Book 4), Grave Secret (Harper Connelly Mysteries

I loved this book--I am a HUGE C. Harris fan, but I think Harper and Tolliver are great fun.

I think this book was by far the best in the series...I love the romance between Harper and Tolliver and hope that Harris keeps treating us to little glimpses into that part of their partnership.

Couldn't put this book down! Mystery lovers, with a penchant for supernatural overtones, this BOOK IS FOR YOU!!!!

Charlaine Harris shows off awsome talent in this mystery that deals with drug addiction, parental abuse, extreme child abuse and a missing and a dead baby. These are mighty horrible subjects that she is dealing with and she also uses Harper to deal with the after effects of multiple abuse. This is a touching, sorrowful but excelllent mystery and pulls together the mystery of Harper and her family and Tolliver and how he deals with what is going on with him and his abuse as a child. This is a haunting story, an excellent mystery and a peek into the world of the abused child and how it does not have to be the end of the world. I have heard that this is the end of the Harper novels and I certainly hope not since I have grown to love her and her world but I will say this , "You will not forget Harper Connelly in a hurry".

I love this series and really like the character(s). Harris has done nothing with this series for years and now that she is no longer doing Sookie Stackhouse I REALLY wish she would take this character up again.

I started this series with the 2nd book, and enjoyed it so much, that I've gone back, and read them in order. Ms Harris manages to get you involved in this unusual grave reader's life, a great series to start, especially if you love "who done it".

Looooooved it!! Couldn't put it down once I started. I have been a fan of Charlene Harris for awhile but to branch out from True Blood and read this series showed me she was awesome no matter the character

I've read every single book that Charlaine Harris has written after getting hooked on True Blood, and this book doesn't disappoint. I appreciate the fact that her characters evolve - as we all do - throughout each character's life. I love the Harper series and hopes she keeps it going - this is pure reading enjoyment!

Anyone who reads C.Harris will love this book. It isn't my favorite in the series, but i love Harper and the gift she has. Toliver is wonderful and I have loved to see them grow and progress in there relationships. Glad Manfred showed up and hope he becomes better at his craft as well in the books to come.

I feel this Harper outing is far from the end, The story
ended making you feel like Harper is free to move ahead
but that is just what she will do stating " that plenty of
corpses are out there waiting to be heard" I felt like Connelly
and Tolliver's next adventure was just around the corner.
I felt like this book was an excellent way to introduce
the readers to why she and her brother were so close and
the hellish childhood they shared, Gives the readers great
insight into the characters. Personally can't wait till the
next book comes out, they are very adventurous with a bit
of creepiness thrown in.

This is the book that answers all of the mysterious family background questions in Harper Conelly's past, tied in with her latest client,s own dark secrets. I wasn't,t able to put this book down until I finished it.

I read all 4 of the Harper Connelly series and love them all but the 4th one was my favorite. It captured my intrest on evey page right to the end when you discover what happen to Cameron and Gracie. Loved it!!!

Big fan of Charlaine Harris and her Sookie Stackhouse book series! Decided to give this series a try and zoomed right through all of them! Harper Conelly has an amazing gift and puts it to great use. Loved it!

I felt like this book was extremely rushed. There was no real climax, just a lot of gradual hills and humps that ebbed and flowed through the book.

I feel let down. *sigh* At least I got done with the series....

First Sentence: "All right," said the straw-haired woman in the denim jacket.

Harper Connelly can see the dead and experience their death. She and her step-brother (no blood relation)/lover, Tolliver, come to Texas at the request of a member of the wealthy Joyce family. Not only was dad's death as innocent as they thought, but his caretaker died, not of a burst appendix, but from childbirth. The question is raised as to who was the baby's father and where it the child now?

What started out as a fascinating series has degraded into a sexual soap opera filled with redundant information. We are repeatedly told about Harper being struck by lightning and how it affected her leg. We are repeatedly told how Harper and Tolliver were raised together but are not related and now are lovers. We are told MUCH more about their sex lives than I really want to know. We are told every time they order room service. I don't care!!! Once for each of those items is quite enough, thank you.

What I enjoyed about the first three books was that it was an original slant on a paranormal mystery. In this fourth outing, the paranormal aspect was pretty much secondary to the story of highly dysfunctional families.

I got through it but only because there was so much I could skip over, and I'm not normally one to so do. I may buy the Kindle version of Book 6 in hope this was an aberration, but I definitely shan't be buying the hardcover. However, I also read where someone said this is the last book in the series. If so, it's a shame Ms. Harris didn't make it a crescendo rather than an off-key note.

GRAVE SECRET (Para Mys-Harper Connelly-Texas-Cont) - Poor
Harris, Charlaine - 4th in Harper Connelly series
Berkley Hardcover, 2009, US Hardcover - ISBN: 9780425230152

Harris will never be known as a deep read, but I found this series to be her darkest and yet, most interesting so far. This book concludes a series and is faithful to the characters she has created. If you only know Harris through True Blood, try this series out. I doubt you will be disappointed.

Flawed characters with a unpredictable life is what enthralls me in Charlaine Harris's series. And just like her other series, it left me sadden to end the last book. If you are looking for a thriller with some intimate moments that allows you step into an unknown existence from a damaged character then this will be a terrific read.

As usual, I really enjoyed reading Charlaine Harris' Harper Connely (sp)novels.....this seems to be the last one...I hope she will come out with more! Grave Secret had quite a few twists and turns and kept me reading.

Completely amazing ending to a wonderful series. Charlaine Harris is at the top of her game. The twists and turns to this book just came on coming and the reader was left, wanting more, but knowing everything there was today. This book is definitely Harris' Fur Elise.

I loved Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels so I decided to take a look at her other books. This book is equally as amazing as the ones I had already read. Definitely different but I recommend it to anyone.

The last pages of the story completes twp bittersweet threads that have run from the beginning of the series - all involving the "sisters". I appreciated the release so Charlaine's characters can go forward and build new lives together. Happily waiting to see what snares Harper and Tolliver in their next adventures.

If this book isn't the end of the Harper Connelly series, it certainly feels like it.

"Grave Secret" is a pretty solid conclusion to Charlaine Harris' short but sweet series about a woman able to sense the dearly departed. Mysteries are solved, plot threads are wrapped up, relatives are dealt with, and dirty little secrets are unveiled -- and while one pivotal secret is rather far-fetched, it handles all the loose threads deftly while keeping the door open for more possible stories about Harper and Tolliver.

After doing a job for the wealthy Joyce family, Harper and Tolliver face their toughest challenge yet: telling super-rigid Aunt Iona, Uncle Hank and their younger half-sisters that they're a couple. It doesn't help that this town is also where they lived as the abused blended family of neglectful junkies, and where Harper's beloved sister Cameron mysteriously vanished. As if their family relations weren't strained enough, Tolliver's creepy dad Matthew appears in town, claiming he wants to mend fences.

At the same time, Harper has been hired by the Joyces to find a missing baby that may be their grandfather's secret love child -- but someone is determined to keep her from finding it. People around her are getting injured, kidnapped and murdered -- even Tolliver has been shot. And as Harper tries to unravel the mysteries from years ago, she realizes that the Joyce family has a long-ago link to her own...

It's fairly obvious in "Grave Secret" that Charlaine Harris is ending the Harper Connelly series, although she leaves the door open for future adventures (if and when she ever wants to continue). She wraps up overhanging mysteries (Cameron's murder), deals with the rifts within the Lang/Connelly family, and puts the finishing polish on Harper and Tolliver's romantic subplot. It's a satisfying finale, if a somewhat bittersweet one.

And as in the previous books, Harris' down-to-earth prose remains warm and slightly humorous, but there's a darker, gruesome edge -- long-ago deaths, gory killings (some of them Harper's friends), and the overhanging, spooky presence of the dead. The biggest flaw is that a few of the plot twists is a bit on the far-fetched side (seriously, NOBODY noticed that except one lone person?), but otherwise it's a clever tangle of interconnected clues and lies.

Harper and Tolliver are already lovers, but Harris goes out of her way to smooth out whatever wrinkles are still left between them -- including the grossed-out reaction that almost everybody has when they hear that the stepsiblings are dating. Well, it is a little weird. They also get some nice emotional closure relating to their scummy parents and more "normal" siblings (both living and dead), and Harris reveals a lot more about their hellish childhood.

And Harris does a good job sketching out seemingly cliched characters like Aunt Iona and Uncle Hank, who initially act like sour hyper-religious party-poopers, but who eventually are shown to have good hearts. The flipside is the creepy Matthew, who spouts a lot of "rehab therapy" jargon but still obviously has a lot of hatred.

"Grave Secret" is a solid ending to Charlaine Harris's supernatural mystery series, and it ties together the various plot threads pretty neatly. Enjoyable if a bit far-fetched at times.

This is a good volume in the Harper Connelly series, and I hope it's not the last. Harper and her beloved Tolliver are down in Texas, trying to make nice with Iona and her husband so they can continue to see Gracie and Mariella, the youngest survivors of that horrible little trailer. And they were called there to resolve any possible mystery about a patriarch's death. They walk into far more than they ever bargained on, into a mess that nearly gets them both killed and eventually leads to resolving the mystery of Cameron's disappearance so many years ago. The killer leaves a trail of bodies, which is usually a very bad idea, and ends up...well, you'd better read the book. And while resolving the patriarch's death (and the death of someone else), Harper and Tolliver discover what happened to Cameron.

Sadly, the greatest tragedy is that Cameron was utterly wrong about two brown-eyed people not being able to have green-eyed children; but the killer think she's all too right and about to discover the secret behind Gracie.

I do hope Harris continues this series, though I also hope she does a little more research into some science facts if she's going to use them as a pivotal point.

We were somewhat enamored of leading lady Harper Connelly and her unusual ability (due to a lightning strike as a teenager) to sense the presence of dead bodies as well as what was their cause of death. Reading Charlaine Harris’ first outing, “Grave Sight”,” of what is currently a 4-book set, we were not quite as thrilled with the plotting and relationship issues; not to mention the hurry in which the mystery gets wrapped up at the end.

Unfortunately, book two, “Grave Surprise,” is so similar, almost to the page, that the suspense factor suffers significantly. Again Harper and her brother Tolliver are called to a Memphis cemetery to demo her unique skills for a college class. Of course she did well, and “accidentally” discovered a new body on top of an old one in a grave – and in a huge coincidence, it was a missing girl Harper had been hired to find once before. As before, the siblings are suspects in that crime and one later that follows, so have trouble getting out of town. And, as before, the mystery is solved – actually “revealed” is a better resolution – in a bit of a hurry to end the book.

We know that many authors follow a formula – especially if it brings success. But herein, the resemblance of book 2 to book 1 so dulled our enthusiasm that we wonder about pursuing the final two novels in the series; and indeed note that there has been no new story since 2009. So maybe the publisher decided to call it quits as well!

