Second Grave on the Left Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 2012

Okay, so I thought that I reviewed this book years ago but I guess not. This is like my 5th or 6th reread of the whole series, so o have nothing exciting to say except that I highly recommend this book. I've been in a reading slump since last fall and I've been sick. I started this series again and I can feel myself slowly coming back to life. A grim Reaper, the son of Satan and some old and new friends keeping up maybe. Of course, Charley can't go a day without getting almost killed. She has a few brushes with death in this book, but it takes more than a mere knife or bullet to take her down. Demons perhaps? On to the next one!

*****Spoilers*****Charley is back and still searching for Reyes while taking on a missing persons case, both of which she's successful in accomplishing. Things don't move in a straight line but it's easy to get immersed in the story as it moves along. It turns out, Reyes was where I figured he'd be and that was in her building, the basement was where his corporeal body was located. Despite Reyes telling Charley to leave him and let him die, she didn't give up and not only found him but prevented his incorporeal self from killing his own corporeal body. Which leaves the question of why Reyes didn't just do it in the first place. Head scratcher that. Following her rescue, she binds Reyes so his corporeal and incorporeal selves are one and he's no longer able to travel like he had been. This also means that he won't be popping up randomly to save her life but I'm not sure what it means if she tries to summon him. Perhaps she'll solve the murder of his Earthly father that landed Reyes in jail in the first place and get him out. That would probably be a good thing because in showing her hand, Charley put herself on Satan's radar and since Satan is the father Reyes grew up with in Hell and has been looking for the key to heaven to conquer it, Charley is kind of on her own. She tries to go to the jail to see Reyes but he denied her application so who knows if she'll try again or if she'll be able to speak with him for help but I'm sure future books will see it played out.There's Mistress Marigold to consider as well who may be of assistance. Charley contacted her after coming across a blurb on a webpage for the grim reaper to contact Mistress Marigold. Charley does eventually after having a couple of decoys send a communication. Somehow the mistress knew they weren't the real grim reaper. There was lots of interesting stuff, most of what I was interested in reading though was at or toward the end of the book which made me impatient a time or two as I read through the other stuff Charley was involved in and looking into for her PI work. Charley is threatened, beat up, and almost killed a few times but still kind of just throws herself into danger. It doesn't seem prudent on her part to do so for one thing, especially since I don't think she knows how to fight and can't handle weapons well. Charley does learn a bit more about her powers so there's that, especially since she releases her light and burns through the demons that had been torturing Reyes' body in the basement.

