What do you think?
Rate this book
Harper Connelly #4
Grave Secret
"While Tolliver slept, I wondered if it was possible that Cameron was still alive...At first, I'd thought she'd been abducted by a gang, sold into slavery, something lurid and horrible. Then I'd wondered if maybe she'd simply been fed up with her life: the tawdry parents and the tacky trailer, the sister who limped and looked abstracted, the baby sisters who never seemed to stay clean. Most days, though, I was sure she was dead."
Lightning-struck sleuth Harper Connelly and her stepbrother Tolliver take a break from looking for the dead to visit the two little girls they both think of as sisters. But, as always happens when they travel to Texas, memories of their horrible childhood resurface...
To make matter worse, Tolliver learns from his older brother that their father is out of jail and trying to reestablish contact with other family members. Tolliver wants nothing to do with the man - but he may not have a say in the matter.
Lightning-struck sleuth Harper Connelly and her stepbrother Tolliver take a break from looking for the dead to visit the two little girls they both think of as sisters. But, as always happens when they travel to Texas, memories of their horrible childhood resurface...
To make matter worse, Tolliver learns from his older brother that their father is out of jail and trying to reestablish contact with other family members. Tolliver wants nothing to do with the man - but he may not have a say in the matter.
Soon, family secrets ensnare them both, as Harper finally discovers what happened to her missing sister, Cameron, so may years before.
And what she finds out will change her world forever...
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 27, 2009
465 people are currently reading
8063 people want to read
About the author
Charlaine Harris
203 books37k followersCharlaine Harris has been a published writer for over forty years. Her first two books were standalones, followed by a long sabbatical when she was having children. Then she began the Aurora Teagarden book, mysteries featuring a short librarian (eventually adapted for Hallmark movies). The darker Lily Bard books came next, about a house cleaner with a dark past and considerable fighting skills.
Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.
When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.
A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.
She's thinking about what to write next.
Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.
When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.
A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.
She's thinking about what to write next.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,703 reviews
May 2, 2017
Someone is trying to kill Harper, and it's not because she is now introducing Tolliver as her step-brother and lover, which would be a reasonable excuse.
Though we weren't blood relations at all, there is a certain ick factor to our sexual relationship, from an outsider's point of view. We'd be fools not to recognize that.
You know what would help, Harper? If you stop referring to him as your brother. He's not your brother, so you are the one making it weird by calling him that.
In this last book of the series, Harper and Tolliver travel back to Texas where they grew up. Since we have heard the story of their horrible up-bringing throughout the books, we can expect this story to get messy. And, it did. Tolliver's father gets out of jail and is determined to meddle in their lives, and they finally get a lead on their sister, Cameron's disappearance so many years ago.
The bright spot in this book is Manfred's appearance again. I kinda wish she had gotten together with him because he's so adorable. But, then I remember that she was using the word "phallus" in the last book and I feel like Manfred can do better.
It was a decent ending to the series, in my eyes. It was a huge step-up from Sookie Stackhouse's ending. That was a travesty. The last couple of books in that series should be burned and the ashes donated to a fertilizer factory.
Though we weren't blood relations at all, there is a certain ick factor to our sexual relationship, from an outsider's point of view. We'd be fools not to recognize that.
You know what would help, Harper? If you stop referring to him as your brother. He's not your brother, so you are the one making it weird by calling him that.
In this last book of the series, Harper and Tolliver travel back to Texas where they grew up. Since we have heard the story of their horrible up-bringing throughout the books, we can expect this story to get messy. And, it did. Tolliver's father gets out of jail and is determined to meddle in their lives, and they finally get a lead on their sister, Cameron's disappearance so many years ago.
The bright spot in this book is Manfred's appearance again. I kinda wish she had gotten together with him because he's so adorable. But, then I remember that she was using the word "phallus" in the last book and I feel like Manfred can do better.
It was a decent ending to the series, in my eyes. It was a huge step-up from Sookie Stackhouse's ending. That was a travesty. The last couple of books in that series should be burned and the ashes donated to a fertilizer factory.
January 12, 2010
Love this series with Harper Connelly but understand this will be her last book.
Update: I have followed this author for years, reading the Aurora Teagarden mysteries until I tired of them, followed by the Lily Bard series, which was ended by the author. I was excited when she started the Harper Connelly series and enjoyed the first three and was disappointed when I heard this would be her last, but after reading it, decided it's best that she put Harper out to pasture.
Harper travels around the country finding dead people and helping to solve the mystery of how they died and who did it. She travels with her stepbrother who helps run the business and takes care of her as seeing such trauma can have its down side. I have found these creepy and compelling yet this last one was a little too "icky" even for me (and that's saying a lot!). I hate to say anymore except the relationship between the stepbrother and Harper has gotten increasingly stranger. I thought their behavior was a little over the top and didn't quite fit the earlier drawn personality of Harper. The mystery was also pretty benign.
So, my recommendation is try the first book and if you like it, by all means continue the series; just be forewarned that the last book might be best left unread or skimmed.
Update: I have followed this author for years, reading the Aurora Teagarden mysteries until I tired of them, followed by the Lily Bard series, which was ended by the author. I was excited when she started the Harper Connelly series and enjoyed the first three and was disappointed when I heard this would be her last, but after reading it, decided it's best that she put Harper out to pasture.
Harper travels around the country finding dead people and helping to solve the mystery of how they died and who did it. She travels with her stepbrother who helps run the business and takes care of her as seeing such trauma can have its down side. I have found these creepy and compelling yet this last one was a little too "icky" even for me (and that's saying a lot!). I hate to say anymore except the relationship between the stepbrother and Harper has gotten increasingly stranger. I thought their behavior was a little over the top and didn't quite fit the earlier drawn personality of Harper. The mystery was also pretty benign.
So, my recommendation is try the first book and if you like it, by all means continue the series; just be forewarned that the last book might be best left unread or skimmed.
