73) Second Grave to the Left by Darynda Jones

The Blurb :

When Charley is rudely awakened in the middle of the night by her best friend who tells her to get dressed quickly and tosses clothes out of the closet at her, she can’t help but wonder what Cookie’s up to. Leather scrunch boots with a floral miniskirt? Together? Seriously? Cookie explains that a friend of hers named Mimi disappeared five days earlier and that she just got a text from her setting up a meet at a coffee shop downtown. They show up at the coffee shop, but no Mimi. But Charley finds a message on the bathroom wall. Mimi left a clue, a woman’s name. Mimi’s husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been found murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message.

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. And if they 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? Will Cookie ever get a true fashion sense? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel them as they do?

My Thoughts :

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, First Grave on the Right and seeing as I was already stupid enough to wait so long to start the series I decided that I needed to read the second part sooner rather than later. As luck would have it I had an Audible credit and decided to get the audio version. I am really glad I did because the narrator really does an amazing job of bringing Charley to life.

To start off I really have to say that I love the T-shirt and Bumper stickers phrases that introduce each chapter. How the author managed to find all of these cool and funny sayings is a question I really want to ask her. Maybe she made them up herself. I don't know but they are hilarious and I think I giggled at each and every one of them. Not only do the sayings add some extra humour to the book but they really have something to do with each chapter. They also bring a certain interesting and unique something to the series.

Now what else can I say? Charley and her dysfunctional ghost-talking PI adventures are just amazing. How she manages to solve any mystery is beyond me but she always brings it all together and does everything possible to help everyone involved. She is a rock and she rocks. Fun, a little sassy but someone you can rely on, Charley is the kind of gal you want to be friends with because you know you can trust her.

The plot this time around was as good as in the first book. The style is just brilliant. I enjoy all the characters and can't wait to see how things develop in the next book. Which I have already downloaded! Also I am really really curious about Mr Wong. Who the hell is he?? Will we ever find out? It is bugging me.

As audio books go this one gets a gold star. I am extremely impressed by the narrator and she is the reason that I have decided to listen to the third book. She really captured Charley and did some great voices for the characters. I had no problem keeping up with who was who and her voice isn't one you have to get used to or annoying in anyway.

Ghost talker, grim reaper and private investigator sounds like a bad combination but the author has brought it together and made it spectacular. Laughs, mystery and a side of romance are all included and there is also some serious bits. So in conclusion, make sure you check out this series if you haven't already. Oh and I highly recommend the audio versions to anyone who likes that kind of thing.