Review of First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Blurb:

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. 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.

Rating and Audience:

I would have to say this book earns a 9.9 out of 10 rating. I will explain it in a minute. As far as the audience- there are some pretty steamy scenes, so read at your discretion.

My Impression:

I didn't know a lot about this series when I picked it up this summer; in fact the only things I knew were the names of the two main characters, and what they were. Normally, that isn't enough to get me interested but I had seen a lot of talk about how amazing these books were and I wanted to know if they lived up to the hype. So I hauled my butt down to the local library and picked the first one up.

Now when I started reading, I found myself rolling my eyes at (and immediately docking points for) some of the grammar . I wondered why an editor would ignore sentences that sounded redundant until I realized that it was a quirk that was peculiar to Charley's character. Once the realization hit me, I absolutely loved it; that quirk along with many others made the character more real for me. Sarcasm and snark aren't what you would usually think of when you think of a grim reaper (at least I don't), but Jones definitely makes it work.

Charley is a very colorful character and thankfully, she isn't the only one in the story. Cookie the receptionist/bestie in some ways balances Charley out, and in other ways, she is an enabler--just like a best friend should be. The depiction of the relationship between the pair is absolute genius. The other secondary characters are well written and each has a distinct personality, I could almost picture myself being surrounded by the eclectic cast--Ubie, who tries to utilize Charley's abilities to solve crimes without putting her in undue danger; Swopes, who doesn't believe a word she says about the supernatural but has to put his own feelings aside to get the job done; and Angel, who is just what you expect from a dead teenager. There is never a boring moment with any of that bunch. Then once you throw in Reyes--dark, mysterious, and sexy--he adds more mystery to the story than a triple homicide can muster and enough steam to keep the reader (and Charley) begging for more.

I honestly could not get enough of this book. I found myself enthralled and I truly enjoyed every minute. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series and find out what kind of trouble Charley gets into next.