First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, #1) in Audiobook Junkies

Oct 13, 2012 Carmel (Rabid Reads) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

First Grave on the Left is a witty combination of clichés, one-liners and stereotypes; add well-written characters and an original storyline to the mix, and you can’t help but call Darynda Jones’ debut novel a raging success. Grim Reapers are quickly becoming one of my favourite supernaturals and this book went a long way towards bumping them further up my list. I’d even go so far as to say that they currently rank second, right under werewolves and you all know how much Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

First Grave on the Left is a witty combination of clichés, one-liners and stereotypes; add well-written characters and an original storyline to the mix, and you can’t help but call Darynda Jones’ debut novel a raging success. Grim Reapers are quickly becoming one of my favourite supernaturals and this book went a long way towards bumping them further up my list. I’d even go so far as to say that they currently rank second, right under werewolves and you all know how much I love them! I was as intrigued by the plot line of this novel as I was entertained by Jones’ side-splitting humour. As a result, this entire series has become a must-read for me.

With a name like Charley Davidson you pretty much have no choice but to have a sarcastic side to your personality; having to constantly deal with smart-aleck comments about your name tends to do that to a person. I should know. That point aside, I found that her overall character was incredibly thought out and after only one book I felt like I walked away really knowing her. I’m positive that she still has a lot more to share with readers but Jones does a phenomenal job conveying Davidson’s complexity in just one installment. My first impression of Charley was “boy does she have a mouth on her!” but later on it became apparent that her snark is actually a defense mechanism. No one told her how to be a Reaper and it’s difficult for her to get close to anyone because if she shares too much they usually think she’s nuts. Underneath the surface Davidson is compassionate, fearless and has an innate sense of justice which makes her a stand up gal in my books.

There are three engaging plotlines in First Grave on the Left that are guaranteed to keep you interested. Charley’s investigating the murder of 3 lawyers, trying to figure out her Reaper side and then there’s the mystery that is Reyes Farrow. You’d think that with this many competing plotlines the story would get a bit muddled but Darynda isn’t just gifted in the area of character development, she’s also a natural at storytelling. I loved all of the ghosts that Davidson encounters in this book; they’re quirky and just plain funny. There’s her crazy aunt who likes making “coffee”, the evil demon child, the weird guy in the corner who Charley’s named Mr. Wong, and of course the 3 lawyers. The other secondary characters are also equally as enjoyable and last but not least there’s Reyes. Jones describes him in such a way that by the end I found myself drooling at the mere mention of his name. I highly doubt that this is the last we’ll see of him and thank god for that!

In the span of just one book Darynda Jones went from being a previously unknown author to me to an absolute must read. This novel also allowed me to discover Lorelei King as a narrator and I immediately became an insta-fan of hers. She reads the story like it was written for her and is the perfect voice for Charley’s brand of humour. First Grave on the Right is a brilliant first installment; now on to Second Grave on the Right!

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Nov 03, 2011 Angela Carr rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

4.5 Stars

Charlie Davidson has a sixth sense and not afraid to use it. She can see dead people and use the ability to help them and the loved ones they left behind. I honestly did not think I would enjoy this plot, but I have to tell you, Charlie Davidson is a very funny and quirky character. She has a way of dealing with issues at hand. I could not get enough of her.

In this book, she works with her uncle as a private PI specifically to solve a case of 3 murdered lawyers. And helping her are ...more

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Apr 15, 2013 The Book Junkie Reads . . . rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, againagain-and-again, irr-all-kinds, z2014newauthor, audio-i-own

The first read by Jones and I think that I am in love. Jones has provided me with real characters from the real world to love with variety and rarities.

Orgasmic Dream!!!!! Holly $#ite!
This stars right of with a tanker filled with laughter. Caution do not be consuming food or drink for fear of choking hazard. Jones makes ADHD look extremely appealing from the perspective of Charley Davidson. Charley is a serious HOOT! I love her without a doubt. I love her relationship with the people around her ...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-new-to-me-author, urban-fantasy, charley-davidson-series

Note: This is a joint review of the first two books in the series, originally posted at http://www.twimom227.com/2012/12/revi...

My Rating:
First Grave on the Right
4.5 stars: Loved it - enthusiastically recommend (A)

Second Grave on the Left
4 stars: Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)

Charley is the daughter of a retired cop, and her Uncle Bob (or Ubie as Charley likes to call him) is an accomplished detective for the Albuquerque Police Department. Charley has been helping them solve crimes since she ...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Tonyalee rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, adult, own, 2014-read, lol-funny

See this review and more on my blog Lilybloombooks

I have been on the hunt for a new adult Urban Fantasy to sink my teeth into. I’ve see First Grave on the Right around, but never snagged it until I saw it on sale at my local book store. And let me just say; I think I have found another series to sate my fix.