September 1, 2022
Harper Connelly was struck by lightning when she was a teenager. Since then, she has had the ability to find dead people and discern their last minutes. On her way to Texas with her stepbrother Tolliver Lang, Harper makes a quick stop when the Joyce family requests a reading on their grandfather's grave. Telling the Joyce family the circumstances of Mr. Joyce's death opens up a whole can of worms.
Meanwhile, Harper and Tolliver visit their younger sisters and Tolliver's older brother, Mark. They learn that Mark and Tolliver's father, Matthew Lang, is fresh out of prison and wants to reconcile with the family. On returning to their hometown, memories come crashing back. Harper's older sister Cameron disappeared without a trace eight years ago. When an anonymous caller informs the police that they saw someone matching Cameron's description at the local mall, Harper begins asking the questions she didn't ask as a teen.
This is the final book in the Harper Connelly series. Harper and Tolliver tell their family that they are a couple, much to the dismay of their relatives. I think people would accept their relationship more easily if Harper quit calling Tolliver "her brother". It just confuses people since they really are not related.
One of my favorite characters, Manfred Bernardo, is back to help Harper. I wish the author would give him his own book. I loved both of the mysteries in this book. When attempts on Harper & Tolliver's lives are made, the suspense ramped up. I was shocked by a huge twist near the end of the book and totally satisfied with the end of this series. My rating: 5 Stars.
Meanwhile, Harper and Tolliver visit their younger sisters and Tolliver's older brother, Mark. They learn that Mark and Tolliver's father, Matthew Lang, is fresh out of prison and wants to reconcile with the family. On returning to their hometown, memories come crashing back. Harper's older sister Cameron disappeared without a trace eight years ago. When an anonymous caller informs the police that they saw someone matching Cameron's description at the local mall, Harper begins asking the questions she didn't ask as a teen.
This is the final book in the Harper Connelly series. Harper and Tolliver tell their family that they are a couple, much to the dismay of their relatives. I think people would accept their relationship more easily if Harper quit calling Tolliver "her brother". It just confuses people since they really are not related.
One of my favorite characters, Manfred Bernardo, is back to help Harper. I wish the author would give him his own book. I loved both of the mysteries in this book. When attempts on Harper & Tolliver's lives are made, the suspense ramped up. I was shocked by a huge twist near the end of the book and totally satisfied with the end of this series. My rating: 5 Stars.
March 5, 2024
This is the book where Harper and Tolliver learn the details of their sister Cameron’s fate. (That's in the cover blurb, it's not a spoiler.) We've had four books to get to know Harper and her ability to find and identify the dead. Harris started right in the first book letting us know that someday Harper would find her sister.
But this duo have a few adventures to get through before the payoff. Harper is hired by a ranch family to determine the cause of death of their family patriarch. But Lizzie, the major share holder, lets Harper wander the cemetery a bit and investigate other graves. Apparently she finds something that someone present didn't like, because bad things begin to happen to people around Harper.
Matthew (Tolliver's father and Harper's stepfather) has been released from jail and turns up like a bad penny. The eldest child, Mark, seems determined to reunite the family. Needless to say, Harper and Tolliver are not fans of this plan and they must endure repeated visits from both of these men. They are of the opinion that trusting a former addict is a bad bet.
Between the professional and personal complications, it's difficult for our main characters to concentrate on figuring out what's going on. So it is helpful when Manfred Bernardo show up like a magician's trick and is willing to be helpful.
When I reached the end, I felt like everything had been wrapped up neatly. Perhaps the way all the threads came together was a little too good to be true, but it left me with a good feeling. I would recommend this series to any Charlaine Harris fans out there.
But this duo have a few adventures to get through before the payoff. Harper is hired by a ranch family to determine the cause of death of their family patriarch. But Lizzie, the major share holder, lets Harper wander the cemetery a bit and investigate other graves. Apparently she finds something that someone present didn't like, because bad things begin to happen to people around Harper.
Matthew (Tolliver's father and Harper's stepfather) has been released from jail and turns up like a bad penny. The eldest child, Mark, seems determined to reunite the family. Needless to say, Harper and Tolliver are not fans of this plan and they must endure repeated visits from both of these men. They are of the opinion that trusting a former addict is a bad bet.
Between the professional and personal complications, it's difficult for our main characters to concentrate on figuring out what's going on. So it is helpful when Manfred Bernardo show up like a magician's trick and is willing to be helpful.
When I reached the end, I felt like everything had been wrapped up neatly. Perhaps the way all the threads came together was a little too good to be true, but it left me with a good feeling. I would recommend this series to any Charlaine Harris fans out there.
January 26, 2015
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
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
March 18, 2010
I loved the first two books in this series so much that it pains me to write this review. First, I find that the way in the relationship between Tolliver and Harper has developed to be completely unbelievable. Within the span of less than two months, they've gone from being brother and sister to being married, and they didn't seem to give any of that a seconds pause.
Harper, who I have spent most of the previous books loving, has become so self-centered between the end of last book and this one, that my feelings for her are bordering on dislike. Tolliver's irrational jealousy of Manfred, which Harper wasn't even interested in when she was single, let alone swept away by Manfred now that she has Tolliver, makes him look like an asshole given the help that Manfred offers to the both of them. I get if Tolliver was pissed at Manfred for hitting on Harper when him and Harper are obviously together, but he seems jealous and behaves badly, which given how strong his relationship with Harper is reads as he's a possessive ass.
I feel like the writing was choppier this time than in the previous books. Not necessarily bad, but I feel like there should have been a draft or two after this to polish a lot of the writing and make it flow better. But when I'm pulled out of the story because of an abrupt scene change or choppy writing, it needs a little more work.
Lastly, the fact that her father kidnapped her sister and replaced her with another baby and then her stepbrother, which was helping support them while their parents were drunk, strangled their sister was just kind of crazy. Mark up to this point has been incredibly solid and friendly to the characters (at least from their impressions of him) and in this novel was essentially turned into a psycho -- a psycho who hates Harper, which was never the impression that I got before.
I feel like this was slapped together without enough attention paid to details.
