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

Nov 14, 2018 Dianne rated it really liked it

Oh, what a pleasant surprise! Meet the Grim Reaper, who is anything but grim! Charley Davidson sees the dead, sends them on their merry way to the ever-after and does part time private investigating on the side. She also has some pretty steamy dreams of a mystery man who has been in the shadows her entire life.

Darynda Jones’ FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT is a sassy tale of a sassy woman whose attitude and penchant for getting in trouble is matched only by her wit and sarcasm! Add in the heat from her ...more

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

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

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

Shelves: fun, fantasy, contemporary, conflicted, audiobook, humor, intense, female-lead, 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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Mar 02, 2015 Molly Smith rated it really liked it · review of another edition

After several recommendations, I picked this up to read. Since my time is limited, I got the audiobook from the library. I just love Overdrive! Though it wasn't what I was expecting, I really did enjoy it. Charley is irreverently funny, smart, obnoxious, but lovable. She seems to just blaze through things, yet she cares for friends and family deeply, willing to do anything to help, as well as help to protect innocents. Though foul-mouthed, she is insightful and doggedly determined. I enjoyed how ...more

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Sep 29, 2013 Kathy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, 2016, audiobooks-challenge-2016, fav-series, audible, rereads, 2024, audiobooks-challenge-2024, rereads-2024

I loved this and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to read this series. I loved everyone - Charley, Cookie, Uncle Bob, Rocket! This is a fun book and I was in tears from laughing so much. The mystery is suspenseful and OMG I have to find out more about Reyes! ...more

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Nov 15, 2012 ACG rated it it was amazing

All I have to say is: WOW!

Ok, I've put a bit more thought into this. I am an avid reader, and I don't freely give out 5 stars... But if I am so enthralled by a book that I cannot put it down, I think it deserves 5 stars... At the very least.

Honestly, this book is fantastic for so many reasons. The characters are great (Charley is a hoot!), the story line is interesting, and there are plenty of plot twists... Let's not forget some heart pounding racy scenes that make up the "romance" in "parano ...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Tracy rated it liked it

Shelves: books-listened-to-on-audio

A good start to the series. A lot went on, as usual for a first book, not sure I understand how everything works with Charley's situation.. But I definitely like her and really like Reyes. I will continue the series and see how it goes. I am not hooked yet.. ...more

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Mar 12, 2014 Kimberly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: reread-worthy, read-in-2012, read-in-2014

Some books are just that good that they can be reread and enjoyed just as much, if not more, the second time, too. Absolutely love the snarkiness of Charlie!!!!

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