Second Grave on the Left by Darynda JonesBook #2: Charley Davidson SeriesSource: PurchaseRating: 4/5 starsCharley Davidson’s life is never, ever simple or stress-free or safe. As a private investigator Charley expects a certain degree of crappiness but when she goes looking for Cookie’s friend Mimi, the degree of crappiness seems to rise exponentially. In the span of no more than two weeks, Charley is stabbed and/or cut multiple times, super glued back together multiple times, shot at, and, concussed multiple times. At least there is never a dull moment in her world :)Cookie’s friend Mimi is the last person on Earth who would simply abandon her family and go on the run but that is exactly what she has done and no one seems to know why, not even Mimi’s husband or parents. The only thing anyone seems to be sure about is that Mimi had a damn good reason for leaving behind everything she holds dear and the only clue she left is a random name and set of numbers on a bathroom door in a local diner. Sure, Charley should be able to figure that out, right? As the digging in begins in earnest, Charley and Cookie quickly figure out that Mimi’s disappearance is nothing short of a hot mess that began more than twenty years ago with the disappearance of a young girl.And so the hunt begins. Mimi’s disappearance quickly becomes a total goatf**k with dead bodies piling up all around and an evil puppet master pulling a lot of strings simultaneously. Those strings are attached to a lot of people who all seem to have gone to school together and to have been involved in or know about what happened twenty years ago to the young girl who went missing. Clearly, Mimi is terrified and if Charley and Cookie can’t put all the piece of the puzzle together, Mimi is sure to meet the same fate as her classmates. Oh, did I mention the puppet master has enough pull and cash to have hired some seriously ugly assassins? Yeah, this story has assassins too! One other little tidbit, as this particular story progress, Charley’s Grim Reaper powers seem to be progressing as well and man, oh, man can she do some cool stuff!In the meantime, Reyes’ delectable corporeal body is still missing and not only are the authorities looking for him but so are Charley and a whole host of demons (literally!) ready to claim Reyes and make their way to this plane en masse. Still able to separate from his corporeal body, Reyes continues to appear to Charley and warns her that finding his corporeal body and saving it would be a serious violation of his wishes and is certainly something she should not pursue. Seriously? He has met her, right?? One would think the Son of Satan who has lived for thousands of years would have heard the phrase “dog with a bone” at least once in his many lifetimes.  As you should expect by now, in addition to looking for Mimi, Charley is also looking for Reyes and is hell bent on saving his body. What she doesn’t expect is who she will get help from in this pursuit and what lengths she will have to go to protect the man(ish) she so clearly loves.The Bottom Line: Charley Davidson is my hero!! Even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds she never fails to fight for all she is worth and does everything within her power to help her clients. To Charley, nearly every life is precious and if she can help someone in need, she will do so even if it requires super gluing her back together. But aside from all the mushy stuff, I love Charley’s sense of humor and extreme sarcasm. Even though the situations she is in are serious and often dire, Charley never loses her smart mouth and that sure makes the read all the more enjoyable. As with book one, I liked the plot and the twists and turns of this read but am truly more enamored with the characters. Jones writes a solid, full-bodied (and sometimes incorporeal!) character that is easy to get attached to. Her plots aren’t so dense that you get lost and the dialogue and interaction between all of the characters is generally light and easy to follow. In all, Second Grave on the Left is an enjoyable read that certainly does not suffer from the dreaded sophomore slump.

Well I downloaded this one month ago and it was so good I read all 12 books to date in one month. They were epic! without giving any spoilers away, let me just say, this series was refreshingly different. A grim reaper who is funny, empathetic and has a gorgeous sexy counterpart. Both main characters and main sub characters progress throughout the series to the point that I felt I knew these people. I miss them - waiting on the final book to be released in a couple of weeks - and then I'll be despondent without them. Each book progressed not only the characters but the story without too much repetition - just the right amount that it kept new readers in the loop and didn't bore the pants of serial readers. It was laugh out loud funny in places -you don't get much of that in books - and I really empathised and felt in tune with Charley. It had it all - romance, naughty bits (just the right amount), suspense, complex storyline, and storyline progression throughout the series. These books would make an excellent transition to TV or film. A good director and producer could make these great on this medium. They are also well written. Written from Charley's POV, you get the inside view of what it's like to be Charley and you get her reactions to her circumstances, relationships both normal and paranormal and how she feels about what she does. You love Reyes as much as she does, what's not to love? And the suspense is a page turner. A series not to be missed and one to ensure you put aside time to enjoy.

