"Second Grave on the Left" by Darynda Jones

4 of 5 stars.

The Basics: The Charley Davidson saga continues. In this novel, Charley is working a new case brought to her attention by her neighbor and assistant Cookie. Mimi has gone missing and her family has no idea want could have happened to her. A man she went to school with has turned up dead and now her husband is being blamed for the death and Mimi's disappearance. As Charley starts to work on the case she digs up a secret that Mimi and her former high school classmates, one being a Senate hopeful, have been hiding for years. Charley is also being threatened after taking on the case, but the person hiring the bullies takes everyone by surprise.
Among everything else, Charley is struggling to find Reyes' physical body. She also learns that she is up against demons! On top of that, Charley's father is struggling to figure out Charley's abilities as she learns how to control her "talents".

My Thoughts: (spoilers ahead) I absolutely loved this book. The series is engaging, witty, and simply charming. It's obvious that Charley will be solving a new case in each book, which is great. I like that she learns a little more about her grim reaper abilities as she continues to interact with Reyes and solve cases. Reyes continues to be a heartthrob. Also, Cookie is warming my heart. She is a great balance for Charley's character, though their addiction to coffee is a bit disturbing.
I also love the tension between Garrett and Reyes. I did feel bad for Garrett after getting shot, I wanted more of him in this book but I suppose his character had to take a back seat to propel the action of the story and develop Charley's development of her grim reaper traits. I did like that Gemma and Charley's relationship seemed to be on the mend. And of course, I love Strawberry though I am interested in her new friend, Blue.
On to my issues, I felt like sometimes Darynda Jones was searching to make pieces of the story work together when it was obvious they didn't. For example, Pari's story in the beginning of the novel seemed so random. Why would Charley just now be hearing this story? It was weird though I suppose it served the point in Charley figuring out that she could summon Reyes at will. Also, how in the hell did Charley figure out that she could search the dead prostitute's mind after crossing by Reyes calling her a whore? That connection was loose and Jones was certainly pulling for straws there. Also, when Charley was searching for Reyes and she finally figured out that he was in the basement, which was the last place she would look, I really had a hard time figuring out how she made that connection. Ok, this was so random that it could only happen in a book and a movie. No one would every make that connection. And if the demons were in the basement why couldn't they simply find Charley upstairs? That seemed like a flaw in the storyline, but I love this story so much that I don't mind any flaws.

~Remember, teachers read fun stuff too!