I've enjoyed this author's work over the years, especially the Sookie books. I thought I would try out some of her other work on the basis of that...but this book left me a bit disappointed. Its a good book, but it could have been way better.

Harper is a woman who can sense death and read out of the bones of a person what they were thinking and feeling in their final moments. She got these powers by getting hit by lightning when she was a girl and almost killed. Now, she travels around the countryside getting paid to read bones, accompanied by her step-brother (no actual blood relation) who somehow has become her boyfriend in the meantime.

In this story, she gets hired by a rich family in Texas to read about how someone died, only to stumble into the mystery of a woman who worked for the family dying in childbirth...when no one knew she had a baby. Add to that, she and her brother-boyfriend's daddy getting out of jail and wanting to renew his ties to them. And her sister disappeared years ago and they are still trying to find her. And her two younger sisters have been adopted and are having a hard time connected to her and her brother-boyfriend. Oh, and yes, someone also seems to be trying to kill her.

One problem is that Harper is not a particularly likeable character. At least not in this book. She acts like a ditz by doing stupid things when she knows someone is trying to kill her (for which other people pay). She is so confused in this story that she is confusing to read about. For example, she can't seem to decide if Tolliver is her brother or lover and takes offense when others are unsettled by this relationship. The mystery of who is out to kill her and why seems to get lost in all of pages spent on emotional angst.

The biggest problem, however, is there are so many plot points in this book that there is just too much going on to wrap things up satisfactorily. It all ends up getting kind of muddled. But the author somehow forces it all to a conclusion that seems a bit too contrived as it attempts to resolve the whole thing into one neat package.

Okay, so its not a terrible book and has some interesting ideas, but this could have been a great book if some extra time had been spent on it and if the author hadn't tried to do too much at once. Worth reading once, but not a keeper.

This book is weird and creepy. I enjoyed the first book in the series. Wanted to find out what happened Carmen and skip ahead to this #4 book, but was seriously disturbed by the EXTREME ickiness of the flip flopping back and forth of the main heroine on the whole brother/lover issue. Harper and Tolliver are lovers. They are also step brother and sister. I took a poll of friends and was surprised to find out how many friends thought a romance between step siblings was completely off limits. IMO, it’s ok, as long as they get their relationship straight, and it’s on the up and up, (ie a HEA and ring is involved). My husband objected on the basis that the step siblings share two common half siblings. For the most part, anyone I asked said "No, it’s taboo".

It was soooooo nasty the way Harper would say in one breath ‘He’s my brother”, (notice she omits the “STEP” in her description), then 2 minutes later, it’s “He’s my common-law husband”. Uck.

SYNOPSIS:
Harper was struck by lightning. Since then, she can zero in on locating dead people. Plus they ‘tell her’ their COD, (Cause of Death). Weird premise, but it works. At least it did until Harper started banging her step brother.

Ok. Back on topic. Harper is called to ‘read’ the grave of a rich Texan. She ids another body in the cemetery and spills the secret that ‘Miriah’ died of childbirth complications, not an exploded appendix, as previously reported by the family. This caused the rich Texan family to wonder what happened to the missing infant, and if it could possibly be an unknown cousin and heir. They hired a PI friend of Harpers to find the missing baby.

Tolliver’s father gets out of jail and stays with his son Mark, while trying to reconnect with his two youngest daughters who were adopted out while he was incarcerated. Meanwhile, someone shoots Tolliver. I guess there’s no police in Texas, because Harper and the injured Tolliver are the ones who have to solve the mystery of the missing baby, and two murders, while trying to find out what happened to Harper’s sister Carmen, who went missing years before.

PROS:
*Tolliver’s attitude to his relationship with Harper is straightforward and geared to a HEA.

*The premise of the paranormal characters is unique and interesting.

*I bought this book to find out what happened to Carmen, & got my answers (thanks).

CONS:
*As I previously spewed the ‘I can’t decide what to call our relationship’ attitude of Harper. Yuck.

*They treat the (SPOILER) death of the poor PI, who was their FRIEND as if it was just a nuisance. There’s no shock, or worry about the funeral, etc. It was pretty much glossed over.

*I didn’t like the way Iona was portrayed. She’s a Christian, and in the story, she pretty much ignores her (step) nephew when he was shot and hospitalized. This isn’t how people especially Christians act when someone is hospitalized. They camp at the hospital and say “When you’re released, you’ll come stay with us”.

*The mystery resolution was poorly plotted. It was like the author said, “Bleep it. I’ll just have the bad guys be X and have ‘em do X”. It was disappointing and I dropped my score down two stars just for taking such a lazy literary shortcut.

Love all of "Sookie" and "Grave" books. I often post reviews in the store on a variety of books, however, this is the first time I've ever been offended by a passage in a book. I was extremely offended by the following paragraph that described Victoria, a PI that helped the two protagonists: "....her great-grandparents had been immigrants. Victoria, born and bred in Tx didn't have a trace of an accent." What!!!!....would you ever described another race, ethnic group in that manner???!!! For example would you say: "Matthews (protagonists' parent) great-grandparents were German immigrants, but he didn't have a trace of an accent"!?!?! I didn't get the point of this creepy little remark. I realize that there will be many different groups in a book, all need to be described...but this particular remark really got my goat. Did it take Victoria several generations to clean up her "latina" roots? Why doesn't Harris describe all the other protagonist in the book in this manner, why just Victoria? Then I started noticing other comments throughout the book and it was hard for me to finish and/or enjoy the book. My father is 4th generation Irish/German, my mom first generation Panamanian. I don't have an accent in either Spanish or English. Once again, I realize that descriptions are needed, but always check it on your own ethnic group...does it sound OK? or is it offensive and stereotypical?

Now better known for her Sookie Stackhouse series, this series was my first introdution to this authors' work. Having read all her writings, I don't know why this series did not take off. It seems so much deeper and had a melancholy richness that her other stories do not. Considering how deeply skilled this author is, from the silly cozy mysteries to the philosphical quandry of this series--I cannot pass up a book with her name on it. All of her books are keepers, but this series has a special place on my bookshelf. The common theme of her stories is how women cope when undreamed of changes shatter an old life and demand new groundrules. Plus the various "helpers" all come with their own set of challenges. Start at the beginning of this series and allow yourself a place in Harpers' world. Notice how the rhythm of the writing is different--almost slower--and the problems far more tragic and pointed. Be very careful--as is wise Harper--as to who you let get close.

I bought this book.

Harris' Harper Connelly series is my favorite from her, far more I'm a little sad to say, than her Sookie books. Grave Secret is the fourth in the series that follows a young woman and her stepbrother (now lover, sounds weird, and it is a little weird, but they aren't related and often it works well) as they try to find the missing dead (Harper can sense the dead, a gift she got after being struck by lightning).
With Grave Secret Harris dives deep into Harper and Tolliver's dark childhood. They return to Texas to visit with their half sisters amid a lot of stress and drama (mainly from their aunt and uncle who are very unsure about the effects Harper and Tolliver's visits have on the younger girls). Then while out with the girls Harper and Tolliver run into the last person they expect to see, Tolliver's father, now out of jail and looking to reconnect. The past comes flooding back, nearly emotional crippling Harper. But the present won't be ignored either, as someone who has reason to hate Harper and Tolliver shoots at them through the window of their hotel.
While Harper is functional, the rawness of her traumatic past and her desperate need for Tolliver's support and understanding is evident in every sentence of this book. Now with him in the hospital and someone still trying to kill her for an unknown reason (not that there are no reasons, there are too many for Harper to be able to commit to just one) Harper has to step up and be the one to save the day.
Where other series flirt with "the traumatic past", using it as a character shorthand to make more complex characters this series immerses itself in it, using Harper to explore "how does a person build a life after trauma" the way most urban fantasies explore "what if vampires existed".
I highly recommend this series, as a satisfying mystery series, with compelling characters that readers will be able to truly connect with. Harris' strength has always been in her character building, but in this one her storytelling skills are in full bloom, packing a powerful, unforgettable punch.

4.5 stars

Well color me dejected. As of tonight, I've read all of Charlaine Harris' novels and Sookie Stackhouse short stories and now I have to wait for her to write new books!

Grave Secret was one of Charlaine's best books yet. There were two major plot twists that I did not predict at all---love that! We find out the answers to several major issues as well. I enjoyed this series a lot; almost as much as I enjoy the Sookie Stackhouse series. I think that if there was an Eric-type love interest I'd like them even more. I like Tolliver but he just doesn't do it for me.

Fans of True Blood and the Sookie novels will like this series. Charlaine writes simply, with a good balance between emotion, plot, and action.

Just One Gripe:
The ending gives you specific facts but no details. I need details! I can't tell if there are going to be more Harper books or not based on this ending.

The Best Thing About This Book:
The plot twists.

So ever since my decadent little re-read of Fire I've been in a reading slump. One foul doozy of a slump. I restlessly picked up and put down a handful of books, all of them full of potential, none of them able to hold my attention. Fortunately I'm still thinking clearly enough at this point to know it's me with the problem, not them. And I carefully set them aside on the nightstand to be picked up in a later, more amenable mood. But desperation was setting in and my family was starting to feel the effects. And then a friend saved the day by reminding me the new Harper Connelly book was out! The fourth installment in Charlaine Harris' "other" series, I'd been looking forward to the release of GRAVE SECRET ever since finishing the excellent An Ice Cold Grave two years ago. Entirely different from her Sookie Stackhouse series, the Harper books are gritty mysteries with just a hint of the paranormal. I absolutely love them.

Harper and her stepbrother (and manager) Tolliver are on the road again. Having left the horrors of North Carolina behind them once and for all, they're headed to Texas to check in with their little sisters. With the disappearance of her sister Cameron eight years ago, their family dissolved. Harper went into foster care, Tolliver to live with his older brother Mark, and the little girls went to their Aunt Iona and Uncle Hank's in Texas. Over the years Harper and Tolliver made it a point to stay in touch with their siblings, despite their aunt and uncle's deep disapproval of their lifestyle and Harper's way of earning a living. This particular visit is unexpectedly prolonged when Tolliver's jailbird father is released from prison and shows up full of remorse and wanting to reconnect with his children. At the same time, Harper finds a few more dead people than she bargained for on her latest case, sending shock waves through the family of the deceased. As old memories threaten to overtake the careful peace these two have constructed, Harper and Tolliver find themselves caught between family, clients, and the law.

I sank back into this world as if no time at all had passed since my last visit. There's something about these two characters and the mature way they've gone about reclaiming their lives after the horror of their childhoods that just fills my empty spaces. Harper and Tolliver accept that they are all each other has in such a matter-of-fact way, with such stoic integrity, it pulls at my heartstrings. I read each book hoping nothing happens to them they won't be able to recover from, looking forward to each interaction, enjoying that tense, dark reality with which Harris surrounds her characters. GRAVE SECRET lived up to expectations on more than one level. Harper and Tolliver's relationship never falters even as they find the truth about their past is even more heinous than they believed it to be. I found myself chanting, "Don't trust him, don't trust him" over and over throughout the book, on the edge of my seat worrying about them. I liked how Harper was forced to deal with some things alone in this one. I liked that Harris didn't ease up at all when it came to what actually went down in that trailer in Texarkana. This series has remained refreshingly consistent over the course of four books. And, despite the fact that several overarching plot threads are wrapped up in this volume, I would happily read as many books as she'd like to write about Harper and Tolliver. Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series is by far the more famous of the two, and I love it, but I find myself gravitating toward these more serious, quietly compelling mysteries. Highly recommended.

