Name: First Grave on the Right
Rating: 3.828947368421053 (76 reviews)
ISBN: 9780312360801

First Grave on the Right

I love these deep thoughts followed by the silliest of jokes

Silvia

Everything felt slow, lethargic as I swam through the reality that the world did not come to a screeching halt after a near-death experience. It remained in motion, a never-ending cycle of those episodic adventures called life. The minutes pressed forward. The sun slid across the sky. The heel of my boot had a tack in it

Darynda Jones

First Grave on the Right is the smashing, award-winning debut novel that introduces Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper. Charley sees dead people. That's right, she sees dead people. And it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e., murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. This is a thrilling debut novel from Darynda Jones, an exciting newcomer to the world of paranormal romantic suspense. First Grave on the Right is the winner of the 2012 Rita Award for Best First Book.

I don’t know, every time I read this book I fall more and more in love with it. 

It’s such a lighthearted and fun read! It’s the perfect book to put someone in a better mood

I don’t know, every time I read this book I fall more and more in love with it. 

It’s such a lighthearted and fun read! It’s the perfect book to put someone in a better mood

Sarah Escorsa

The first thing that came to mind after reading about 5 pages of this book was: oh, this is Stephanie Plum meets the zombies! Actually, it felt like a poor version of Stephanie Plum's adventures at first (a girl PI, humour, two sexy men following Charley around). It did have the humour and some wacky characters but it definitely lacked something. Then halfway through the book I started enjoying it more and ultimately couldn't put it down. The one thing that did annoy me throughout the book is the author's need to sprinkle the book with quite explicit sex scenes. One or two would have been okay but so many? It doesn't add anything to the story and gets boring really fast. Still, this was a fun read and I look forward to reading the second book in the series.

“First Grave on the Right” is the smashing, award-winning debut novel that introduces Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper.

Charley sees dead people. That's right, she sees dead people. And it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e., murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. 

This is a thrilling debut novel from Darynda Jones, an exciting newcomer to the world of paranormal romantic suspense.

“First Grave on the Right” is the winner of the 2012 Rita Award for Best First Book.

Lauren Sullivan

Charley Davidson is the grim reaper, which means she sees dead people and helps them “go into the light.” But since that doesn’t pay anything, she’s also a PI who uses her dead-people skills to help her cop uncle with his cases and also bartends at her ex-cop dad’s bar. When three lawyers from the same law firm are murdered, Charley’s Uncle Bob calls her in. Can Charley help solve the case before more people end up dead? And does it have any connection to the mysterious dream lover who’s been haunting her for the past month?

I liked Charley’s attitude. She’s hilarious and acts like she doesn’t take anything seriously. Sometimes her quirks got a bit annoying, but her reactions are explained by her (slowly revealed) back story. I especially liked the gradual reveal of her history. As you’re reading, you get hints about why her relationships with her family and most people are antagonistic, but it’s not until near the end of the book that you get the full story and start understanding how strong and resilient Charley is. 

Now, for the negatives. There was definitely a hint of the “I’m so hot, everyone wants me!” trope, which I personally can’t stand, but it was not egregious enough to stop me from reading. I also have reservations about the main love interest, since it felt like a lot was revealed about his identity towards the end of the book and not really dealt with, but I’m hoping that is explored further in the next book. Also, the plot is… well, it’s a bit of a mess. It flips back and forth between investigating the murder of the three lawyers and figuring out the identity of her dream lover with a speed that gave me whiplash.

Overall, I had a good time reading this book, mostly thanks to Charley’s humor. It’s a light, fun read, basically book candy. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for an urban fantasy/paranormal romance mash-up with lots of sarcasm and humor.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kelsi Proulx

This was such a fun read! Very original and the characters surprised me and had me laughing at every turn. The ending definitely made me want more from this series. I feel like there is just so much more to learn about Charley and her world. Such a great book, especially for a debut novel! I will for sure be reading more from Darynda Jones.