This is the second in the ‘grave’ series, featuring PI and not-so-grim reaper Charley and her sizeable sidekick, Cookie. It’s a far-from-serious, occasionally spicy (but nothing X-rated) gumshoe story with a side dish of supernatural sprinkles. Set in the USA roundabout now, the story revolves around an ongoing plot with Charley’s lifetime protector and would-be beau, who happens to be the son of Satan and possibly the herald of the apocalypse.The romantic arc plays second fiddle to the ostensible investigation involving a missing old friend and a bunch of suicides, accidents and maybe-murders which are almost certainly suspicious. Here the story mixes Charley’s ability to see and speak with the dead and – as they pass through her en route to the other side – to experience their lives and memories secondhand, along with time-honoured private investigator stuff.It’s all quickly-paced, rapid reading, with the witty one liners and snappy banter rattling off every page. The main plot, regarding the fallen angel Rey’aziel and his unfeasibly hot body, barely progresses while every other thread scampers along, but that’s the core to the series so you can’t expect to many revelations all at once. We do learn a lot more about Reyes’ origins and, in turn, Charley’s personal mysteries, but there are plenty of threads left dangling for future episodes.There’s a lot to enjoy in this easy-going adventure and none of it requires too much reader input, nor is it particularly gruelling or gritty. Think Stephanie Plum with a spookynatural twist and you’ll be on the right wavelength. You don’t need to have read the first book in the series to enjoy this one. There's more thoughts on plot and character over at murdermayhemandmore.netThe writing is sharp and sassy and packed with attitude without being nasty. It's a thoroughly entertaining romp. I’d be happy to read the next one in the series.7/10

"Second Grave on the Left" is the second Charley Davidson novel.the first novel "First Grave on the Right" was a great surprise to me.i normally prefer books written in the second person,whereas this series is written in the first.that,however,did not put me off at all whilst reading the book(S).synopsis: charley davidson,part-time PI,full-time grim reaper.the deceased find her very sparkly,and demons find her irresistible.however,charley doesn't have time to dwell on this:shes got a missing woman to track down.meanwhile,Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the son of satan) is haunting charley.hes left his corporeal body because he's being tortured by demons who want to lure charley closer.but if the demons get to her,they will have a portal to heaven...this books starts off a week after the last novel,which though in itself can be read as a stand alone novel,i would recommend reading the previous book first,which gives the two main characters more depth and shows the progression in their relationship.the story is well paced and action packed.i especially enjoyed the witty banter throughout.the characters,both main and secondary,are unique and refreshing and not the usual set-up and style of characters seen consistently in other books.i especially like the relationship between charley and her uncle Bob(AKA Ubie depending on charley's mood).charley is an extremely likable character,who may have supernatural abilities but still has flaws and doesn't always get everything right.Reyes is a very unique lead male.at times he is dark and sexy and almost likable and other times there is a total mix of feeling i had towards him,which to me honest left me begging for more of him!the ending was great,leaving me impatient for the third book in the series(Which i have pre-ordered)my only criticisms of this book are that i feel the wrap up to the case was a tad quick,though the ivestigation was good,i would like to have seen the culprits reaction on getting caught.further,i,like another reviewer, believe that charley should not have been as forgiving towards her father,even more so as their relationship is not overly a bonded father\daughter relationship.nevertheless,this is a great story,with a great underlying plot,that keeps the book fresh and exciting and a great addition to this series.i think the author has a lot to offer,and i for one will be waiting to receive every helping of Charley Davidson i can get!!i believe people who like books such as Kerri Arthur's Riley Jenson series would enjoy this.4.5*

When I finished with First Grave my feet did not hit the ground until I had found and purchased Second Grave - this book is equally as absorbing as First Grave! The main characters are just as absorbing and you feel such empathy with them, that you almost feel yourself as part of the characters themselves. She is still as cheeky, witty and funny as ever and her love and admiration for her phantom is just as absorbing - you will have to read the stories yourself as I have no intention of ruining the plots for you!! This has got to be one of the nicest romantic/adventure/sci fi series I have had the pleasure to read in the past few years. This series is most definitely a "must read" as far as I am concerned!

I am genuinely becoming addicted to this character and the whole supernatural world Darynda Jones describes. The stories move along so fast, I've just ordered the third book and I only got the second one about two days ago. My only "negative" - if it could be called that - is that the humour and a lot of the slang used is very regional, and makes it harder to appreciate in non-US English-speaking countries. Phrases like "I threw up a little in my mouth" are just, well, gross to me (in the UK). And "I had a V8 moment" really doesn't translate. (I grew up in America so I get it - and actually think it's quite funny).Otherwise, I love Charley Davidson, the story, and Darynda Jones for writing it!