Harper, who I have spent most of the previous books loving, has become so self-centered between the end of last book and this one, that my feelings for her are bordering on dislike. Tolliver's irrational jealousy of Manfred, which Harper wasn't even interested in when she was single, let alone swept away by Manfred now that she has Tolliver, makes him look like an asshole given the help that Manfred offers to the both of them. I get if Tolliver was pissed at Manfred for hitting on Harper when him and Harper are obviously together, but he seems jealous and behaves badly, which given how strong his relationship with Harper is reads as he's a possessive ass.
I feel like the writing was choppier this time than in the previous books. Not necessarily bad, but I feel like there should have been a draft or two after this to polish a lot of the writing and make it flow better. But when I'm pulled out of the story because of an abrupt scene change or choppy writing, it needs a little more work.
Lastly, the fact that her father kidnapped her sister and replaced her with another baby and then her stepbrother, which was helping support them while their parents were drunk, strangled their sister was just kind of crazy. Mark up to this point has been incredibly solid and friendly to the characters (at least from their impressions of him) and in this novel was essentially turned into a psycho -- a psycho who hates Harper, which was never the impression that I got before.
I feel like this was slapped together without enough attention paid to details.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2012
OMG! What a mess. After mostly enjoying the last three books of this series I came to this one hoping for a satisfying resolution. I didn't get it; in fact, the only reason I haven't rated this book lower is that I actually finished it and didn't flounce the whole thing. It seems like Cast began this story with one idea in mind and then suddenly realised that it was the last book and quickly threw even in more plot lines in the hope of tying up all the loose ends. There's actually so much I want to complain talk about that I've had to list the points instead of getting bogged down trying to explain an incoherent plot coherently.
1) Firstly, Harper and Tolliver's relationship continues on after they realised their feelings in An Ice Cold Grave, only Harper's still calling him her brother every other sentence which gives me the impression that she's got some weird incest kink going on.
2) There is a resolution to the disappearance of Cameron (Harper's sister), but the reason behind her disappearance ends up getting completely bogged down in an unbelievable and incomprehensible storyline which ends up being resolved completely in the last 5 pages. It leaves you sitting there completely bewildered as to what just happened and how it can even be considered realistic in any possible way.
3) The characters are becoming more and more unsympathetic. Harper's
more miserable than ever, all the women still want Tolliver and the step-brother Mark has done a complete 180 from being a reasonable human being to a complete maniac who keep telling Harper that he basically hates her. The introduction of Matthew (Tolliver's father and Harper's step-father) doesn't really work either. He spends the whole novel showing up and asking for forgiveness pathetically, only then to be given a list of all his atrocities by his two children. That's literally it.
4)The non-Cameron centred plot line end up concluding in the exact same manner as in Grave Sight and Grave Surprise. The repetition is both boring and insulting to the reader.
5) In this novel, Harper herself is really a problem. Yes, we're constantly reminded that she had a rough childhood. Yes, she's allowed not to be happy all the time. Yes, it's tough for her to have a talent that appears to prey on the emotionally fragile and that freaks other people out. But somewhere along the way, she has developed an aura of pride and smugness not present in the rest of the books and it jars uncomfortably. When people are shown to be uneasy with her talent, she deliberately tells them about all the dead people nearby. When someone questions her ability, she decides that instead of having an adult discussion with them, she's just going to behave rudely and essentially tell them to fuck off. She is the type of character who has no sympathy for others and thus becomes unsympathetic herself. Quite frankly, by the end of the story, I was glad to be rid of her.
All in all, I have to say that I was disappointed in both this book and the series as a whole. Cast had an amazing concept here and it just feels like she couldn't be bothered to try hard enough to make this series brilliant. It feels lazy, particularly with the repetition through all four books. Not the ending I was hoping for at all.
1) Firstly, Harper and Tolliver's relationship continues on after they realised their feelings in An Ice Cold Grave, only Harper's still calling him her brother every other sentence which gives me the impression that she's got some weird incest kink going on.
2) There is a resolution to the disappearance of Cameron (Harper's sister), but the reason behind her disappearance ends up getting completely bogged down in an unbelievable and incomprehensible storyline which ends up being resolved completely in the last 5 pages. It leaves you sitting there completely bewildered as to what just happened and how it can even be considered realistic in any possible way.
3) The characters are becoming more and more unsympathetic. Harper's
more miserable than ever, all the women still want Tolliver and the step-brother Mark has done a complete 180 from being a reasonable human being to a complete maniac who keep telling Harper that he basically hates her. The introduction of Matthew (Tolliver's father and Harper's step-father) doesn't really work either. He spends the whole novel showing up and asking for forgiveness pathetically, only then to be given a list of all his atrocities by his two children. That's literally it.
4)The non-Cameron centred plot line end up concluding in the exact same manner as in Grave Sight and Grave Surprise. The repetition is both boring and insulting to the reader.
5) In this novel, Harper herself is really a problem. Yes, we're constantly reminded that she had a rough childhood. Yes, she's allowed not to be happy all the time. Yes, it's tough for her to have a talent that appears to prey on the emotionally fragile and that freaks other people out. But somewhere along the way, she has developed an aura of pride and smugness not present in the rest of the books and it jars uncomfortably. When people are shown to be uneasy with her talent, she deliberately tells them about all the dead people nearby. When someone questions her ability, she decides that instead of having an adult discussion with them, she's just going to behave rudely and essentially tell them to fuck off. She is the type of character who has no sympathy for others and thus becomes unsympathetic herself. Quite frankly, by the end of the story, I was glad to be rid of her.
All in all, I have to say that I was disappointed in both this book and the series as a whole. Cast had an amazing concept here and it just feels like she couldn't be bothered to try hard enough to make this series brilliant. It feels lazy, particularly with the repetition through all four books. Not the ending I was hoping for at all.
December 18, 2009
Let me preface this review with stating I like Harris’ work. I’ve read all of her series and a few short stories in addition. The Harper/Tolliver series was a decent one (I preferred Sookie a bit but I’m a sucker for vampires, pun intended). That said, this was the worst thing I’ve ever read by her. I mean, nearly tossing the book across the room bad. It felt like she realized her deadline was in 3 weeks and cranked out anything (except the ridiculous ending had to have been planned and that makes it worse).
