Book 41 First Grave on the Right

 

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones fulfilled the category “Book about the Afterlife” for the PopSugar 2022 Reading Challenge. I read several books for the prompt, and none of them hit an authentic note with me. None were really about the afterlife, either dead people, ghosts, or reapers.

I read Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune which I mentioned in another post. Our hero Wallace was dead and working through his life and death with his ferryman, Hugo. But it wasn’t that ethereal heaven stuff. Just a coffee shop with many wonderful characters.

I read Circe by Madeline Miller, which fits so much better as a witch book, and you have already read my review for that one, right? 

I also read Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I enjoyed this fantasy novel. The use of magic was unique, as was the characters' interaction with their magic and with each other. It definitely kept my attention. Karou’s journey to find out her origins and solve the mystery of the blackened handprints is thrilling and keeps your attention. Still, it wasn’t a story about the afterlife.

Finally, I read First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones. In this novel, Charlie Davidson has the unique position of being both a private investigator and a Grim Reaper. Charlie solves crimes with the help of the ghosts of the victims. The story was a brilliant combination of romance, suspense, comedy, and mystery. Charlie is an interesting character, a woman we can all get behind. In this busy world, we have to multitask. Charlie just has supernatural duties as well. She’s also totally snarky and overshares. It’s a defense mechanism she uses after all the doubt and abuse she’s taken regarding her gift. (She talks to spirits only she can see, and people judge her.) Deep down, you can see she works hard to help her charges and wants to make the world a better place. I plan to read the entire series.

I picked this title as the main one for the post as it had characters living in the hereafter—our three ghosts who help Charlie find the killer. Even so, I feel like I failed the category. None of the books were expressly about the afterlife.

I should have grabbed What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson. In that title, the main character, Chris Nielson, goes to heaven and learns the true nature of life and death.

There are some wonderful books with views from other cultures about the afterlife. I could read the category for months if I could find the books. 

Sorry this post was a little meh, but I didn’t do justice to the category. It’s October. I’m running out of time to read and reread. LOL.

I give First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones Five Ghostly Lawyers with Family Issues that Resolve… eventually.