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (August 16, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0312360819
• ISBN-13: 978-0312360818
• Author's Website:   www.darynda.com

'I take the grim out of being a grim reaper.'

'I'm Charlotte Davidson: private investigator, police consultant, all around bad@ss. Or I could've been a bad@ss, had I stuck with those lessons in mixed martial arts. I was only in that class to learn how to kill people with paper. And--oh, yes--let us not forget grim reaper. Admittedly, being the reaper wasn't all bad. I had a handful of friends I'd kill for--some alive, some not so much--a family of which I was quite grateful some were alive, some not so much, and an 'in' with one of the most powerful beings in the universe, Reyes Alexander Farrow, the part-human, part-supermodel son of Satan.
     
Thus, as the grim reaper, I understood dead people...'

Charlotte Davidson is tough, smart, loyal, and about as snarky as they come. She does have her share of problems, what with being able to see dead people. Imagine taking a shower and being watched by one? *shudder* It's part of her job as a grim reaper to see and associate with the dead. She is after all a portal to heaven. Sometimes the crossing over is easy, other times the dead have issues that were left unresolved. She never forces anyone to cross over. Sometimes she even helps them resolve the things which were left unresolved and other times they help her solve cases that would otherwise be left unsolved. The relationship is mutually beneficial.

In this book, Cookie's friend, Mimi, mysteriously disappeared, and people the missing woman knew are popping up dead. In the middle of the night Cookie was asked to meet her friend at a diner and drags Charlotte along to help. The friend never appeared. Since Charlotte hasn't been contacted by the woman the chances she's alive are good. Problem is there's a good chance whoever's been killing off Mimi's acquaintances is still after her. It's a race against time to piece together what happened years ago to put Mimi's life in jeopardy now and find her before the killer does.

On a more personal note, things have become complicated with Reyes, her dream lover from 'First Grave on the Right', who happens to be the son of a demon. Hmm...could that be the new catch phrase? Substitute demon for bitch? I kind of like that. lol Anyway, I digress. Reyes is at a crossroads that involves Charley. He has decided to let go of his physical body. He finds it a hindrance as he can get around without it and feels it isn't really necessary and makes him vulnerable. Problem with that is, if he sheds his human form, rumor has it that it will mark the beginning of the apocalypse. Can nothing ever be easy in Charley's life?

Where did the book get its name? Well its from this:
"It's that one," Mimi told the Mora County sheriff, pointing to Mr. Romero's grave. "The second one on the left."

Some of my favorite quotes:
- “DON’T GO BUYING TROUBLE.
IT’S FREE AND IT KNOWS WHERE YOU LIVE." -  T-Shirt: (I want one of these)
- “Chocolate and coffee? Together? Whoever came up with that combination should have won a Nobel Peace Prize. Or at least a subscription to Reader's Digest.”
- "His gaze slid over me like a veil of fire. He could ignite my deepest desires with a single glance. I decided right then and there no more reading romance novels by candlelight."

This one has a lot of mystery, drama, humor, with a dash of romance which makes for a delightfully delicious combination. The main story line involving Mimi is a sad tale, but you knew from the beginning if people were getting killed something truly bad had to have happened. My only fault is I would have liked to have had more of Reyes in the story, but that was forgiven because we did find more out about him. *sigh* Overall, I gave this one 4 1/2 out of 5 roses. I'm forgoing the Romance Rating because this story truly doesn't go into that territory this time. Charley was too bent on getting information on Reyes' whereabouts that the romance didn't go full bloom, but there were some scenes that did get hot none the less.

Listen to an excerpt from the audio book:

Order of Series:

First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, Book 1) by Darynda Jones

• Title: First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, Book 1) 
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Mystery/Paranormal Romance
  
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (July 5, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0312577427
• ISBN-13: 978-0312577421
• Notes: Hardcover version was released February 1, 2011

Charley Davidson is not your typical private investigator. She's not your average person. In fact, there isn't much that is normal about Charley Davidson because she's not just human she's also the Grim Reaper incarnate. What you've heard about the Grim Reaper is totally wrong. She does NOT carry a big sickle and wear a dark cloak. She looks like everyone else except to those who've passed on from this life. To them she appears to have bright light coming from her. She is the portal to heaven, and she sees dead people. 

Not everyone is willing to take the trip to the "other" side and so they linger in this world. At times it works out rather nicely, she and the recently or not so recently, as the case may be, deceased can benefit from a collaboration. They help her solve the unsolvable cases, and she helps them resolve something that was left undone. You see Charlie has been helping to solve murders since she was 5. She comes from a family of cops. Convincing people of her abilities can at times be frustrating, but there's no denying her perfect track record.

In this book three lawyers from one law firm have been murdered and one of them has come to her for help.  She'll attempt to find their killer. She'll also attempt to figure out who the entity is who's been invading her dreams for the past month. Not that she's complaining. A dream lover, after all, is something every gal should have. *Smirk*

I truly enjoyed this book. It was witty and fun with a little bit of snarky attitude mixed in. I found myself grinning a lot and enjoying the ride that Ms. Jones so kindly provided for her readers. Hey, don't just take my word for it JR Ward called this one a "must read!" and Kresley Cole said she's "eagerly awaiting the next Charley Davidson tale". Ms. Cole is not the only one. I gave this one a 5 out of 5 roses. Oh, I forgot to mention the chemistry between Charlie and her dream lover was hot. Where do I get one? lol

One last thing, the book derives it's name from this part of the book:
"So, what now?" Barber asked.
I looked at him almost sadly. "Now you cross."
Elizabeth turned, stepped toward him. "Well if you ever get by that way, I'm in the first grave on the right of that new addition."