The hardest part about doing a review for this is I can’t give you examples of why I think it’s so awful without ‘ruining the surprises.’ Before anyone thinks this is just another reviewer cheerily bashing some book, it’s honestly not that. I put up excerpts for my blog’s friend’s list and asked for their opinions (blind, I didn’t say where the quotes came from until afterward just to be sure that there wasn’t a Harris-hater in the bunch). It was unanimous; no one could believe these plot twists.
The basic plot is Harper has been asked to find out how Rich Joyce, wealthy rancher died, nearly a decade after his death. No problem until Harper also uncovers that his home nurse died in child birth (obviously setting us up to think this baby is his). Then that story gets shunted aside as we get into Harper and Tolliver’s personal lives. They were raised as brother and sister even though they’re step siblings and last book they became lovers. Obviously all their relatives are shocked at this, friends too and instead of trying to help people past it, Harper’s reactions is to be the most abrasive witch she can be. Tolliver is much more tolerable. In fact, Harper is nothing but obnoxious and rude through this whole book.
Mathew, Tolliver’s real dad, shows up, fresh from jail, supposedly rehabbed and wants back in his kids’ lives. Tolliver and Harper want none of this but Mark, the oldest does. This goes on for about 150 pages before the other subplot comes back into it. At least the flying bullets make it vaguely interesting but people had to act totally unprofessionally and stupidly to make this plot work and the Jerry Springer ending was telegraphed at least 70 pages before the end which lame as the justifications were, still strained credibility. I mean, it all starts with one random phone call to a stranger and ends here? Shakes head.
Harsh review I know. And in all honesty I was left wondering at the people reviewing this for my book club who were raving about it. This was so bad I’m not sure I’d even get the next in the series from the library, let a lone buy it. Okay, I can’t help myself. spoiler here:
What cop would come to deliver a death threat to someone and instead, let’s Harper talk him into jogging, changes in his car and leads her away from the hotel where the person threatening her knows she’s staying? No one would do this. No detective would let someone under a death threat go running around in public without at least giving her the warning first. And this isn’t the most preposterous thing that happens.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2024
I’ve been trying to pinpoint what’s missing from this series and I think at the end of the day Harper just isn’t the best FMC. When Harris wrote the Sookie Stackhouse series, she got the formula just right, but this series feels wildly mundane considering Harper’s ability to communicate with the dead. As a mystery it was well crafted, but the paranormal elements were severely lacking.
A large portion of the story is centered around Harper’s disfunctional family and even though it was relevant to the plot, I grew tired of reading about them. It’s also hard not to be a little icked out by her relationship with Tolliver. I probably could have gotten past it if she didn’t continually refer to him as her brother. It may be true that they are not technically doing anything wrong since they’re not blood related, but she clearly still views him as a family member.
I think it was a good call to put this series to rest. Glad I finally got around to finishing it!
______________________________________________
I read this series years ago but never got around to reading this one.
Working on my TBR from both ends this summer. I am determined to gain some ground!
A large portion of the story is centered around Harper’s disfunctional family and even though it was relevant to the plot, I grew tired of reading about them. It’s also hard not to be a little icked out by her relationship with Tolliver. I probably could have gotten past it if she didn’t continually refer to him as her brother. It may be true that they are not technically doing anything wrong since they’re not blood related, but she clearly still views him as a family member.
I think it was a good call to put this series to rest. Glad I finally got around to finishing it!
______________________________________________
I read this series years ago but never got around to reading this one.
Working on my TBR from both ends this summer. I am determined to gain some ground!
April 8, 2021
Ugh. 🙄 Why does Harris have no follow through? Why must she end her series is such stupid ways? WHY?
In the final installment of the series we go for a slow painful waltz down family-drama-lane which is tangled up with the case they are helping on. We finally know what happened to Cameron, but it’s almost like...who cares? The whole story is just so slow and seems to take all the pieces of previous stories and add a dash of more family drama to it.
AND after this long drawn out drama, we don’t even get a H&T epilogue? Really? I wish I remembered the ending was this disappointing, so I could have saved myself the re-read. 🤦🏻♀️
In the final installment of the series we go for a slow painful waltz down family-drama-lane which is tangled up with the case they are helping on. We finally know what happened to Cameron, but it’s almost like...who cares? The whole story is just so slow and seems to take all the pieces of previous stories and add a dash of more family drama to it.
AND after this long drawn out drama, we don’t even get a H&T epilogue? Really? I wish I remembered the ending was this disappointing, so I could have saved myself the re-read. 🤦🏻♀️
September 13, 2020
Grave Secret is the fourth and final book in the Harper Connelly series by American author, Charlaine Harris. The audio version is read by Alyssa Hanrahan. 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.
July 13, 2023
Resulta que el libro termina de una forma abrupta que casi me predispone contra una historia que consideraba poco trabajada y mal desarrollada.
Pues no era así.
Era la traducción.
Leído a partir del original, la historia era más extensa que la de la traducción, plagada de descubrimientos muy dolorosos para los protagonistas y donde junto al caso, resuelven una historia terrible que venía acompañándoles desde el libro uno, permitiéndoles al menos darle un cierre y no quedarse el resto de sus vidas preguntándose qué pasó. Con este descubrimiento venían enredadas, como cuando pescas una bota y salen enganchadas a ésta un montón de algas, unas verdades muy dolorosas, pero que necesitaban saber y que los protagonistas gestionaron como mejor pudieron.
Así se cierra una tetralogía que empieza entretenida pero blandita (claro que visto lo que me acaba de pasar con esta traducción, me pregunto cuánto me habré perdido en los primeros. No me volverá a suceder si puedo evitarlo) y que dio un verdadero subidón en los dos últimos números, mucho más tristes y desesperanzados, pero también mucho mejores. Me gustaría seguir con esta autora. Goodreads lectores (Especial)
Pues no era así.
Era la traducción.