Reading order: Grave Sight,Grave Surprise,An Ice Cold Grave, and GRAVE SECRET

This is the last Charlaine Harris book I had in my collection to read. I've read all Sookie Stackhouse, Lily Bard, Aurora Teagarden, and now Harper Connelly. (I still have her two standalone novels to read, and an assortment of short stories.)

Her similar heroines and plots are all starting to blend together at this point. But I enjoy her talent at neatly writing mundane tasks. That sounds like an insult, but it's not. They're comforting books, and unsettling at the same time. The Harper Connelly books love putting small children in danger. Or dead an in the ground.

Harper ranks above Aurora Teagarden in my favorite Harris Heroines. She's kinda like Sookie, except less kinky. She's more resourceful and less whiny than Roe. At this point, Roe, Sookie, and Harper have all been shot at by snipers, and I'm pretty sure all four of them have gotten clubbed in a parking lot. All four also have issues/qualms with becoming a mother and say they're not good with children, even though they're all capable, really. Sookie and Harper also like talking about their significant others' nipples.

Anyway, in this book, Harris does a great job at bringing the overall storyline to a head. Harper has been looking for her missing sister, Cameron, for years (and for four books). Harris builds up a lot of tension and hope in time for the (somewhat hasty) conclusion, which I won't spoil here.

Other than that, the main plot feels a little contrived, but it does tie into the series plot nicely. I read on Charlaine's website that Harper has been optioned for a TV show, and think it would be perfect for a one-season program.

--chancelee.com

While I was picking up a bunch of books at Barnes and Noble yesterday, I found that this was out. Excitement and sadness warred in my chest. I have read, you see, that this was the last of the Harper mysteries, and I love that series.

The first part of the book just flew. I was glad to see Ms. Harris address most normal people's reaction to the romantic developments in book 3. It skeeved me more than slightly, so I could understand the side characters' reactions. It was nice to see the reinforcement from Harper and Tolliver that they belong together, and the... purity of their love, as compared with what they have had in their past.

As any good conclusion, this story revisits the origins. Harper and Tolliver visit their past, trying to figure how to move into the future. We meet one of the people who made their childhoods torture. And we get the answer to the overarching question - what happened to Harper's sister, Cameron.

The end of the book, however, somehow lost steam. I think it was the continual revisiting of the same problems - the ick factor of them being together, the question if either one of them would break and trust the "father" character, the weird family dynamics... the discomfort of the book just kept piling on, and it didn't really let up, not until the "epilogue".

This series started dark and ended ochre. It's so dark that it's almost hard to read. But the end was a catharsis for the characters, so I'm ok to say goodbye.

Wouldn't mind seeing a story for Manfred, though. And I still think Harper would be better off with him instead of in this parasitic/symbiotic relationship with Tolliver. Seeing Ms. Harris and I seem completely disagree on the idea of romance (I find Sam a better character than either Eric or Bill, for example), so I won't hold my breath.

(*)>

This was, by far, my favorite in the Harper Connelly series, which is a shame because I own the first three, but only picked this one up as a library book. Sometimes I have a hard time with the characters in this series. I feel that Charlaine Harris doesn't always allow you to get to know the minor characters as well and then when something happens to them, you don't feel quite as bad. Throughout the series, I was always interested in the disappearance of Harper's sister, Cameron. I was excited when right there in the description it says that we will find out what actually happened--which makes me think this is that last in the series? I'm not sure if Charlaine Harris is planning on writing any more. The description does not lie, and we do, in fact, find out what happened to Cameron. If you read my last post, you will know that I was waiting for a bird to carry a skull somewhere due to the cover, but that never happened, which left me a bit disappointed.

Over all, this book is a quick read and I would suggest picking up the series from the library if you like mysteries. I wouldn't tell you to bump it up to the top of your list, though. I regret physically buying the first three, but I did only get them in paperback, so it isn't quite so bad. I would much rather read the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Those are books that I could read over and over again, where I don't think I will be revisiting Harper anytime soon.

Harper Connelly and Tolliver Lang are going back home to Texas to salve a rich rancher's curiosity. Harper is to read Rich Joyce's remains to tell his granddaughter how he really died. What she discovers is nothing the family actually wanted to know.

Someone Rich knew greeted him on the road and flung a rattler at him. The shock caused his death.

But, while doing that job, Harper also uncovers that a household servant died in childbirth rather than complications from peritonitis from an infected appendix as they all believed. This sets the family looking for the child, who Harper thinks must be alive since she can only locate and read the dead--and there is no child in the cemetery.

Oddly, while Harper and Tolliver are there, a call comes in to the Texarkana police that their sister Cameron has been sighted at a local mall. The pair has never given up looking for their sister all the eight years she's been gone and this whets their curiosity anew.

Not such good news--Tolliver's father Matthew is finally out of jail. Matthew wants to reconnect with his kids and he certainly does not approve of Harper and Tolliver being together.

Thus begins the latest and most complicated of the Harper Connelly stories. Harper and Tolliver not only have to deal with the newness of their romance and their family's reaction to what they consider incest (The pair was raised together but are not blood kin), they may have new leads on Cameron's death, and someone's trying to kill Harper and actually does manage to shoot Tolliver.

If you enjoy mysteries with a good supernatural twist, this story is going to be one you will want to pick up. I have enjoyed the Harper Connelly stories since the beginning, you do not have to start with the first book to comprehend what is going on here.

Rebecca Kyle, January 2010

This is the 4th book in the Harper Connelly series. I've read all 4 and while I really enjoyed the first 3 (rated them 4 stars), I didn't find this one as interesting. In the first 3 books we saw Harper's relationship with her step brother, Tolliver, blossom, we learned about their troubled family past, and about the disappearance of Harper's sister, Cameron. In book 4, they go back to their hometown, where they reveal the true nature of their relationship, and the mystery of Cameron's disappearance is finally solved.

So why didn't I find this book as interesting as the others? I think it's because while Harper and Tolliver's troubled past and their feelings for each other were explored some in the previous books, it was never the main focus. If you've read the previous books, you know about their dysfunctional family and drug addicted parents, pretty heavy stuff. And because of that, the tone of this book was more downbeat than the others. I also found it annoying that about a third of the book dealt with Harper and Tolliver telling everyone about their new relationship. So I kept feeling like I was reading the same conversation over and over. They'd reveal that they were a couple, and the person would express shock or disapproval. I'm hoping that now the author has dealt with this issue, it won't be the main focus of future stories. Because I do find these mysteries interesting. In fact, the best part of this book was the resolution of Cameron's disappearance. It was a satisfying and surprising ending. If you haven't read the first 3 books, I suggest you start from the beginning.

This review applies to the audio version.

#4 (and final--according to the author) Harper Connelly paranormal mystery in which Harper and Tolliver head back to Texas at the behest of the well-moneyed Lizzie Joyce, who is seeking to find out how her grandfather died a few years previously. When Lizzie leads them to a small family graveyard and deliberately doesn't point out which grave is her grandfather's, Harper sighs and begins 'reading' each grave, with the name and how they died--but springs a surprise on the family by telling them that Mariah, Richard Joyce's caregiver after his stroke, died from an infection after childbirth--NOT from a ruptured appendix as they were told.

While in Texas, Harper and Tolliver stop to see their young sisters (who have been adopted by Harper's aunt) and learn from Tolliver's older brother Mark that their father is out of prison on parole and has been asking to see him. Harper also touches base with the police, trying to find out if there have been any new leads in her sister Cameron's disappearance. Once they poke all their irons into the various fires, Tolliver is shot, there is an attempt against Harper's life and other people are killed.

As the author strives to wind down this series by tying up all the loose ends, the plot careens a bit and latches on to several very convenient coincidences, but the ending was satisfying if a bit rushed. I have enjoyed this series of Harris' more than any of the others she writes and was very intrigued with Harper's strange gift. Once again the reader (Alyssa Bresnahan) did a stellar job. One note: you really must start from the beginning of this series or you will be sadly lacking in the understanding of events as the backstory is very important as are the twisty relationships in the Lang-Connelly family. Four and a half stars.

Harper and her step-brother, now lover, Tolliver drive to Texas to “read” the grave of a wealthy family patriarch. That he died from a heart-attack is only a mild surprise, but what Harper reads from another grave sends the family reeling and nearly gets Harper and Tol killed. This is a pivotal book in the series because Harper finally discovers what happened to her older sister who has been missing for eight years. Harris gives the reader a handful of big surprises at the end, but the middle part of the book is weak, with way too much time spent on Harper’s pursuit of family relationships. Although these are pivotal to the climax, they feel repetitious. Has Harris’ devotion to Sookie Stackhouse caused her to lose interest in Harper?

This is the fourth (and surmised last) novel in the Harper Connelly mysteries series. This was a pretty good book and it tied up a lot of the mystery surrounding Harper and Tolliver's family.

In this book Harper and Tolliver are doing a job near the area they were raised in as children. During Harper's reading she unintentionally upsets her client by revealing some unknown information about death of one of the people in the cemetery. She thinks nothing of it until someone shoots Tolliver through the window of their motel. During a visit with Tolliver's brother, Mark, they find out that their dad (Tolliver's dad, Harper's step-dad) just got let out of jail. All of these things start piling on top of each other; someone's out to kill Harper, Tolliver's dad won't leave them alone, there is a spotting of Harper's sister who went missing twelve years earlier, and Harper's most recent client is out to get some answers. Could it all be coincidence? Or is everything that is happening related?

This was a great mystery. I was a bit concerned when the beginning of the book read more like a complex soap opera than anything else. But to Harris's credit there are a lot of entangling relationships to set up at the beginning of the book. Maybe a third way through the book things really start to pick up pace as the mystery grabs hold and Harper is constantly fearing for her life.

I have always liked Tolliver and Harper's characters. They are believable and vulnerable; and yet, they do their best to be good people. I loved how Harris dealt with their evolving relationship. Harris does a good job with all of the characters in this series.

The plot was twisted and somewhat complicated. I enjoyed it. The pace of the book is definitely relentless and griping once you get past the first third. Poor Harper goes through so much over and over again. It was a well put together book, with a good pace, and a good plot.

I also enjoyed how everything was wrapped up. You get answers to most of your questions, there are a couple small unknowns left, but the book sums up everything nicely and leaves the characters in good spots. This has been a fun series to read all around and this book was no exception to that.