Charley is a kick ass, hilarious main character. She’s a private investigator, using her Reaper abilities to help the local police, solving crimes and what have you. Original? Not really, but See this review and more on my blog Lilybloombooks

I have been on the hunt for a new adult Urban Fantasy to sink my teeth into. I’ve see First Grave on the Right around, but never snagged it until I saw it on sale at my local book store. And let me just say; I think I have found another series to sate my fix.

Charley is a kick ass, hilarious main character. She’s a private investigator, using her Reaper abilities to help the local police, solving crimes and what have you. Original? Not really, but I love this story line. I loved her relationship with her Uncle, “Ubie”, and her best friend Cookie. It does feel like she holds them at arms length, but with her abilities and history, I can understand why. Her “I like you but hate you” relationship with Swopes, too. Even though he is a skeptic, he really tried to understand how Charley’s abilities work. I loved their banter.

Of course, we have a romance. This was a very interesting way to start out a… “relationship”. I honestly don’t really know how to describe him, because I don’t even really know what is going on there. Sure, I know what he is but there is still so much more to discover about him and his attraction/affection for Charley. But their scenes together were HOT.

I love the writing. Darynda has a sense of humor that just comes naturally to the pages. There were several times when I was crackin up and even reading small snid-bits to my husband. Although I must admit, while overall the humor was well, funny; and it felt natural– I did feel like there were times where the humor wasn’t necessary and I could have went without. There are just times when shit is serious and real, ya know? I did like how we got the back story on Charley, too. I hate info dump, and the slow reveals over the course of the story worked out really well. The mysteries too, were really well written and kept me guessing and on my toes until the end.

I feel like we are only barely brushing on the world that Darynda will bring us, and I love it when you learn and discover more, along side the main character. The small taste we got at the end has me anticipating what else is to come.

My Peeve- Just the infrequent times when I felt the humor was overdone and unnecessary.

Overall- I really enjoyed this! Well written, fast paced mystery that will keep you on your toes and has a kick ass main character. Great start to a series, I can’t wait to continue. Highly recommend. ...more

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Nov 05, 2015 Angela Carr rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2011

4.5 Stars

Charlie Davidson has a sixth sense and not afraid to use it. She can see dead people and use the ability to help them and the loved ones they left behind. I honestly did not think I would enjoy this plot, but I have to tell you, Charlie Davidson is a very funny and quirky character. She has a way of dealing with issues at hand. I could not get enough of her.

In this book, she works with her uncle as a private PI specifically to solve a case of 3 murdered lawyers. And helping her are ...more

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Jul 16, 2013 Susan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, fun, fantasy, humor, female-lead, conflicted, audiobook, intense, mystery, urban-fantasy

This book is full of quick-snap comebacks and snarky humor, set in the desert Southwest. I loved the quick wit, the murder mystery, and the Hispanic culture and words tossed in. Being familiar with Charley Davidson’s chosen city of Albuquerque, I could clearly see her acting as a portal to the dead (‘Go towards the light!‘) in the heat shimmer of the day. I so very much wanted a hot green chile breakfast burrito to go with this book. An independent strong woman with her share of friends and supp This book is full of quick-snap comebacks and snarky humor, set in the desert Southwest. I loved the quick wit, the murder mystery, and the Hispanic culture and words tossed in. Being familiar with Charley Davidson’s chosen city of Albuquerque, I could clearly see her acting as a portal to the dead (‘Go towards the light!‘) in the heat shimmer of the day. I so very much wanted a hot green chile breakfast burrito to go with this book. An independent strong woman with her share of friends and supportive family, she also has terrors both in the past and potentially right in front of her.

Her whole life, The Bad has watched over her, protecting her in his flowing cloak and death-dealing sword. However, only she can see him. Of course, suddenly slumping corpses following in her wake has caused for some interesting family discussions with her cop family. Add to that a mysterious entity that interrupts her shower, calling her a nick name only one other being (Reyes Alexander Pharaoh) has ever used, bringing to the forefront memories of a messed up event from her teen years. This book was off to a good start, grabbing my attention straight off and then hauling me around for the rest of it.

The adult romance and sexual tension between Charley and Reyes was exciting and added yet one more thing for Charley to try to track down in the midst of her triple homicide investigation. Deadly handsome and off the radar, Charley feels a great need to track him down, especially since he keeps appearing in a almost-ghostly way to give her waking wet dreams.

Still, with all that goodness, at the end I was a little conflicted. There were parts I so greatly enjoyed, but then parts that quirked my eyebrow in a negative way. First, there is objectification of woman, mostly the main character Charley. And mostly it is Charley doing the objectification. Large breasted, 125 points, a 9 out of 10 on the beauty scale – this is the description of Charley by herself. The book is smattered with compliments on her feminine anatomy and propositions by most of the men. So, sometimes I felt this added to the atmosphere – I mean she works mostly with men – and also a woman should feel free to express her own sexuality. But sometimes I felt it stayed too much on the objectification, especially after the ‘love’ word got pulled out of the closet.