Leído a partir del original, la historia era más extensa que la de la traducción, plagada de descubrimientos muy dolorosos para los protagonistas y donde junto al caso, resuelven una historia terrible que venía acompañándoles desde el libro uno, permitiéndoles al menos darle un cierre y no quedarse el resto de sus vidas preguntándose qué pasó. Con este descubrimiento venían enredadas, como cuando pescas una bota y salen enganchadas a ésta un montón de algas, unas verdades muy dolorosas, pero que necesitaban saber y que los protagonistas gestionaron como mejor pudieron.
Así se cierra una tetralogía que empieza entretenida pero blandita (claro que visto lo que me acaba de pasar con esta traducción, me pregunto cuánto me habré perdido en los primeros. No me volverá a suceder si puedo evitarlo) y que dio un verdadero subidón en los dos últimos números, mucho más tristes y desesperanzados, pero también mucho mejores. Me gustaría seguir con esta autora. Goodreads lectores (Especial)
November 16, 2009
This book reads like a series conclusion, and I find that very disappointing. Harris has ramped up Harper and Tolliver's relationship. They only just got together in last book... now they're married? And, I'm all yay for concluding the Cameron mystery, but wow was the resolution awkward. The two plot lines just kinda crash together, with none of the finesse that Harris usually shows in her endings. Despite the two year time period between this and the previous book in the series, I think more time could have been spent polishing this.
Rumor has it that the Harper books were originally to be a trilogy, but Harris wanted to write a fourth book to complete the Cameron mystery, and now she's contracted to write two more books as well. If that's the case, I would rather she'd've stretched the Cameron mystery out through Books 4-6 to allow more space for everything to build.
ETA: Or, well, maybe not...
Rumor has it that the Harper books were originally to be a trilogy, but Harris wanted to write a fourth book to complete the Cameron mystery, and now she's contracted to write two more books as well. If that's the case, I would rather she'd've stretched the Cameron mystery out through Books 4-6 to allow more space for everything to build.
ETA: Or, well, maybe not...
92 duckpond100 2008-11-29 09:07
(...) I'm writing the fourth Harper, and I'm undecided as to whether or not it'll be the last. (...)
Charlaine Harris
96 duckpond100 2008-12-05 10:14
(...)I am having an increasing conviction that this will be my last Harper.
Charlaine Harris
269 duckpond100 2010-01-17 14:40
(...)I didn't quit writing the Harper books because they weren't selling as well, but because I was tired of writing them.
Charlaine Harris
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2009
Excellent. I loved it as much as I loved the first three. Though, I hate to see it go, I guess I understand. For some reason, I was never "eaked" or "grossed out" over the entire Harper/Tolliver situation. Never. I saw it from book 1, and I waited for emotions and feelings to surface between the 2 of them, which, finally occured in book 3. It made sense. They are all they have. As proven in nearly all the books, who can they really trust? Each other. The experiences they have shared from their dark days as step-siblings, the roller coaster of being let down by nearly all their family members, and the dark days they still have to deal with as adults - it makes perfect sense that they would have a love for one another that goes so much deeper than being shacked up in a trailer for a few years acting the parts of the actual adults.
I have to admit there were times that I literally laughed out loud over some of Harper's thoughts. I re-read those lines and laughed again. I came close to crying on a few occasions. As with all of Charlaine's characters, I get so involved and engrossed in them that I spend an entire week after completing the novel moving on. I'm sure that will be me this next week.
Yeah, I felt slightly shorted with the ending. I guess I was expecting a tad bit more emotion,communication and discussion after being fed so much un-forseeable events in the last pages. Sure, Harper summed it up, but i guess I would have preferred to hear her's and Tolliver's feelings about the tragedies that hit them head on.
But, at least we were left with a smile knowing they were going to be ok, though I never doubted that. Another award winner in my book! Bring on Sookie # 10 SOON!
I have to admit there were times that I literally laughed out loud over some of Harper's thoughts. I re-read those lines and laughed again. I came close to crying on a few occasions. As with all of Charlaine's characters, I get so involved and engrossed in them that I spend an entire week after completing the novel moving on. I'm sure that will be me this next week.
Yeah, I felt slightly shorted with the ending. I guess I was expecting a tad bit more emotion,communication and discussion after being fed so much un-forseeable events in the last pages. Sure, Harper summed it up, but i guess I would have preferred to hear her's and Tolliver's feelings about the tragedies that hit them head on.
But, at least we were left with a smile knowing they were going to be ok, though I never doubted that. Another award winner in my book! Bring on Sookie # 10 SOON!
July 1, 2020
3 stars for the audio version. Alyssa Bresnahan was an excellent narrator. I probably would give the story 2 stars because I found myself feeling annoyed quite a few times at the clumsy and excessive re-telling of parts of Harper and Tolliver’s past throughout this book. Why did the author do that? Maybe because I listened to books in the series, one after another, it felt like overkill.
Anyway, I’m glad to finish the series and learn the answers to the main mystery, that of what happened to the sister Cameron, eight years before. I read this originally quite a few years ago and couldn’t remember the main points of the story.
I might go read the Midnight Texas book 1 and re-aquaint myself with Manfred. I think he is a main character in that one.
Anyway, I’m glad to finish the series and learn the answers to the main mystery, that of what happened to the sister Cameron, eight years before. I read this originally quite a few years ago and couldn’t remember the main points of the story.
I might go read the Midnight Texas book 1 and re-aquaint myself with Manfred. I think he is a main character in that one.
December 28, 2010
I‘m not as attached to Harper Connelly as I am to some of Harris’ other characters. She lacks the quirky humor of Sookie Stackhouse and the stubborn determination of Aurora Teagarden. Instead, she’s a terse, self-conscious woman whom I couldn’t immediately warm up to.
Still, these books have covered intriguing mysteries, incorporating a good deal of suspense and many false leads, so that there’s always been a surprise or two to keep me guessing. It’s that aspect that’s kept me reading.