Grave Secret is the fourth and final book in the Harper Connelly series by American author, Charlaine Harris. Whenever Harper and Tolliver head to Texas, the disappearance of their sister Cameron, some eight years previous, looms large. This time, they are hired by wealthy heiress, Lizzie Joyce to discover the means of her grandfather’s death. Lizzie’s brother, Drexell and her boyfriend, Chip seem vaguely familiar to Harper. When Harper reveals a few unknown facts about the Joyce family, she unwittingly sets in motion events that lead to Tolliver being shot, and a policeman taking a bullet for her. The reappearance of Tolliver’s father, Matthew, a death threat, anonymous callers claiming sightings of Cameron and a murdered PI all add complications. Psychic Manfred Bernardo’s appearance is welcomed, even by Tolliver. This final instalment neatly wraps up a series full of interesting and appealing characters. The plot has several twists and turns and an exciting climax. An excellent Harris series.

First Line: "All right," said the straw-haired woman in the denim jacket.

Harper Connelly was struck by lightning at the age of fifteen. She survived... with an extra "gift". She can locate dead bodies and deduce the cause of death. She and her stepbrother, Tolliver, make a living from this gift.

Harper is hired by the wealthy Joyce family to find some answers behind the death of their patriarch, Rich, but they're shocked at what Harper sees. When Harper's life is threatened, she realizes that the death of Rich Joyce may tie into her own family history. To further complicate matters, Tolliver's drug addict father is out of jail and wants a reunion. All this dredges up the pain of Harper's sister's disappearance eight years ago. Will she be able to find all the answers?

Perhaps because it has so much to do with tying up loose ends in her own past, Grave Secret is a rather somber book. Harper and Tolliver had horrible childhoods, and they've worked hard to overcome it all. Having Tolliver's father show up and bring back memories of her sister makes Harper determined to find the answers she's been looking for for over eight years.

Although I am trying to keep this review spoiler free for those who may want to read earlier books in the series, I like how Harris addresses the uneasiness readers may feel at the relationship between Harper and Tolliver by showing how other characters react.

The uneasiness I feel has nothing to do with Harper and Tolliver. It has everything to do with the continuation of the series. In another favorite series of mine written by Harris, once she said what she wanted to say about the main character, the series was finished after only five books. Harris tied up a lot of loose ends in Harper's story, but I'd still love to see a few more books about her. Let's hope Harris has more to say about this very interesting character.

[My copy obtained through Paperback Swap.]

Harper Connoly's talent of hearing the voices of human remains is unusual--and a lot of people think she's a fraud. So, it's no surprise when her latest clients take her to a graveyard and ask her to hunt around for their missing grandfather. But when Harper comes across a woman who died in childbirth when everyone else knows it was infection, and when she explains that the grandfather's heart attack was inspired by someone throwing a rattlesnake at him, she stirs up some serious troubles. Which is okay with Harper. She simply reports what the corpses say. What isn't okay is that she's continually frustrated in her efforts to maintain family relations with her two younger sisters and now her step-brother/lover, Tolliver, is suggesting that they give it up and create some distance.

Tolliver is having family problems of his own. His father is now out of prison and seems intent on making amends--something both Tolliver an Harper suspect. Tolliver's older brother, Mark, has no suspicions at all. He's welcomed his father back and is doing everything he can to make Tolliver do the same. When an anonymous caller reports seeing Harper's long-vanished sister in a shopping mall, the entire dysfunctional family seems to have come full-circle. Except Connoly is certain her sister is dead. There's no way Cameron would have left her family without a word...and not gotten back in touch after their parents were jailed.

Author Charlaine Harris wraps up a phase in Harper's life, and gives us a look at two dysfunctional families--Harper's and that of her client. Harper, with her lightning-struck talent, her obsession with making her relationship with her sisters work, and with her combination of confidence and self-doubt makes an interesting character. Secondary character Manfred may be worth a novel of his own as he wrestles with his psychic talents and his crush on Harper. Those looking for stories of reformed addicts and happy endings would do better to look elsewhere, but Harper, at least, seems in a position to move on with her life. Harris's writing engages the reader and makes us care about Harper.

Harper Connolly is a survivor. She is the product of a hellish upbringing with a drug addicted/alcoholic mother AND step father - she and her sister and two step brothers were responsible for raising their mutual baby sisters. She is struck by lightening, which leaves her with an unusual power,and her older sister disappears without a trace. She has learned to use her lightening acquired powers to support herself and her step brother Tolliver. They travel together to use Harper's powers to find the dead. She can feel where dead bodies are located, and she can see how they died. In Grave Secret, many of her problems from the past are revisiting her. While I enjoyed this book, I would not recommend starting the series at this point because there is a great deal of backstory to get here. I would however recommend starting at the beginning and make your way to this point - interesting characters and stories.

In this fourth and final installment of the Harper Connelly series, Charlaine Harris does a wonderful job of creating new twists while reviving unresolved plot fragments from previous books. Grave Secret effectively ties together all the story lines of the prior three books.

As a teenager, Harper was struck by lightning and subsequently developed a strange talent of being able to hear the dead in their last few moments of life if she is near the body or standing on the grave. Shortly after the lightening strike, her family is torn asunder as an older sister goes missing, the baby is dying, and a difficult and abusive childhood is revealed resulting in her parents being taken to jail. The remaining children are parceled out to foster homes, homes with aunts, or to live on their own at a very young age. In earlier books, we see Harper and her step-brother, Tolliver, slowly build their "corpse talking" business while searching for clues to their missing sister and trying to rebuild their scattered family. In this latest book, Harper and Tolliver reveal that they are now engaged to their sisters when they travel to Texas for a job.

In Texas, they are supposed to discover how a wealthy family patriarch died, but they find a mystery that the client had not bargained for, when it turns out that someone will kill to keep the secrets buried. Tolliver gets shot, the abusive step-father is released from jail and wants to make amends. Or does he? All the little sub-plots, danger and turmoil that Harper faces keep the book moving along until a surprise conclusion is revealed.

Harris has a wonderful skill with developing enjoyable, believable characters and is brave enough to address real life issues of drug abuse, broken homes and the children who can and will rise above a terrible start to their lives. I think this is her best series and some of her best writing, and I will be sorry to say goodbye to her wonderful characters.

by Rhonda Esakov
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

FINALLY Harris gives us some answers on what happened to Cameron in this last book of the series. In this one, Harper Connelly and Tolliver are back in Texas helping the Joyce’s figure out what (or who) killed their uncle. In the midst of this, mayhem ensues and once again someone is out to get Harper. But all pieces begin to fit into the puzzle with what happened to Cameron.

Readers don’t want to miss this finale. It is action packed, filled with surprises, and readers will be glued to the pages in anticipation of what’s going to happen next.

Overall rating: 4.2

Thriller Rating: 4.0

Would read again? I’ll try her other series first.

My Love of Books

My thoughts...Let me start by saying if you have not read any books in the series, you need to go back and read Grave Sight. This series is different from the Sookie books. I would describe it as a mystery with a hint of paranormal. You may want to cover your eyes here, while I will not give away any Grave Secret spoilers, previous events may be disclosed.

Grave Secret picks right up where Ice Cold Grave left off. They start off on a usual job assignment that lands them in a graveyard. Where as the other books mentioned it, this last installment really got deep into Harper and Toliver's past. We learn the full extent of the abuse, neglect, and poverty they and their siblings lived through. Harper and Tolliver's quest to find their missing sister Cameron continues and they find themselves where it all began, their hometown. Charlaine Harris writes incredible strong characters. Harper shows tremendous growth in this book. She is much more dependent on herself, partially because Tolliver is unable to help her, and she changes for the better. I was satisfied at the end of the story with the characters situations and their relationships with each other.

The storyline in this book was OK. Although I was not on the edge of my seat, I was intrigued enough to keep reading. The ending came very quickly and left me shocked. It took a twist I was not expecting. The ending did feel a little abrupt and the current mystery wound up so conveniently. But overall, it was a great read and I am satisfied with the way the series ended.

This is the final book in in the Harper Connelly series, and it's more about Harper's family than any sort of mystery. Not that Harper's family isn't already swallowed by the mystery of her sister Cameron's disappearance. Harper and Tolliver take their budding (unconventional and unpopular) relationship to Texas to visit their little sisters, but an unfortunate incident means that they are going to be stuck there a while. Is someone after Harper? Or is Tolliver the target?

I thought Harris did a good job of wrapping up this series. Questions that have been unanswered for the previous 3 books are finally answered, and in ways that make sense but are also surprising. The only part that seemed a little too convenient was the seemingly unconnected hiring of Harper by some people with a tie to her past. This is one of Harris's odder series, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I'm glad she wrote (what I think is) the final book and closed it out.

I'm a HUGE Charlaine Harris fan - I've read everything she's written several times over. For me, Harper ranks 3rd on the Harris Heroine scale - behind #2 Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback) and #1 Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 1), with #4 being Shakespeare's Landlord (Lily Bard Mysteries, Book 1). [Harper is most like Lily - so fans of this series might try Lily]

I feel for Harper and Tolliver and want them happy - but I don't love them the way I do Sookie and Eric. While I agree the ending here wraps up everything neatly in a few pages and signals the end of the series, that doesn't really bother me. These characters have run their course and it's time to let them go. I was suitably surprised with the big reveal at the end and blood thirsty enough to completely agree with Harper when she contemplates murder.

I loved this series, up until this last book. It almost felt like with her vampire series taking off, the author wanted to kill this story line off fast. The supposed HS genetic science that lead to the breakthrough in the novel was completely backwards. Two brown eyed people can have a blue eyed baby if they carry the recessive gene. It would be more believable if two blue eyed parents were surprised with a brown eyed child. Secondly there is a huge suspense of believability when two babies are switched, of different ages and health, and no one seems to notice. Even if the author has no children, she can't really believe that all babies look exactly alike, especially to people that see and care for them on a daily basis. Overall this book was just a huge let down to a somewhat promising series. If she wanted to kill it off in a fast end, having the entire cast die in a bomb blast would of been just as fulfilling and much more believable.

One Thing After Another

Grave Secret (2009) is the fourth fantasy novel in the Harper Connelly series, following An Ice Cold Grave. In the previous volume, the killer took Harper from her car and taped her hands and mouth. Harper started kicking the killer as he drove into the woods.

Harper got away, found a knife on a dead man, and freed herself. Then the killer grabbed her and Harper stabbed him a few times. She got away again and fled toward the lake. She discovered that the killer had got there first, but then Ted and Nita shot him.

In this novel, Harper Connelly senses dead bodies, but lacks any other psychic abilities. She had been placed in foster care after the state convicted her stepfather and mother of child neglect and other crimes. When she reached her majority, Harper started her business of finding dead bodies for a fee.

Tolliver Lang is Harper's stepbrother, the son of Matthew and his first wife. He has been traveling with her as manager of her business. She has recently discovered that she lusts for him as well as loves him.

Matthew Lang is the father of Mark and Tolliver and the stepfather of Harper. He has been in prison for eight years, but was recently released.

