Second Grave on the Left (Charley Davidson, #2)

by Darynda Jones

[Angie]

Picking up a week after the first book, Second Grave on the Left starts with Charley picking up three new cases! First, her BFF Cookie's friend has gone missing. Second, there's a dead man in Cookie's trunk! Finally, Reyes is injured but has hidden his body from Charley. Clearly, she's going to be very busy for the entire book, which I couldn't put down! Well, I did put it down to take a nap, but then I jumped right back into it!

Second Grave on the Left once again uses humor to balance out the darker themes of the book. Charley continues to be snarky and sarcastic, while the rest of the cast has their own quirks and fun personalities. Of course, Charley also has to learn more about her powers as a grim reaper. Trying to track down Reyes' body while fighting off demons caused her to unleash some unusual abilities that she didn't even know she had! I was a bit mad at her for something she does at the end. I know she felt like she needed to do it, but it's really messed up. But it also made me need the next book immediately!

As for the mysteries, Second Grave on the Left certainly kept me on the edge of my seat. The dead man in Cookie's trunk was more like a side plot, but it was still interesting. The main mystery was Mimi's disappearance along with the deaths of several of her classmates from high school. Someone was obviously trying to keep a big secret from coming out. And it was big! I was shocked! In fact, that whole high school secret would have made its own engaging read. I love dark secrets!

I really enjoyed Second Grave on the Left. It certainly doesn't suffer from Second Book Syndrome and it left me wanting more! I'm especially intrigued by Reyes. We learn a lot more about him this time around, and he's turning out to be a lot more complicated.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.