Grave Secret proves to be a compelling conclusion to the series. Threads introduced in the three previous installments are tied up neatly, without seeming forced or overly convenient. Harris finally solves the disappearance of Harper’s sister, Cameron, while at the same time giving us a fuller picture of the hardships the siblings endured under their parents' neglect. In addition, Harris further addresses the relationship between the protagonists. I appreciated glimpsing Harper’s periodic confusion and concern, since it upped the realism of the unusual pairing.
The pacing is on par with the previous books. Tensions run high throughout and once again there are several possible suspects to examine. The inclusion of Manfred is always entertaining, though I do feel he might have been used to better effect. (On a side note, I think the character of Manfred is golden. I would certainly love to see a series based on his exploits.) The final chapters allow for a steady unveiling of answers, and while I might have liked to delve deeper into the emotional backlash, less is sometimes more.
I’m not necessarily sad to see Harper go - the series could be draining at times and, as I said, I’d never fully warmed up to the character. I think four books was the perfect length for exploring her gift, her relationships, and the mysteries both professional and personal.
Despite it not being a favorite, the Harper Connelly series is still well worth reading. I’d recommend it to any mystery-lover looking for something a little darker and more brisk than a cozy, but more focused on investigation than your average supernatural read. After four installments, I’m left satisfied!
Still, these books have covered intriguing mysteries, incorporating a good deal of suspense and many false leads, so that there’s always been a surprise or two to keep me guessing. It’s that aspect that’s kept me reading.
Grave Secret proves to be a compelling conclusion to the series. Threads introduced in the three previous installments are tied up neatly, without seeming forced or overly convenient. Harris finally solves the disappearance of Harper’s sister, Cameron, while at the same time giving us a fuller picture of the hardships the siblings endured under their parents' neglect. In addition, Harris further addresses the relationship between the protagonists. I appreciated glimpsing Harper’s periodic confusion and concern, since it upped the realism of the unusual pairing.
The pacing is on par with the previous books. Tensions run high throughout and once again there are several possible suspects to examine. The inclusion of Manfred is always entertaining, though I do feel he might have been used to better effect. (On a side note, I think the character of Manfred is golden. I would certainly love to see a series based on his exploits.) The final chapters allow for a steady unveiling of answers, and while I might have liked to delve deeper into the emotional backlash, less is sometimes more.
I’m not necessarily sad to see Harper go - the series could be draining at times and, as I said, I’d never fully warmed up to the character. I think four books was the perfect length for exploring her gift, her relationships, and the mysteries both professional and personal.
Despite it not being a favorite, the Harper Connelly series is still well worth reading. I’d recommend it to any mystery-lover looking for something a little darker and more brisk than a cozy, but more focused on investigation than your average supernatural read. After four installments, I’m left satisfied!
July 23, 2012
This series is a favorite of mine that I return to again and again. Along with the Lily Bard series it is Charlaine Harris at her best, and what with the Sookie Stackhouse books degenerating the way they have been, it's nice to go back to these books to remember what a great author she can be. The only fantasy aspect is Harper's special ability, apart from that it is very realistic, both in setting and in the way the characters interact with each other.
This is the culmination of a four book series, it wraps up the tangled threads of Harper Connolly's life and you really need to have to have read the first three to appreciate it. Its very hard to talk about any of the specific aspects of the story without spoiling aspects of the series as a whole. In general, it's a fantasy-mystery hybrid. Harper was struck by lightning as a teen, which left her with the ability to find corpses and know what they died of. The relationship between Harper and Tolliver makes me itch, but funnily enough the way they had to keep defending themselves against pretty much every character in the book made me warm to it a little. I still wish
The audiobook is expertly read, a truly great performance that enhances a compelling book.
This is the culmination of a four book series, it wraps up the tangled threads of Harper Connolly's life and you really need to have to have read the first three to appreciate it. Its very hard to talk about any of the specific aspects of the story without spoiling aspects of the series as a whole. In general, it's a fantasy-mystery hybrid. Harper was struck by lightning as a teen, which left her with the ability to find corpses and know what they died of. The relationship between Harper and Tolliver makes me itch, but funnily enough the way they had to keep defending themselves against pretty much every character in the book made me warm to it a little. I still wish
The audiobook is expertly read, a truly great performance that enhances a compelling book.
May 20, 2013
Wow. I did not see that coming. What an amazing series. Review to come.
Quick review:
Cover: Interesting
Rating: NC-17
Steaminess: HOT
Thumbs Up: 5
Overall: What a way to end a series
Characters: Well Written
Plot: All the loose ends tie up in a twist I didn’t see coming
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.? Series Ender
Recommend: Yes
Book Boyfriend: Tolliver
SUMMARY (60 words or less)
I have to say all the little snippets of information we get from book one until now about the back story that is brought to life in this book finally resolve. I have to say, I never saw Tolliver and Harper as brother and sister. They aren’t blood and only met as teenagers. Anyway, read full review for deets.
For a full review and yummy pic, see my blog post at:
http://mybookboyfriend.blogspot.com/2...
Audio Review
Alyssa Bresnahan did a really good job with this series. She really brought this series to life for me.
Quick review:
Cover: Interesting
Rating: NC-17
Steaminess: HOT
Thumbs Up: 5
Overall: What a way to end a series
Characters: Well Written
Plot: All the loose ends tie up in a twist I didn’t see coming
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.? Series Ender
Recommend: Yes
Book Boyfriend: Tolliver
SUMMARY (60 words or less)
I have to say all the little snippets of information we get from book one until now about the back story that is brought to life in this book finally resolve. I have to say, I never saw Tolliver and Harper as brother and sister. They aren’t blood and only met as teenagers. Anyway, read full review for deets.
For a full review and yummy pic, see my blog post at:
http://mybookboyfriend.blogspot.com/2...
Audio Review
Alyssa Bresnahan did a really good job with this series. She really brought this series to life for me.
December 20, 2022
Forgot I had this review uncompleted in drafts for a week, so while my intense frenetic fury has died down, you still get to experience some of it because I took notes, though they taper off by the end.