Mark Lang is the son of Matthew and the older brother of Tolliver. He left home and got a job as soon as he could. After the arrest of his father and stepmother, Mark took Tolliver into his home.

Cameron Connelly is Harper's older sister. She has been missing for more than eight years. The local police believe that someone in a blue pickup truck had abducted her.

Mariella and Grace Lang are the daughters of Harper's mother and Tolliver's father. They had been adopted by Iona -- Harper's aunt -- and her husband Hank Gorham.

Lizzie Joyce is a very rich woman who lives on the RJ Ranch near Clear Creek, Texas. She is a former barrel rider and has won several championships.

Kate Joyce is Lizzie's younger sister. She is much like Lizzie, but less tall, wide, and mature.

Drexell Joyce is Kate's younger brother. He is less intelligent than his sisters.

Chip Mosely is manager of the RJ Ranch. He is also the boyfriend of Lizzie.

In this story, Harper and Tolliver have come to Texas on a case. Lizzie Joyce wants to know how her grandfather had died. According to the death report, Rich Joyce's cause of death was heart failure. Of course, the heart fails in every death.

Lizzie and Kate are waiting for Harper and Tolliver in the ranch house. Then a jeep arrives with Drexell and Chip. Everybody loads up and heads toward the cemetery.

The cemetery is located in the middle of nowhere. Harper takes off her shoes and walks over the graves, announcing the cause of death as she goes. When she reaches the vicinity of the Rich's grave, she finds the burial spot of Mariah Parish, his caretaker.

Mariah had died after birthing a baby. Both Drexell and Chip react to this news. Then Harper walks onto Rich's grave and senses that he had been startled by a thrown rattlesnake and then had a heart attack.

The Joyce party doesn't want to believe Harper's statements. Yet Lizzie pays the rest of Harper's fee. Then Harper and Tolliver leave for Garland, Texas, to visit Mariella and Grace.

During the visit with their sisters, Iona announces that she is pregnant. Harper is surprised that Iona could conceive at her age. The girls are thrown for a serious loop, but seem pleased at having a younger sibling.

Later, Harper and Tolliver dine with Mark. After their brotherly greeting, Mark and Tolliver dominate the conversation. Harper sits quietly and tries to remember what was odd about the visit with the girls.

Finally, it occurs to Harper that she had seen a letter in the kitchen that was written in Matthew's handwriting. She asks Mark if he knows that Iona has heard from his father. Then Mark admits that Matthew is out of prison and living with him.

Later, Lizzie and Kate visit Harper in Garland and ask what she knows about the missing baby. Naturally, she knows nothing about the living child, but she retains a private detective who is still searching for signs of Cameron. So Tolliver gives Lizzie the name and number of Victoria Flores.

After the Joyce sisters leave, someone shoots Tolliver. Harper gets a face full of broken glass. An ambulance takes them to the hospital.

This tale has a convoluted plot and many surprises. Tolliver and Harper have to face Matthew, whom they definitely don't trust. Then other deaths are revealed.

This novel resolves some long outstanding mysteries in Harper's life. It might be the last in the series, but maybe Harper and Tolliver will have additional adventures. Read and enjoy!

Recommended for Harris fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of psychic abilities, old deaths, and a bit of romance. If anyone has not previously read this series, the initial volume is Grave Sight.

-Arthur W. Jordin

The story:
Harper Connelly was struck by lightning and ever since she is in tune with the dead. She can sense dead bodies and relive their last moments. She can tell you how they died and where they are. Her mother married Mathew lang, Lang's sons are Mark and Tolliver. Harper and Cameron were joined by their new two baby sisters from both Lang and Harpers mom. Harper is close with Tolliver, he manages her business of helping people with dead loved ones. Cameron was kidnapped eight years ago, no clues as to where she went. While visiting their two kid sisters Tolliver and Harper receive clues as to their family troubles and answers to the mystery of Cameron.

Thoughts:
So very very disappointing! Not enough balance of good vs evil, love vs hate. In the end of the book there is shocking violence and evil confessed, and then the book is over with one positive sentence. We got married. That should have been played up better or their relationship should have been brought up to show how love conquered all that ugliness. Instead the book just ended. That doesn't sit right with me.

I did like that the answers to family mysteries are finally revealed. My other big gripe is her and Tolliver together. I would have been okay with it except while they are together now she keeps introducing him as her brother. I would have been able to get over the fact Tolliver has been considered her brother up till now, but in this book it is constantly in our face. Is he my brother or is he my fiancé? Decide no more sitting on the fence. This book just left a really bad taste in my mouth, as the saying goes.

The first half of the book was slow and a little boring. Harper only read one grave. Isn't that the point of the series, that she can read dead people? The main plot, besides the family aspect, didn't really get interesting until the last ½ to ¼ of the book. Is it just me or were the previous books more interesting and captivating, suspenseful? I really wanted to like this book, I did. Unfortunately we don't always get what we want.

I like this series better than some of the author's other series, which I've also read. Harper's supernatural ability to tell what caused a death from standing near the person's grave but not to tell who killed them seems more realistic. Harris is also really good at painting a picture of what life is like for people who are struggling for money and who worry about insurance, who shop at Wal-Mart, and who have real low life family members. It all adds to the realism of the series. This book is largely about Harper's low life and/or abused family members, dead and living, and the relatives who mean well but can't quite get Harper and her romantic relationship with her stepbrother. To say more would give away the ending, but it's well written and well drawn and the conclusion, as always, is one that is both very fast, like a one-two punch, and something you don't see coming. Personally, I'd rather read about Harper than Sookie, so I hope the author revisits them sometime.

Grave Secret is the fourth and final installment of the Harper Connolly series by Charlaine Harris. This is a short and sweet series about a young woman that can sense the dead after being struck by lightning. 'Grave Secret' is a very solid conclusion to the Harper Connelly saga. We have all the mysteries solved and the plots wrapped up.

Throughout the first three books Harper struggles with the loss of her sister. She can sense the dead but has never been able to sense her sister. Is she still alive? Who killed her? Where is her body? Well, we finally learn the questions to all these answers and even unveil a few other family skeletons. I do feel a little cheated with the story Harris provided for Harper's sister Cameron... but it did wrap things up nicely and covered all aspects of the plot.

Harper and Tolliver are hired to work for the Joyce family. They have money to play with and find Harper intriguing so decide to have her read the old family cemetery plot. (Their grandfather has recently passed away and they want to know if Harper is the real thing.) She discovers that their beloved gramps has kicked the bucket in a less than natural way- and so has his caretaker. The murderer gets nervous that Harper is closer than she should be and becomes obsessed with stopping her from finding the truth. Yikes- we've got kidnappings, shootings and murders... poor Tolliver even takes a shot to the arm. As if they don't have enough going on in their lives, Tolliver's creepo dad is released from jail. They have to revisit their past in all sorts of new, painful ways. Apparently he wants to mend the fences and make things right.... but Harper assumes he has other motives. And as we know *this is a small world after all* and Harper may have found an unlikely link between her own family and the Joyces...

Now that Harper and Tolliver have finished up a job for the loaded Joyce family, they have to face their biggest challenge yet. That's right, they're coming out as a couple. This was hard for me to swallow in each novel because Harper and Tolliver used to be step-siblings. This would not have been as hard for me to swallow if Harper would not have kept accidentally referring to Tolliver as her brother. I wasn't really into where Harris took Harper's personality. I felt as if she became stranger in the previous novel as well as this one- doing things that did not fit her personality.

SO. It is completely obvious that we're seeing the last of Harper Connelly for now. We have Cameron's murder wrapped up, the situation and rifts within the Connelly/Lang family somewhat settled and last but not least- Harper and Tolliver's romantic subplot. The interconnected clues and lies are fun to play with, although some things a little far-fetched. Wait, what am I saying, this is a book where someone can sense dead people! Just like in the previous Harper books, we have some light humor and a gruesome edge. That's right, Harris likes keeping her murders gory!

I would suggest that a person read the first book in this series and decide from there whether or not to move on with these books. I don't think, by any means, that you could read this book and enjoy it much without reading the previous books first. This is a good series for those who love mystery and Charlaine Harris.

Plot Summary: Harper Connelly is like a human dowsing wand for the dead. She can find bodies and see a vision of their last moment alive. While on a job with her step-brother/lover, Tolliver Lang, Harper tells a wealthy Texas family that their father was probably murdered, and his young, female caretaker died shortly after giving birth to a baby. They figure the job is done and move on, but it soon becomes clear that their lives are in danger. Someone wants Harper dead, and it's tied to their last job. At the same time, new information comes to light involving the abduction of Harper's older sister eight years ago, and by the end she'll finally know the truth about what happened to Cameron.

Charlaine Harris can write seriously good mysteries, and Grave Secret is her most shocking one yet. I'm still amazed at how it all came together at the end, and no, I did not guess correctly. I love it when a writer can surprise me with the outcome, and not to pat myself on the back or anything, but that doesn't happen all that often anymore.

For readers who are new to the Harper Connelly Mysteries, I'm sorry to say that Grave Secret is not a stand-alone read, so don't jump in here. There is a whole lot of baggage and history that goes into this story, and why deny yourself the joy of getting to know Harper and Tolliver? The entire series is fantastic, and second only to Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries in my opinion.

If I have a gripe, it's that the mood of this book is unrelentingly dour. There's bad news, and then more bad news, and it just keeps raining down. There were just too many downs, and not enough ups, so don't start this one if you're already in a bad mood. It'll just make it worse, because the story is intense, and it'll suck you in emotionally. Still, I have to thank Ms. Harris for solving one of the big personal mysteries from Harper and Tolliver's past, and I'm looking forward to their next adventure together.

PB/Mystery: Book 4 of the Harper Connelly series. I've looked around and I'm pretty sure this is the last book of the Harper series. If it's not, it should be. All the loose-ends had their finale including Harper's relationship with Tolliver and what happened to Cameron. Tolliver is hurt in this book along with him being with Harper and frankly, he got boring. I liked him when he was on a Harper emotional roller coaster. Harper becomes stuck in a town where she becomes someone's doormat. The story is okay, but there were too many coincidences between Cameron and the current case. With all that, the story was readable, but I only recommend it if you have read the other three books.

While somewhat important things happen in this book, it seems boring most of the time. Don't get me wrong, the book isn't really bad, but it does have major flaws. After all is said and done, we don't get to know anyone much better and not much has happened. The author continues her pattern of killing likable people for no reason (see the newest Sookie book for examples).

Most annoying of all is the authors makes characters suffer from multiple personality disorder. Yes, Harper hooks up with her step-bro, which is fine in my book. But the characters who condemn them for being unnatural and sick, in the next minute say "she's not your sister/family, so she what we say doesn't concern her." You can't have it both ways. Either she's the sister and you find what the couple do "sick" or she's not. I figure the author is just acting out because some of her fans complained about the "incest" happening in the book, but don't call out your audience on something that will detract from the plot and characterization.

