A Charley Davidson Mystery, by Darynda Jones, Macmillan, July 2011
Charley Davidson is just your normal, everyday PI...able to rebound quickly from serious injuries, confer with dead victims to track down their murderers, and provide the portal through which those victims get to heaven. But what's unusual, to Charley, are the month-long dreamland visits of a sexually charged male and what he represents. He seems familiar to her, but she can't quite put her finger on it. Add to that confusion, the urgency to find the person who murdered her current clients and her frantic attempts to keep the state from pulling life-support from a brain-dead prisoner, and Charley's need for hi-test coffee grows exponentially every day. As her cases may be connected to a high-profile and very dangerous police investigation, Charley must rely on both her spiritual and physical colleagues to help her, for this time her bravado and sixth-sense advantage might not be enough to keep her alive.
This is a fast-paced, humorous, paranormal mystery spiked full of wit and constant twists and turns. Charley is a complex character who is not afraid of the unknown and hides her emotions behind smart-ass quips and a cocky attitude. Cookie, her best friend, reliable neighbor and administrative aide, is the only person Charley feels she can trust. Though Charley is afraid if she opens up any more to Cookie that her BFF will bolt. So the PI keeps her darkest secrets, particularly one about the mysterious Reyes, to herself.
If you don't read but one book a season, this is your must-buy for summer (or any other time of year). It is a funny and crafty whodunnit for which you'll happily neglect your family and friends to finish in one sitting and sadly read the last page. But cheer up, because the next book in the series comes out next month.
* The next book in the series, Second Grave on the Left, comes out in August 2011.
PROTAGONIST: The grim reaper, a 27-year-old, smart-assed, female PI
ACTION: A foot chase in a bad neighborhood, fights, protective paranormal happenings
LOVE INTERESTS: A doubting police detective, a hot guardian entity
ROMANCE: Few, but steamy, sex scenes
QUIRKINESS: Protagonist as grim reaper, ghost of Mr. Wong, and a young mean-spiritied ghost
INTERESTING TIDBITS: Truth about stakeouts, a way to vanish from the grid
FUN FACTOR: Lighthearted, some slapstick moments, lots of great quips
IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MAY LIKE: Grim Reaper Mysteries by Judy Clemens, Ghost Hunter Mysteries by Victoria Laurie, Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries by Charlaine Harris