Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones [Review]

Second Grave on the Left (Charley Davidson #2) by Darynda Jones
Format: hardcover
Source: borrowed from library
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: September 15, 2017

Charley Davidson
1. First Grave on the Right
1.5. For I Have Sinned
2. Second Grave on the Left - Paperback | Kindle
3. Third Grave Dead Ahead
4. Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet
5. Fifth Grave Past the Light
6. Sixth Grave on the Edge
7. Seventh Grave and No Body
8. Eighth Grave After Dark
8.5. Brighter than the Sun
9. The Dirt on Ninth Grave
10. The Curse of Tenth Grave
11. Eleventh Grave in Moonlight
12. The Trouble with Twelfth Grave
13. Summoned to Thirteenth Grave
13.5. The Graveyard Shift
13.6. The Gravedigger's Son
13.7. The Graveside Bar and Grill
13.8. The Grave Robber

Darynda Jones
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

If you hang around with dead people, life can get pretty complicated. Take it from Charley Davidson, part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper. Complicated is her middle name. The deceased find her very sparkly. Demons find her irresistible. And one entity in particular wants to seduce her in every way possible.
When Charley and Cookie (her best friend/receptionist) have to track down a missing woman, the case is not quite as open and shut as they anticipate. Cookie's friend Mimi disappeared five days earlier. Mimi then sends Cookie a cryptic message telling Cookie to meet her at an nearby coffee shop. The coffee is brewing, but Mimi's still missing. There is, however, a clue Mimi left on the bathroom wall: a woman's name. Mimi's husband explains to them that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old high school friend had been murdered. The same woman whose name Mimi had scribbled on the bathroom wall.

Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He's left his body because he's being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can't let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they'll have a portal to heaven...well, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty.

Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Can she keep those she loves out of harm's way? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel her as she does?

Thoughts on Second Grave on the Left: Charley and Reyes have a, err, complicated relationship, don't they? He's gung-ho about keeping her safe and yet he pushes her away without completely explaining why. Which could wear on a girl, I think.

Charley's pretty cool with it for the most part. I mean, she's a wee bit put out that he won't answer her questions and there's the whole "no one knows what will happen if his mortal body dies and OH BOY SHE DOESN'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN" thing, but she's pretty chill as far as things go. Maybe her placid manner comes part and parcel with being a reaper. I guess when dead folks can just pop in whenever, you kinda stop being surprised by things.

Wait a second. Did I say CHARLEY has a placid manner? HAHAHA! I misspoke. She's quick tempered and she can (kinda) hold a grudge. She's just...weirdly okay with weirdness. And Reyes hits the weirdness scale at a factor of ten. Which is kinda his appeal, right, Charley?

Ghosties, a missing person, smokin' hot Reyes, danger, a mysterious group of men, and some weird family dynamics. I have book 3 ready to read RIGHT NOW!