Overall, a sad book with a sad ending and the parts in-between weren't even interesting or good enough to compensate.

Harper is asked to discover the cause of death of Richard Joyce, an elderly and very wealthy rancher. The ultimate resolution brings in her drug addicted stepfather, her seemingly loyal older stepbrother, her youngest sister and her oldest sister. The plot works like an onion, with each layer revealing more beneath. Unfortunately for me, it never seemed to jell. There was too much coincidence. It reminded me of that scene in the new Star Trek, where Kirk is running from a monster on an icy planet and just happens to take refuge in the one cave in millions in which Spock was already hiding. It could happen, but it probably wouldn't. Aside from the problems with the plot, it's very well written, with engrossing protagonists. I've always liked this series. I just wish I could like this book more.

When lightning struck teenager Harper Connelly it left her with an unusual gift--she can find dead people. Now an adult and partnered with her stepbrother Tolliver, who is also her lover, they travel to Texas to check on their two little half-sisters, a trip that inevitably brings back memories of their horrible childhood at the mercy of their alcholic, drug-ridden parents. But while in Texas they are hired by the wealthy Joyce family to solve a family mystery concerning their dead family patriarch and the young woman who cared for him and perhaps bore him a child. Harper is also determined to unravel the mystery of what happened to her older sister Cameron--could there be some connection? What she discovers will turn her world upside-down.

This is the final book in the HARPER CONNELLY series by Charlaine Harris, author of the SOUTHERN VAMPIRE/SOOKIE STACKHOUSE series which is the basis for HBO's TRUE BLOOD. Harper and Sookie though have little else in common besides both being young women living in the South. Harper had already been having a difficult adolescence when she was struck by lightning. The event had left her with some scars and a slight limp, common disabilities for lightning survivors. The other residual effect though was more unusual, afterwards Harper could hear dead people. This ability is the only paranormal aspect of this series - so vampire and werewolf fans need to look elsewhere.

Harper and her step brother Tolliver had turned Harper's ability into a business, locating missing bodies and establishing cause of death. Their unusual profession kept them on the road a lot but whenever they could schedule a few days off they would travel to Dallas to visit their much younger half sisters. Family was important to both Harper and Tolliver, both had seen the happy families of their childhood destroyed by drugs, the attraction that had drawn Harper's mother to Tolliver's father, leaving the children to band together to care for each other as best they could. Tolliver and his older brother Mark had worked to provide food for family, Harper and her older sister Cameron had taken care of the house and the younger girls. They were managing until Cameron disappeared. Social services finally took notice of what had been happening and split the family up, the parents to jail, Tolliver and Mark to live on their own, Harper into foster care and the two little ones to be adopted by an aunt and uncle. Over the years Harper and Tolliver had tried to locate Cameron, tracking down every lead, searching every possible location using Harper's special talent but to no avail - there was simply no answer to what had happened to Cameron. At least there had been none until Tolliver and Harper arrived in Dallas to see their siblings, and Tolliver's recently released from jail father.

There is a very strong overall story arc to this series so definitely read this in order, beginning with GRAVE SIGHT, followed by GRAVE SURPRISE, then AN IE COLD GRAVE and ending with this one. The back story of Harper and Tolliver's life before the series began is introduced in the first book and built on in each subsequent one. Skipping over any of the earlier books would leave out important bits of information, and not reading this one would leave the story completely unfinished. This is a great story, and one that hopefully will eventually be made into a series or movie.

Until about the last 20 pages, I was wondering where this book was going, and trying to figure out how it was going to get there with so few pages left..But GAH, it was amazing. I can't believe how twisted the ending was! Charlaine Harris is seriously talented. I loved the other three books in the series, and I was slightly dissappointed in this one until, like I said, the last few pages. My favorite character is definately Manfred, and I'm a little sad that *minor spoilers* she ended up with Tolliver and not him. I would have picked him for sure ;) But at any rate, this book seriously was phenominal. I hate that it is finnished, but oh well. There are other Charlaine Harris books to be read and I HIGHLY recommend all of them!

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this serias as much as I did. I happened upon the first volume and decided to give it a try after SO many Sookie books. I have always been attracted to the paranormal, i.e., mediums, ghosts, the whole thing. I don't necessarily BELIEVE in the people that say they have the power to talk/see/help the dead, but I DO like to read about it and ponder over the possibility.

I quickly warmed up to Harper and to Harris' no-nonsense narration. She's very to-the-point (no wonder how short her books are), and that is always refreshing to me. Sometimes too much description takes over the real plot and makes the reader lose some of the focus that should be on the story, not the surroundings. Not that Harris doesn't manage to make us aware of the places where the story takes place, she does, but she ALSO makes it all much more easy to digest. The same goes for secondary characters' descriptions. I like it very much, but some may not.

Like I said, Harper was a delight. Even when people kept pestering her to do her corpse-searching job right, and then acting in disbelief about the 'legitimacy' of her very accurate results, she would always find the beast way to deal with the complainer. In this last book Harper FINALLY had the chance to prove she is capable of taking care of herself, and I was happy to see it happening, as she always came off quite dependant upon her brother-turned-lover, not to mention almost weak. And not just physically weak, but mentally as well, sometimes.

The book managed to close every mystery that was still open (what happened to Harper's sister, what was the deal with her and Tolliver's other siblings, etc) AND still surprised us some things we didn't quite see coming (at least not in MY case. I could not have been more surprised. LOL). I was also suprised with the romance between them, but I quickly got over it.

The series isn't perfect, sure, but there is SOMEthing about it.... I enjoyed it so much that after I was done with the first book, I instantly grabbed the second, and then so on. I ignored my immense TBR list and found time to read the four books, one right after the other, as quickly as possible. And if THAT doesn't tell you something, then I don't know what else to say. ;)

I started reading Charlaine Harris as a fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series. Then I went to a book signing that Ms. Harris had at a local big name bookstore and one of the staff recommended the Harper Connelly series.

Grave Secret is the fourth and I have just heard, final, book in this series about a woman who has the ability to find dead bodies and know the manner of death. It is hard to write about this and not give any of the plot twists away---Harper and her step-brother now lover, Tolliver, travel to the Dallas area to do a read for a very wealthy ranching family. While exploring the family plot, Harper read ths bones of the patriarch's caretaker who died during childbirth. Problem is, no one in the family knows anything about the woman having been pregnant or the existence of a baby. Or do they?

Add to the mix more drama from Harper and Tolliver's troubled childhood and new developments in the disappearance of her sister, Cameron, and you have one wild ride of a read!

Since this is the apparent end of the series, Harris wraps up a LOT of loose ends, in ways I never saw coming. Sad to see the stories end, but happy with how she chooses to do it.

This is the first book I've read written by Charlain Harris. It's also the last. Why she felt she needed to repeat, over and over again, the fact that her main characters, Harper and the step-brother were lovers is beyond me. Was she just trying to write a longer book? Tell the reader once and move on for crying out loud. And how many times do we need to know how often they ordered room service? In total, there were probably 10 pages worth reading. I felt like a 12 year old wrote this book.

The conclusion to the Cameron mystery irritated me. I like things to make sense.
The key to the mystery was dependent on the fact that 2 brown-eyed parents can't have a green-eyed baby.... EXCEPT they can. Science is great unless it conflicts with your plot. My second problem is that no one in this traumatized family recognized that a baby had been swapped out. What...? Babies are not generic. I enjoyed the Sookie Stackhouse books, but didn't care for this series.

I really, really liked the concept Ms. Harris came up with for this series. That is, the concept of a woman to whom the dead give up at least some of their secrets.

Book four seems hastily written--it's almost as though Ms. Harris had gotten tired of these characters and decided to end it.

And speaking of endings, shame on Ms. Harris for using the same gimmick in the final denouemont that she's used before. Harper receives a call from her client or someone, desperately requesting that she meet them at their home. When she does, she finds the client being held hostage by the bad guys. That's an okay concept, but wait a minute, she did the same thing in either book two or book three of the series.

Then there's the problem with editing and continuity. Harper is standing in front of the window of her motel room and a bullet pierces the window, covering her with glass shards. She is patched up in the ER, and mentions that personnel retrieved her insurance card from the wallet in her purse.

That's all well and good, but wait a minute. When she returns to her motel, she is told by management that they've moved her belongings to another room. And, she's told that they found her purse and nothing is missing. This raises two problems. 1. How did they know what was in her purse? Had she given them an inventory of its contents? 2, and more importantly, the reader has already been told at this point, that her purse was with her in the ER.

This sort of sloppy editing is typical of what we see coming from major publishing houses these days, as they continue to cut costs any way they can.

The plot was mysterious, but the character of Harper really started to grate on my nerves. She kept waffling on her decision of whether or not Tolliver is her brother. In one breath (chapter) she acts defensive when anyone refers to him as her kin, and in the next, she reflects on how she needs to be there for her "brother" when he gets injured.

I understand that they were raised together from the time they were teenagers, and I can appreciate a 'kissing siblings' story as much as the next person, but I really believe there was entirely too much focus and time dedicated to this unimportant storyline - it really added nothing to the fact that since she was struck by lightning, she is able to find dead people.

In the end, I'm glad the series was wrapped up neatly. No need to add anything more if the character is unable to grow.

I borrowed this book from the library after having bought the Kindle edition of the first three because I refused to pay $11.99 for it. Nonetheless I wish it was cheaper because I'd love to have this book.
Having read the other reviews I'll make mine short and simple. I love mysteries and I found the Harper Connelly mysteries to be good. This was not the best of the series, because I was able to guess who it was before it was revealed...I know not a real big deal. I didn't find the book either rushed or a hodge-podge of several lines like some of the reviews. The books mystery is fairly simple...Who killed Harper's sister Cameron. There is a side mystery of the Joyce's, but you find in the end that they are all connected...and that was a surprise for me. The book tells some more about Harper's and Tolliver's childhood, but really it was just a confirmation of what the other books had either told or hinted at, or at least it was for me because growing up I knew a lot of kids who were in the same boat.
Why did I chose the above title...well from Harper's comment in the third book about how she and Tolliver would make-up a story about how the heroine would live the rest of her life, and that's how we are left with Harper and Tolliver. I hope we see more of Harper and Tolliver and the mysteries they find because I really enjoyed trying to outwit them and figure out who had done the murder.

Harper Connelly's childhood was a nightmare living with her mother and stepfather, who were addicts having dopers and paying Johns coming and going at all times for drugs and sex. Her rock was her stepbrother Tolliver who with his sibling Mark tried to earn enough money to keep the family together. Harper and her sister Cameron took care of their half-sisters Gracie and Mariella. A lightning bolt struck Harper enabling her to find the dead which led them to having a job. People go to her to find out where the dead are buried or to find out how they died. Tolliver is her business manager.

