First Grave on the Right-Darynda Jones

First Grave on the Right
Darynda Jones
St. Martin’s, Feb 1 2011, $21.99
ISBN: 9780312662752

Private investigator Charley Davidson knows she cannot quit her haunting 24/7 job as her potential clients will never go away. That is the plight of being the Grim Reaper, who helps dead people complete their business on earth so they can move on. Most of her deceased customers died due to ugly causes like murder and want their perpetrator skinned alive though they will settle for them being brought to justice; thus they turn to Charley who tries to resolve the issue so they can go into the light. Her recent dreams are XXX rated starring a paranormal Entity, who has been in her life forever only lately it has been different; she has no idea why or how; nor how to find out.

Three people killed in a triple homicide ask her to investigate the crime. At the same time she learns who Entity is the offspring of, and his claim they are ironically soul mates.

Charley is the queen of humorous biting sarcasm even when in the heat of sex (live and dreaming) and never lets up on her mocking the living and the dead summed up by the heroine at the onset with her comment about her wet dreams being “death by divine pleasure”. In other words a ghost in need is a pest as she makes or breaks the tale depending on your tastes. Fans who appreciate an acerbic heroine will relish this strong investigative urban fantasy; otherwise need to pass. The Jones mythos is set nicely so the reader will believe in the mocking Ghost Whisperer who is not a tender Jennifer Love Hewitt but still solves homicides enabling dispirited spirits to cross into the light.

Harriet Klausner