This was another buddy read with my friend Summer, and while I had a lot of fun discussing (and yes, perhaps playfully dissing) each book with her (though I feel bad I fell behind for the second half of this one, so we couldn't trade wild theories before the end!), overall, the series itself was kind of a dud to me. I mean, I truly wish I could give this book a well thought out and detailed review like she did because she covers all the bases and makes so many good civil points about its strengths and failures and why it just didn't click. But me, I'm petty, and my review would (and will) consist of mostly me yelling, "Why, Charlaine, why??" at so many of her writing choices throughout until my throat gets sore and my typing fingers go numb because the real mystery here is how this got to the publishing stage at all.
So, let's get started shall we?
First off: WHY, CHARLAINE, WHY?????? And I think most people can guess what plot point this is mainly referring to. Harper and Tolliver. Harper and Tolliver being step siblings, Harper and Tolliver being lovers. Now, I've tried and tried and tried again to get over this fact, they're not blood related and their parents only married when they were already in their late teen years, if they had left it at that, if they had tried to brush it off and move on, maybe, just maybe, I could make some level of peace with it, God knows I've complained about this aspect enough in the past three books, but the fact that within the narrative itself, they keep bringing it up and making it even weirder makes it so, so much worse, because they themselves keep pointing out how weird it is and making a big deal about it. Not to mention, HARPER KEEPS REFERRING TO TOLLIVER AS HER BROTHER FOR THE ENTIRE BOOK. Oh my God, STOP, stop saying he's your f--king brother, Harper, what is wrong with you?? If it's so ingrained in you it really feels weird to not call him your brother or think of him as your brother, maybe don't f--king date or have sex with him, maybe that is your brother because you shouldn't have to keep reassuring YOURSELVES you're not related, what the Hell, man. Honestly, what the Hell. You could make a drinking game out of the amount of times they still refer to each other as siblings... you know, if you wanted to get alcohol poisoning before you're even midway through. I really should have kept a running tally. So, again, why, Charlaine, why? We may have discussed this detail more than the actual mystery because she just kept painting big red arrows next to it the whole time, it actively took away from my focus and enjoyment of the entire thing.
Second off: Need I say it again? Why, Charlaine, why?? Not only does Miss Harris keep having Harper and Tolliver refer to each other as siblings, she even has them do it right before and after they have sex, and they have a lot of sex, which again is already uncomfortable and weird because of the step-sibling thing, but also even if they weren't step-siblings, half the time the scenes just feel so weirdly out of place/unnecessary/tacked on and abrupt regardless, and it's not even good sex. Now, I don't personally enjoy reading sex scenes at all, so I'm a little biased, but whether you like that sort of thing or not it doesn't matter because Charlaine Harris describes these scenes in the strangest, most awkward ways, it's a lose-lose situation for everyone. The only thing I can say for this book is at least she used slightly more normal terms than the last one, but still, she's obsessed with these bizarre descriptors and terminology and I’m so sorry, but they feel clinically dispassionate and forced and I can't help but cringe at some of the wording.
Guess what my third point is? If you guessed: Why, Charlaine, why? You'd be correct. The why in this case referring to why does she write all her characters like they're a million years old and on the brink of death only for you to find out in the next few sentences they're only in their 30s or 40s or something? She has such a strange concept of people's ages I've noticed in a few of her books now, having no characters be more than 60 something, making the characters out to be so much older than they actually are and acting like being anything above 30 is already one foot into the grave, it's just odd and grating.
Next several stops on the “why, Charlaine” train include: why does she repeat so much information, we get it, Harper was struck by lightning, we get it their home life was bad, we get it they like to read and do nothing in their motels forever, we get it Tolliver is soooo hot (and btw, no he isn’t, nothing about him is shown to be hot), like why why why does she keep rehashing facts and events we’ve heard a thousand times, why does no one in this series have a brain, why do their internal monologues make no damn sense, why did she feel the need to give Tolliver a moustache??, and why did she write Harper to be one of the dumbest, most unpleasant protagonists to ever disgrace the pages of a book? The concept of her character has so much potential, her powers, different aspects of them we never got to explore, her backstory, everything, but no, we don’t get to see any of that potential put to use, we just get to see her whine, jump to ridiculous conclusions, make asinine decisions and observations, and refer to Tolliver as her brother. No, I will not get over that.
All this rambling though and I haven’t even gotten to the actual mystery. That’s a tough one to do, I mean, it was fun tossing around possibilities, not like it was overly predictable or anything? I’m mostly just mad my initial theories about the endgame with Cameron and the big conspiracy were all mostly incorrect, but that’s also mostly because the actual endgame made no sense and felt messy, rushed, overly convenient and just all over the place. Not to mention, I think it was a cheap move introducing so much pertinent info right at the very end out of the blue in a bizarre montage-esque sequence that retconned the previous information we’ve been working with for the whole series. Such a weak, unfair and yet pointless move. One thing I can say in its favour is I guess it was semi surprising? But I don’t think this end was actually planned from the start, or if it was, God help me understand why because what it seems like to me is this series wasn’t the biggest hit for her audience and her editors were so put off by the pseudo-incest vibes, they were just like okay, Charlaine, wrap it up already, just wrap it up, please, we don’t care how and then just threw it out onto the market without a second glance. Because judging by the amount of typos, stilted dialogue and extraneous paragraphs of nonsensical thought processes and events in this book, I highly doubt it ever made it to any kind of editing stage before being published at all. This reads so much like a first draft it’s unreal.
The one (1) singular plus I will give this book is Manfred. I enjoyed seeing Manfred again, I think he���s an interesting character, and much more likeable than either Tolliver or Harper. Having read Midnight first, Manfred is what brought us to this series in the first place, but his scenes are far and in between and not enough to save the travesty of Harper Connelly, and even then, it seems Charlaine changes his demeanour and traits at will, making him feel inconsistent with both past and future characterization. I’m just... I don’t know how the difference in quality of these two series is so immense, she didn’t write them all that far apart, but I actually enjoyed Midnight for the most part, aside from some bizarre and rushed parts of the ending and a few other small things, but overall I think she handled writing the small town and the characters well. Even the Sookie books, which are older works of hers that I can honestly say I’m not a personal fan of, were written with more care and skill, but here, oh she phoned it in, she phoned it in so hard.