The step-siblings are in a small Texas town near their hometown of Texarkana because wealthy Lizzy Joyce wants to know how her father Rich died. She is shocked to learn that her father's caretaker died from bleeding due to childbirth. Rich died when someone threw a snake at him. Lizzy believes Harper and now knows her dad was murdered. While near their home, they go to see their half-sisters adopted by their aunt and uncle. They learn Tolliver's father was just released from prison and wants to see them to make amends, but he does not want anything to do with his dad. Harper is still trying to find out what happened to her sister Cameron who vanished without a trace while walking home from school. Someone is upset that Harper is asking questions and tries to kill her
.but Tolliver and a cop save her life taking a bullet each aimed at her.

GRAVE SECRETS looks back into the childhood nightmares of Tolliver and Harper, who have come a long way from their past because of their caring for each other, which turned into romance (see ICE COLD and AN ICE COLD GRAVE). Questions that have haunted Harper since Texarkana might finally be answered if she has the courage and survives long enough to figure them out. Although a major coincidence helps the story line, Charlaine Harris provides an enthralling mystery that mesmerizes the audience with an underlying soulful romance while Sookie appears on TV.

Harriet Klausner

This was a wonderful series, and I really love Harris' writing style. This book, while not as compelling as book three, kept my interest and surprised me in the end. I have to say that it's the first one of the four where I didn't really predict the "who" in the end, and this was the "who" involving her missing sister. But, given what happened in the end, I do have to say that I expected some more emotion, more about Harper and Tolliver dealing with what was revealed before the book concluded. That's my main beef, I guess -- it really needed more at the very end.

I did enjoy that this book explored their past, even included a flashback scene. After reading about their backgrounds in the other three books, it was nice to dig deeper into the matter.

In Grave Secret, Harper Connelly -- and Charlaine Harris' fans -- receive some long-awaited answers to many of the questions posed in the first three books of the series. Instead of centering around a random, anonymous case facing supernatural corpse-detector Harper, the mystery woven through this book is intimately connected to Harper's own family, and her own tragic unsolved crime.

Grave Secret picks up shortly after the events of An Ice Cold Grave. Harper and her step-brother (now, lover) Tolliver have returned to their hometown to spend some time with their two young sisters, Gracie and Mariella. While they're back in familiar territory, they reconnect with Tolliver's older brother, Mark and less happily, with Tolliver's father Matthew, recently released from prison. While in town, Harper also takes a case for a rich local ranching family to help them determine the cause of death of the family patriarch.

Seemingly unconnected events start to collide when Tolliver is shot in their hotel room, and Harper begins to unravel an almost unbelievable chain of events that circle back to the mystery she's been trying to solve for 8 years -- the disappearance of her sister, Cameron.

I didn't realize this was the last planned book in the Harper Connelly series, although that fact became clear quickly as the book progressed. Harris does a good job of resolving loose ends and giving her heroine some answers, although the process seems a little rushed at times. I think the book might have benefitted from another 100 pages or so to help flesh out some of the plot points, but Harris is a genius at wrapping up convoluted story lines, and she does not disappoint in Grave Secret. Fans will be satisfied with the conclusion, I think.

Frankly, I'm happy to see a resolution to the Harper Connelly series. I enjoyed it, but it paled in comparison to the author's wildly popular Sookie Stackhouse books. If concluding this series gives Harris more time to spend dreaming up adventures for Sookie and the supes in Bon Temps, I'm more than happy to bid Harper a fond farewell.

The final Harper Connelly mystery is very interesting, but not as strong as the others in my opinion. We end up in the heart of Texas and the broken heart of Harper and Tolliver's dysfunctional family.

Aiding in understanding that family is another dysfunctional family that has almost as many issues as Harper's. The intrigue abounds between the two families and things are definitely not as they seem.

Harris wraps up the story nicely (though I could see her still being able to come back to the series in the future) with the answer to the mystery of Harper's missing sister and a semblance of happiness for Harper and Tolliver. Even though it is nicely wrapped, there were still a few problems that left me not loving it near as much as the rest of the series.

Never mind how many bodies have to drop to keep the secrets, some people will stop at nothing. This is a story about long ago murder, new murder, the need for acceptance, attempts at new beginnings, agonizing over what's best for the children, and devastating betrayal. There're two plot twists you'll never see coming...maybe three!

This is the latest in the Harper Connelly mysteries, and I'm sincerely hoping it's NOT the last!

A great series; I am a die-hard Sookie Stackhouse fan & I admit I had doubts about whether I would enjoy something different from this author. I was wrong to doubt ~ I LOVED it & hope there will be more books folllowing in this series! I under estimated the versatlity of this author, who is among one of my top favorite writers. Ms. Harris is a very skilled literary mistress extrodinarie! Genius!!!

Let me be clear, the Harper Connelly series is loads better than Sookie Stackhouse Vampire series. It may not be as popular or as fun but the stories are better written, the plots more interesting and the dialogue more intelligent, that having been said....
Okay, I just finished"Grave Secret". It was good but not as good as the other three books in the series. I don't know sometimes when these authors get deep in a series, the books get kinda rushed and shallow. I liked "Grave Secret" but for me it was just okay. It just seemed like there was not a lot of thought put into the characters that we have come accustomed to and there was a rush through the plot and a resolution to the end.
First, its like Harris doesn't know what to do with Stepbrother-Stepsister sexual tension thing now that they have "done the deed". The whole idea that Harper and Tolliver would be telling everyone and making their sex life public just doesn't ring true with what we know how abused, neglected child survivors act, secrets, secrets and more secrets. Just my opinion.
The story was interesting,but she kinda rushed through it and her characters were missing some of their oomph this time.

I agree that something is missing in this book. It seemed written half-heartedly, and then everything was thrown together for a hasty conclusion. I liked that there was an answer to the torment that caused Harper to go on the road, but it sucked that it was her other brother or non-brother, considering she is now doing her other non-brother and marries him. This romantic line is the picture perfect trailer trash Jerry Springer wet dream, and although it is not technically illegal, it seems wrong. On paper, you want to take up for them, as they grew up together, no longer related and in love. However, if this was your brother and sister (the two little ones in the book), wouldn't you just die?! I know I would, legal or not! Anyway, in conclusion, I am glad that the great mystery of where the dead sister was and why she died was solved. I hated the romantic relationship between Harper and brother and the fact that brother killed sister. I also felt disappointed in the rushed ending, especially since it ended the series entirely. However, where else could it have gone from there? CH was right to end it.

Harper and Tolliver were heading to Dallas. This was not a business trip, it was personal. A visit to their sisters, and Tolliver's brother. However if making a quick stop off was going to make a very rich Lizzie Joyce very happy and also put some money in their hands then what is the harm in that?

Just as things had started to come together for Harper and Tolliver, their past comes back to haunt them. Although they live with the scares of their past everyday, this time their past has appeared in the form of Matthew, Toliver's father. Matthew is desperate for reconciliation with his sons; he is also stalking his daughters.

However Tolliver has just been shot and others have been murdered, although Harper maybe the real one in danger. And after all these years there is also sudden news of Cameron, Harpers missing sister. Harper is left to figure out what role if any Matthew plays in all this, or is everything that's going wrong all to do with the job they did for Lizzie Joyce?

The fourth and final book in the Harper Connelly series, Grave Secret brings Harper's story to a close tying up all the loose ends in a neat package. Harpers life while not conventional in any sense of the word is a source of mystery and intrigue. A fitting end to a short but ever so intriguing whodunit series.

I really enjoyed this series. I loved the Sookie Stackhouse series, and was very happy to enjoy this series as much as I did. I was very sad to discover it was over so quickly! I definitely wanted to read more about Harper and Tolliver, but it did wrap things up pretty well.

I bought this to read on the plane, along with some other Harris books, having read the first book in the series.

I have no great moral outrage over Harper and Tolliver becoming lovers, I just wish there had been some intelligent consequences for it. All we saw was the stereotypical hostile reactions from people we were told flat out were horrible, narrow-minded people to begin with. I have to say, even putting aside the 'sociological incest' factor, Tolliver and Harper have some of the most dispassionate, un-sexy sex I've ever seen in print. It's almost as if Harris, aware of how uncomfortable people were with the concept, couldn't bring herself to write the sex scenes. Their passionate encounters are literally a paragraph long at the "biggest" scene. And it's a short paragraph.

[schoolboy joke of your choice here]

This book tied up the series pretty neatly, but the individual story itself did not hold up. The plot was pretty vague, the tension was manufactured.

I have every series and every book ever written by Charlaine Harris. for a short series I really like Harper Connelly and her Brother? Read and find out for yourself. I read them all in proper order and love how they fit together for the final climax book setting everything in their proper perspective.

I have loved this series and am sad that this is the concluding book. But having said that, I am please that I was a 100% satisfied with the book and how it all came to an end. It followed the same format as the other books with a central mystery but this time we had the addition of family drama. And we all know the baggage both Harper and Tolliver carry around. I didn't feel like anything was rushed and it was well done. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time becuase I was either nervous about the mysery or the family stuff. Great ending, sad to see my good friends Harper and Tolliver end. Now I just have to patiently wait for Sookie #10 in May.

There are two main mysteries going in the concluding volume of the Harper series. One of them's pretty well-done, and the other seems like an afterthought. But by the end of the book, there aren't any lingering questions that would merit another book in the series, so there's that.

The story moves along at a fair clip, and unfortunately relies on contrivance a lot to either prolong suspense or force resolution. At times, Harper and her brother/lover/whatever (and it's pretty weird that they haven't settled THAT bit of vocabulary) make mindblowingly stupid choices to further the plot. There's a lot of peppering description with "she saw someone suspicious out of the corner of her eye, but didn't bother to look closer" and a couple of instances when you wonder if Harper and her brother/lover/whatever have learned anything about caution from their previous run-ins with people who want them dead. These protagonists are not particularly smart, is what I'm saying.

The previous book in the series was far creepier and more suspenseful, and actually had me reading late into the night. This one takes a more Dan Brown route, building up a confrontation only to blow it within a few paragraphs. Read it to wrap up the series, there's nothing wrong with most of the story elements. But it's not as smoothly crafted as I think it could have been, with more time and editing.

I can't give this book any less than 5 stars because it really was an exceptionally well written book, but man it was a downer! I think the part that I love about this series is Tolliver and Harper's relationship -- God I love those two. Don't get me wrong -- it was an amazing story, edge of your seat anticipation, character development was fantastic, but man, add a little more happy next time; I just finished the book and I'm all bummed out.

HARPER CONNELLY by Charlaine Harris. Don't get me wrong, I adore Sookie Stackhouse (the books, not the TV show), but this series was written with more repose. It has mystery and intrigue and effed up families and love and crime and a paranormal element all wrapped together with a nice bow. I really hope Harris puts out another of this series and soon!

I enjoy all of Charlaine Harris's books. The characters in the Harper Connelly series are very well thought out and feel like real people. I'm sorry Ms. Harris isn't planning any more books in this series.

