Quick Review: Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones

From the Back Cover:

Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper Extraordinaire, is back in this sexy, suspenseful novel of supernatural shenanigans.

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:

Though we got off to a bit of a rocky start--the smart-ass quips and one-liners were laid on way too thick in the opening pages--Jones soon mellowed out and got back into the groove, and I flew through this book in a day. Charley Davidson is one of my favorite characters and she's back in all her bootylicious Grim Reaper glory! Charley got a week off after nailing the bad guys and saving her man in First Grave on the Right, and now she's on another case that starts off innocently enough but soon becomes a race against time to find her missing person before a ruthless killer does. Good thing Charley's got her best boots on 'cause she's also racing to find her lover Reyes, who happens to be the Son of Satan, before he's tortured to death by demons hell-bent on finding Charley and using her as a portal to Heaven.

Turns out Charley's case and her relationship with Reyes are much bigger than she originally thought. As Charley searches for answers to who Reyes is and what he's really doing on earth, she uncovers some startling truths--some good, some not so good--and realizes they also have a whole lot in common. He'd always told her that he'd have to kill her if the forces of hell found her; what will he do when put to the test? He may have to stand in line because someone else has it in for Charley, too, and though she's got Dad, Ubie, Angel, and hottie skiptracer Garrett looking after her, they may not be enough to save her. A whole lot of stuff goes down in the last twenty-five pages, and I was reeling and crying right along with Charley. Another smart, sexy, lightning-paced thriller featuring the hottest Grim Reaper to ever don a Blue Oyster Cult t-shirt. Loved it and never wanted it to end. Can't wait to see what Charley does next!

My Rating:  5 Stars out of 5