I heard about this series more than a year ago, but I only got around to reading the first book recently thanks to my never-ending TBR list. What an entertaining ride.
Charley Davidson is the main character- with a name like that, she’d want to be cool. Charley doesn’t disappoint. She’s a private investigator, part-time bartender, oh, and a grim reaper to boot. I’d been searching for another kick-ass female lead character the last few years, and I’m glad to say I’ve found her in Charley.
Charley is woken up from an orgasmic dream by a dead guy standing at the end of her bed. Talk about bad timing. Pretty soon she’s dealing with three dead lawyers trying to figure out who killed them, another PI, the handsome but a bit of a non-believer in Charley’s talent, Garrett, and a mysterious presence that may be a guy from one memorable night back when Charley was a freshman in high school. It’s supernatural high-jinks all round, and I loved every page of it.
Charley’s non-stop wise-cracking made me chuckle on several occasions. “I sat in Misery – the Jeep,not the emotion.”
And
“I just had to see the cup half full. Hopefully of Jack Daniel’s.” – a girl after my own heart.
I can see how her one-liners might get on some readers’ nerves after a while, but I enjoyed her humour.
I was in the mood for some light reading and a fun time when I picked this up, and that’s exactly what I got. Though the story ventures towards some dark topics, it never goes fully over to the serious side, something I appreciated. *****
I can’t wait to dive into the next installment, Second Grave on the Left.
Add it on Goodreads and find it on Amazon
Who’s read this? Are you a fan of Charley’s, or are you tired of wise-cracking superheroes in the vein of Buffy and Max from Dark Angel?
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Emma's Ramblings on Supernatural Fiction 
Love it! Another book for my TBR. Thank you, Emma. 🙂
You’re welcome, Ella. Sorry for making your TBR list even longer. 😉
It sounds like a lot of fun, Emma! Although I tend to read a lot of heavy stuff, sometimes I just want a light read that makes me grin in appreciation.
It was really fun. I wanted Charley’s exciting life while I was reading.
I don’t read heavy stuff that much, but I really should for some diversity.
I’ve seen these around, as well, but I haven’t read any of them. Looks fun!
Entertaining and lighthearted, if that’s what you’re looking for, Christie.
I just added this to my wish list. I like wise-cracking P.I.’s. 🙂
Like Libby? 🙂
Hee hee. Well….
I never get tired of characters like Buffy and Max, they’re the best kind!
Nice review Emma. 🙂
I’m watching Buffy and Dark Angel from the very start at the moment. I can’t think of any TV show right now that has a kick-ass female superhero. That’s so wrong.
I’m so glad you started this series, Emma. I have been a huge Charley Davidson fan since I picked up First Grave a couple years ago. I even got a couple of my friends hooked. I never get tired of Charley’s humor (or Buffy’s or Max’s).
I remember reading about these books on your blog. You got to meet the author, didn’t you?
Yes! I have all my books signed by her, and we are in the same writing group, the local chapter of RWA. And Darynda is totally cool!
That’s really cool.
I’m thrilled you finally gave it a try! You’re going to laugh with the second instalment as well, trust me. LOL Darynda Jones has created an amazing series with lots of humour in it I really appreciate!
I’m saving the second one for when I need some light-relief.
By the way, I’ve tried to leave comments on your blog recently but can’t find any way of doing so other than signing up with Disqus or authorizing them to have access when I try to sign in with Twitter of Facebook?
I thought it was weird that my affectionate commenter wasn’t showing up anymore… I miss you!
You have to authorize them, it’s nothing “annoying”, just the standard procedure. But if you want to avoid the authorization you can simply register a D account with your email and then set your preferences. I personally have an account there to keep track of every comment and I find it very useful.
I had to introduce Disqus to the blog because practically everyone is using that now and it’s becoming the main platform for comments on blogs.
This book sounds like a ton of fun! I love strong heroines. 🙂
Me too, Kitt. There’s a shortage.
Hmmmmm…still haven’t gotten around to Buffy yet, but tomorrow is another day. And while I’m at it, I better get to my TBR list because this book sounds hilarious.
What?? Go watch Buffy right this minute!
Yes, immediately! He must!
Sounds fab! I don’t mind one liners… as long as they’re good.
They were good Sandra. 🙂