A story of sorrow and neglect born of drugs and lies from the last of the XXth century. There is small amount telepathic and empathic plot but it's overwhelmed by the trauma of child neglect and shame detailed in what I found to be the best novel I have read by this most prolific author.

Scandal. Intrigue. Kidnapping. Gasp, gasp. But you knew that, didn't you, by looking at the cover? Looks pretty creepy and full of secrets, doesn't it?
My first adventure into Harris' books. Very enjoyable book with characters that seem real. My only complaint is that I did get somewhat confused when she was detailing how people were related. Sometimes I got a little fuzzy headed and had to go back and read just how Billy Bob was related to Jim Bob, or something like that, but for the most part I got it. I would recommend it if you want a light, but enjoyable read, and if you like mysteries with a touch of the supernatural in them. The pages fly by and the ending seems kind of hasty, I guess, but in all worth the time.

I am reviewing this book from the perspective of a reader who has read the Sookie Stackhouse novels, but this is my first Harper Connelly novel. When I started it, I was not aware that it was the 4th in a series. As such, I was absolutely creeped out by the step-siblings romantic relationship. Perhaps this is becaue I didn't have the background from the previous books, but there is something about repeatedly calling Tolliver her "brother" and then describing their sexual relationship that is seriously disturbing.

I thought that the "mystery" was not very well thought-out and loosely tied together in the end. I did develop an interest in the ongoing storyline about her sister Cameron, but I failed to care about the other secondary characters who were in danger or died as a result of the intrigue. Harper Connelly is an interesting character, a la Sookie Stackhouse: talented, smart, caring, and tough (but vulnerable).

Bottom line: the step-siblings and their romantic relationship was enough to put me off the book, and the storyline didn't do much to bring me back.

I want to start by saying that this book comes right after the third book where Harper is abducted and gets a broken ulna and stitches ripped from her head.. there is no mention of these injuries in this last book.... that is annoying to me. Also her and tolliver. Still refer to each other as brother and sister. They also learn nothing from previous encounters with being shot at and beaten by killers and make dumb mistakes in this book. I did enjoy it but I hare it when details are not included or characters do not evolve (they did evolve in the other books but seem to go backwards in this one)

Grave Secret, the final in the series of 4, is a satisfying conclusion to a dark and compelling series. The series work a lot like conventional mysteries, but there's a twist: Harper Connelly isn't an ordinary gal. Struck by lightning as a teenager, Harper can find dead bodies. She senses, hears, and feels them all around her. It's her job to find dead people.

Harper is joined in her work by her stepbrother and lover, Tolliver. This is perhaps the most contentious issue of the books, and a great deal of time is spent on the issue: the social taboo of their situation, their relatives' and colleagues' reactions, and Harper's reservations, ongoing concerns, self doubt and disappointment when she first realises her feelings for him.

The relationship sounds a bit disturbing without background, but in the context of the novels and history between the two, it is not as creepy as it sounds. The pair weren't exactly raised as brother and sister (only meeting in their teens), and Ms Harris handles the relationship between the two with sensitivity, and a great deal of introspection.

Having said that, the situation may still be distasteful to some readers, and perhaps it's worth considering. The series does include some fairly steamy sex-scenes.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the series. They are great little mysteries--quite dark, but a lot of fun--with a paranormal twist. They're never slow or dull. Harper is a ballsy heroine, and she's a fighter.

This is not a stand-alone novel. I would strongly advise reading the preceding 3 books in this series before reading Grave Secret. Rather than its own little stand-alone mystery, the story concerns itself largely with tying up a number of ongoing questions and mysteries from the series. It's a very satisfying read and ending, but not as stand-alone as the other 3 (Grave Sight, Grave Surprise, and An Ice Cold Grave, though the last not so much).

I come to enjoy the escapades or Harper Connelly. I am sad that this is the last in the series that Charlaine Harris penned but I can see that this is an appropriate stopping place for the story of Harper and Tolliver. I enjoy the quick and easy read and the twists and turns as the mystery becomes resolved.

I'm not going to bore anyone with yet another summary of the book series or characters.
I'll just say this -- the entire Harper Connelly series is excellent. Book 1 took me a minute to get through, but halfway through it I was hooked. Each book was better and better, and I highly recommend the series to anyone looking for a great new read. Of course, I read and loved the Sookie Stackhouse series, and was on the prowl looking for another series just as good. This is a great one.. not better than the SS series, but definitely worth the read.
Buy it - you won't be sorry.

I truly enjoyed this series. I particularly enjoyed the characters twisted relationships. The plots were pretty good, but the underlying family turmoil really made the series interesting. This books seemed to wrap up the series...but I would be delighted to have another Harper Connelly Mystery to enjoy!

After reading the Southern Vampire series over the holidays, I gave the Harper Connelly series a shot after reading a few reviews and I must say I liked this series more. What a shame it would be if there were only 4 books. Hopefully the CBS series will coincide with some new releases.

If this is the last book - it was a great conclusion! What I love about these books is that I can never guess "who did it"....I am literally still guessing until the last minute. I was very satisfied with this book and thought all the unanswered questions about Harper's family and Cameron were answered. If Charlaine writes more of these I will definitely get them but if not I am happy with the way it ended. Highly recommended!

Boring until about 3/4 way through the book. I found several typos too! Very little time is spent with Harper reading graves or doing anything supernaturally interesting. Most of the book is spent with Tolliver in the hospital and Harper whining about it. There is a lot of time spent on the Connelly/Lang upbringing, which does hold one's attention, but the novel as a whole is terribly plotted and the events seem remarkably implausible. Charlaine Harris is rushing through her writing to satisfy a book contract and she is getting sloppier and sloppier.

I don't understand why everyone loved Mrs. Harris's other series better, but to me, this one is the most interesting. I love the characters, the plot moves fast, and there is just enough action. I had no problem with Harper's relationship with her step brother. They had only met as teenagers after all and never lived a regular family life. They were caretakers for their half sibs and best friends.

Harper and Tolliver's relationship in An Ice Cold Grave creeped me out. In Grave Secret the relationship was not as graphic which made it less creepy. Harper does a grave reading for a rich woman in Texas. People linked to this reading are getting shot and/or killed. Harper knows she must solve the mystery behind this reading or she will not be safe. The conclusion is shocking to say the least. I couldn't put this book down.

I really enjoyed this book and it was nice seeing our characters move forward with their lives. Granted if you are a "traditionalist" you may find things a little distrurbing. Get over it and enjoy the ride. I am looking forward to more books in this series and hope that Charlaine Harris keeps them coming.

The Harper Connelly novels are, as several reviewers have indicated, a complex and rich series as Connelly's character continues to develop in spite of her occasional deep melancholy. this novel wasn't as tightly constructed as the previous three, but does tie up the loose ends.

As if the third book in the series wasn't bad enough, this fourth book is even worse.

The pseudo-incestuous "thing" goes on (Tolliver and Harper have sex and then call each other brother and sister just a few moments later!!!). Apparently Harris thinks herself to be a courageous writer a la V.C. Andrews or something, but she is highly mistaken in that assessment. The relationship is portrayed in the books in a creepy and sick way.

The story itself is simply a hasty wrap-up of Harper's personal problems done most bizarrely. Suddenly every member of Harper's family has some kind of sick secret (that should have come out years earlier). New vital evidence in the case of Cameron's disappearance comes out of nowhere. Characters act in the most stupid and unreasonable way. There are suicides, senseless murder attempts, people suddenly confessing crimes they are never asked about. God, this book is a huge mess!

Charlaine Harris proves once again to be an extremely unreliable writer. She has such a great skill for characterization and weaving a great small-town mystery, but each and every series of hers she ends up taking in a ridiculous direction before killing it completely. I am scared to think what she is going to do next with her Sookie books. The last two are bad as it is.

Two stars only because I finished it and it was a moderately fast (although ridiculous) read.

I'm not completely done with the book yet but I have to say any book series that's written by Charlaine Harris is a good one.

I have Prime so shipping was within 2 days and the price of the books are reasonable.

After the third book in the Harper Connelly series, I couldn't wait for the next book. But, this was a huge disappintment. I honestly found it boring, with very little story. It would have been a good short story. I don't know if I'll bother with another book in the series if it comes out.

I love the special skills of the charactors in these books (yes I'm writing a general review for the whole series)....

However, I've been disapointed with the ending of all of them. There are always huge plot points that aren't cleared up at the end and it drives me NUTS!!!! Grave secret for example: Why was Mathew taking pictures of the girls? He said "I know it was pretty low. But you know how I was THEN." So why take pictures now?

And then, they start talking about genetics (and um hi, recessive genes), when if you had read the other books Harper repeatedly talks about her mom and step-dad sleeping around and yet.... that baby can't have green eyes. REALLY? Apparently no one else she was sleeping with had sperm that knew how to swim? Or are we supposed to believe a used up junkie would make them wear a condom? So stupid!!
~And while i'm on my soapbox, Harper said Gracie's eyes were milky blue when she went to the hospital and green when she came home, that she thought they just took longer to turn their true color~ How does that make sense if she should have been a brown eyed baby?

Then Mark killing Cameron for what? And thinking Tolliver would support him when he's spent the last six years with Harper? STUPIDEST plot line eva!

IF that wasn't enough Mark starts spouting off about Gracie not having a home....yea, adoption already happened.... that would make it a done deal.

And all that stupidness in ONE chapter.... Ugh!! So dissapointed.
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Now for my issues with the series as a whole.

Why oh why did Harper and Tolliver have to get together? Wasn't it enough that they were there for eachother and loved one another as siblings? or friends? Come on!!

Did we have to hear about how she got her ability over and over again in every single book?

Do any of us really care about her sorry childhood? I stopped feeling bad for her almost immediatly.... I get it, Woe is you... enough already.

Trust me, I don't care where they ate every meal!!! I don't want to hear about the bedspread of every motel they stay at. I couldn't care less what the clerk looks like.

And aren't there some reasonably smart people she could do readings for who may actually believe that all she knows is who they are and how they died? And speaking of that in 'an ice cold grave' the cops never ask her to describe the deaths of the boys.... not to mention she says over and over again how she can only see the last few moments before death and yet she can say so-and-so was tortured for days and then left to the elements? How does that make sense?

Why pray tell does there need to be random retarded and completely stupid violence in every book? Can she work a case without getting shot at or beat up? And if that is such a dangerous life they lead WHY OH WHY does she keep going out on her own and then acting all shocked when she gets attacked?

I'm going to stop as I could write a novel on all the stupid parts... plus I read all four books so what does that say about me? All I know is I felt let down by every book but that I kept hoping one of them would have some substance and I wouldn't feel like something that could have been really great was completely ruined.

I enjoyed the first three books of this serious quite a bit - interesting premise, good mysteries, and strong characters. But the resolution of the main mystery was really lacking. While I won't give away the ending, I have to say Harris has used the same material in both the Lily Bard and Aurora Teagarden series. The conclusion felt rushed and cobbled together and honestly, not particularly believable. What a shame.