The second point deals with the main love interest of the book. I know messed up shit happens in life and we sometimes choose to move past that and keep the people involved in that messed up shit in our lives. Still, I think if the author through Charley had acknowledged the fucked up nature of this relationship, I could have swallowed it better. OK, so here is the SPOILER ALERT: Charley meets Reyes when she is 14 or 15 and he is 17 or 18. He’s just taken a nasty beating and she threatens to call the cops (to defend him from further beatings). He desperately wants her to leave, so he threatens her with rape. He then gropes her breasts and her sex, making sure she is paying attention to his threat. She promises to leave and he lets her go. OK, messed up things happen. But then fast forward like 10+ years, and for the rest of the book he is the main sex attraction. Um….aren’t we going to talk about whether or not he has a violent (sexual?) streak? END SPOILER. So, yeah, without having a few paragraphs or a chapter for those two to acknowledge their assault & battery beginning, I had a hard time rooting for Reyes and for their potential coupling.

All that aside, it was a quick fun read, complete with a car named Misery, a best friend, neighbor, and secretary all in one Cookie, and evil step-mother and step-sister. Of course there are also other handsome men, such as investigator Garrett – complete with intense eyes and a questioning attitude when it comes to Charley’s ability to chat with the dead. Also, Charley gets hit, a lot, in this book and this, and the resultant bruises, show that she is human, can be damaged, and does need the support of her friends and family.

Narration: Lorelei King was a great narrator for this book, giving voice to Charley’s thoughts and pulling off her humor with ease. Her male voices could use a little more distinction, as I sometimes could not tell from the narration alone who was talking. King pronounced most of the Spanish words correctly. ...more

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Jun 10, 2013 Beth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, year-2019, year-2013

Great Story. Kind of a cross between of Ghost Whisperer (tv show) and Stephanie Plum novels. First in series. Will look forward to reading more to see what kind of hijinks Charley Davidson can get into especially with two smokin' hot guys, Reyes and Garrett. ...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Shy The WidowMaker rated it really liked it

I have to say I have been meaning to read this one for a while and now I have to ask myself what was I waiting on. I loved this book. It was just amazing on so many levels. Charley is one of the best female heroines I have run across in a long time. She is smart,witty,powerful,snarky and oh did I mention she can see the dead. Yes that's right Charley is a Grim Reaper but you can through out all thoughts you have of Grim Reapers as she is completely different. She does everything in her own aweso I have to say I have been meaning to read this one for a while and now I have to ask myself what was I waiting on. I loved this book. It was just amazing on so many levels. Charley is one of the best female heroines I have run across in a long time. She is smart,witty,powerful,snarky and oh did I mention she can see the dead. Yes that's right Charley is a Grim Reaper but you can through out all thoughts you have of Grim Reapers as she is completely different. She does everything in her own awesome style. Charley is also a PI that leads to lots of funny moments too.I think one of my favorite things about this book was all the funny as heck quotes. I found myself crying from laughing so hard throughout this book.

The book also had plenty of action which is another thing I love in a great read. I think the other thing I loved came in the form of Reyes. Oh Reyes where do I begin with him. Let's just sum him up as sexy piece of man rolled into a mysterious package that keeps you guessing. I loved his interactions with Charley and how she would seem to swoon so much around him. He just had such a calming effect on her. I loved too that Charley could truly be herself around him and he accepted her for what she was.

Charley had some awesome characters around her too in the form of Cookie who I also loved. I loved seeing these two bonded so well together and be true girlfriends. There are too many times when books show women not getting along but these two truly cared for and had each others back one hundred percent. I also liked Garrett too as it was fun to see Charley trying to explain to him what she was and what she could do. The way he interacted with her as if he wasn't sure if she was just crazy or was truly different was so funny at times.

Overall I loved this book and can't wait to read the rest of the series and so sad that I put it off for so long. I loved the action, case solving and paranormal elements of this book. They all combined together into creating a truly awesomesauce book that I highly recommend to others. If you haven't read this book yet you really need to stop everything and do so as you won't be disappointed. I have to thank the awesome ladies over at the Goodreads Paranormal with a Kick Group and Kim at Kimba the Caffineted Book Reviewer for all their lovely reviews and good thoughts on this that finally got me to read this one.

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Feb 01, 2012 Karin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, street-teams, 5-star-reads, condition2-signed, format-mass-market

Book 1 in the Charley Davidson series.

Charley is not your average, everyday girl. She is THE Grim Reaper...except for the grim part. She's a quirky girl who ushers the dead to their afterlife while trying to live a relatively normal life. But this week is National Kill or Seriously Maim Charley Davidson week...didn't you know that?

If you are looking for a fantastically funny, light-hearted paranormal story, this is the book for you! ...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Anne - Books of My Heart rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

I really liked this. The paranormal bits were quite different from other stories, and interesting. Charley is quite a character. I like her friend Cookie. I love her attitude with Garrett and Uncle Bob. She seems a bit young and immature at times, however. Love Reyes.

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