Nickie Mohler

Charley Davidson is the Grim Reaper. She is also a P. I. Her ability to see dead people keeps her in business, and also makes her an asset to her uncle, Detective Davidson. Charley has a new case, and it will take more than the living to solve it. This is another book that has been on my TBR pile for way too long. I loved it!! Now I have ten more to read without the wait. Yay!!

B. K.

I picked up this audiobook on a whim because I was in the mood for something supernatural and lighthearted. I enjoyed the first half or so, and the main character has an appealing, snarky sense of humor. However, the plot and "love interest" were both lackluster, and near the end I bumped up the speed to x2.5 to just get through it. I can understand what others like about this series, but there isn't enough here to compel me to read the next book.

Ally Wagner

3.5 Stars. Not horrible and I’ll probably read the rest of the series.

Brandie States

Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. And it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (like murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. But what does he want with Charley? And why can't she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in?

*My Review*
I absolutely loved this first book! It was funny, fast paced and even though it was a fast read, it was addicting! The character Charley is easy to relate too, and her quick-wit is great! The character Cookie is also a solid partner character, and has that motherly instinct to protect those she loves. As for Reyes...all I can say it HOT! Highly recommend this book for those that haven't had the pleasure to pick it up!

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.

Number 1 in series

First Grave On The Right

Jolie

Ever read a book where you are almost peeing your pants laughing because it is hilarious? That is exactly what First Grave on the Right did to me. I couldn’t stop laughing. I read the book laughing and with a permasmile. After the last couple of weeks that I had, 2 out of my 3 kids were sick, I needed to read this book.

First Grave on the Right starts off with Charley being woken up after a couple of hours of sleep to go to a crime scene. Charley has some unique abilities. She is able to talk to the dead and she is able to guide them towards the light. She calls herself a grim reaper and in retrospect, she is. Charley ends up getting involved in an investigation that will push her to her limit. The other major plotline is Charley and her unique connection to a man named Reyes Farrow. Charley must solve the crime, find out exactly who and what Reyes is and keep herself from being killed. Which is not easy since she attracts danger like trash attracts flies.

Charley has to be the snarkiest woman that I have read in a long while. Her outlook on life and her gifts was hilarious. While she was snarky, it was a front. She was still that little girl who was berated for using her gifts in public. Her father did nothing while his wife did her best to break Charley and in my eyes, that made him as bad with his wife. Charley did have a wonderful support system, alive and dead. Her biggest protector was an entity called Big Bad. Big Bad was present at her birth and he has protected her since then. Her trust issues with friends were well founded too. The scene where she opened up to Cookie was heartwarming and sad. All I have to say is thank you that Cookie took everything Charley said and believed her.

There is only one sex scene in this book. But, there is lead up to it. I mean, Reyes visited Charley every chance he got and he tormented her before leaving. When they finally did the dead, holy crap. I swear that I saw fireworks go off, it was that hot. Of course, seeing that Reyes was incorporeal, I did wonder how they managed to do it….lol.

The action scenes in this book were fantastic too. I did like that the author chose to portray Charley as human. She had to take time to somewhat heal before going out to do the next outrageous thing. It made the book more believable and likable to me.

The end of the book shocked me. It also set up for book 2. Once I catch up with my backlog of reviews, I will be reading the rest of this series!!

First Grave on the Right was a humorous read. It had snappy dialogue, a main character that cracked me up and plotlines that were fantastic. This is a series that will definitely be worth my time reading.

Chantale

This book is fantastic. Very well written and I tell you I couldn't stop reading this one. 

I saw this book in BookOutlet site and it really sounded interesting so I bought the first 2 books in hardcover. I am so happy I did because this book is funny and I just couldn't stop reading this one. I can't wait to read the next book in the series and I can't wait to buy then other books in the series. 


I highly recommend this book

First Grave on the Right

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