Yes, maybe I'm being a bit harsh, and I probably have more I want to complain about, or point out or harp on, but I will spare you as I don’t want to devote more time to this review because my memory is fading and I have complained quite enough, I have reached my complaint quota for the week. So in conclusion, while it had an interesting premise, and some aspects of its mysteries did hold my attention, this was not a great series overall, it was repetitive to a ridiculous degree, lackluster, underwhelming and frustrating, but it was an enjoyable buddy read because it was a short series that we could both complain about as one. After all, what are friends for if not dunking on bad writing choices together?
This was another buddy read with my friend Summer, and while I had a lot of fun discussing (and yes, perhaps playfully dissing) each book with her (though I feel bad I fell behind for the second half of this one, so we couldn't trade wild theories before the end!), overall, the series itself was kind of a dud to me. I mean, I truly wish I could give this book a well thought out and detailed review like she did because she covers all the bases and makes so many good civil points about its strengths and failures and why it just didn't click. But me, I'm petty, and my review would (and will) consist of mostly me yelling, "Why, Charlaine, why??" at so many of her writing choices throughout until my throat gets sore and my typing fingers go numb because the real mystery here is how this got to the publishing stage at all.
So, let's get started shall we?
First off: WHY, CHARLAINE, WHY?????? And I think most people can guess what plot point this is mainly referring to. Harper and Tolliver. Harper and Tolliver being step siblings, Harper and Tolliver being lovers. Now, I've tried and tried and tried again to get over this fact, they're not blood related and their parents only married when they were already in their late teen years, if they had left it at that, if they had tried to brush it off and move on, maybe, just maybe, I could make some level of peace with it, God knows I've complained about this aspect enough in the past three books, but the fact that within the narrative itself, they keep bringing it up and making it even weirder makes it so, so much worse, because they themselves keep pointing out how weird it is and making a big deal about it. Not to mention, HARPER KEEPS REFERRING TO TOLLIVER AS HER BROTHER FOR THE ENTIRE BOOK. Oh my God, STOP, stop saying he's your f--king brother, Harper, what is wrong with you?? If it's so ingrained in you it really feels weird to not call him your brother or think of him as your brother, maybe don't f--king date or have sex with him, maybe that is your brother because you shouldn't have to keep reassuring YOURSELVES you're not related, what the Hell, man. Honestly, what the Hell. You could make a drinking game out of the amount of times they still refer to each other as siblings... you know, if you wanted to get alcohol poisoning before you're even midway through. I really should have kept a running tally. So, again, why, Charlaine, why? We may have discussed this detail more than the actual mystery because she just kept painting big red arrows next to it the whole time, it actively took away from my focus and enjoyment of the entire thing.
Second off: Need I say it again? Why, Charlaine, why?? Not only does Miss Harris keep having Harper and Tolliver refer to each other as siblings, she even has them do it right before and after they have sex, and they have a lot of sex, which again is already uncomfortable and weird because of the step-sibling thing, but also even if they weren't step-siblings, half the time the scenes just feel so weirdly out of place/unnecessary/tacked on and abrupt regardless, and it's not even good sex. Now, I don't personally enjoy reading sex scenes at all, so I'm a little biased, but whether you like that sort of thing or not it doesn't matter because Charlaine Harris describes these scenes in the strangest, most awkward ways, it's a lose-lose situation for everyone. The only thing I can say for this book is at least she used slightly more normal terms than the last one, but still, she's obsessed with these bizarre descriptors and terminology and I’m so sorry, but they feel clinically dispassionate and forced and I can't help but cringe at some of the wording.
Guess what my third point is? If you guessed: Why, Charlaine, why? You'd be correct. The why in this case referring to why does she write all her characters like they're a million years old and on the brink of death only for you to find out in the next few sentences they're only in their 30s or 40s or something? She has such a strange concept of people's ages I've noticed in a few of her books now, having no characters be more than 60 something, making the characters out to be so much older than they actually are and acting like being anything above 30 is already one foot into the grave, it's just odd and grating.
Next several stops on the “why, Charlaine” train include: why does she repeat so much information, we get it, Harper was struck by lightning, we get it their home life was bad, we get it they like to read and do nothing in their motels forever, we get it Tolliver is soooo hot (and btw, no he isn’t, nothing about him is shown to be hot), like why why why does she keep rehashing facts and events we’ve heard a thousand times, why does no one in this series have a brain, why do their internal monologues make no damn sense, why did she feel the need to give Tolliver a moustache??, and why did she write Harper to be one of the dumbest, most unpleasant protagonists to ever disgrace the pages of a book? The concept of her character has so much potential, her powers, different aspects of them we never got to explore, her backstory, everything, but no, we don’t get to see any of that potential put to use, we just get to see her whine, jump to ridiculous conclusions, make asinine decisions and observations, and refer to Tolliver as her brother. No, I will not get over that.
All this rambling though and I haven’t even gotten to the actual mystery. That’s a tough one to do, I mean, it was fun tossing around possibilities, not like it was overly predictable or anything? I’m mostly just mad my initial theories about the endgame with Cameron and the big conspiracy were all mostly incorrect, but that’s also mostly because the actual endgame made no sense and felt messy, rushed, overly convenient and just all over the place. Not to mention, I think it was a cheap move introducing so much pertinent info right at the very end out of the blue in a bizarre montage-esque sequence that retconned the previous information we’ve been working with for the whole series. Such a weak, unfair and yet pointless move. One thing I can say in its favour is I guess it was semi surprising? But I don’t think this end was actually planned from the start, or if it was, God help me understand why because what it seems like to me is this series wasn’t the biggest hit for her audience and her editors were so put off by the pseudo-incest vibes, they were just like okay, Charlaine, wrap it up already, just wrap it up, please, we don’t care how and then just threw it out onto the market without a second glance. Because judging by the amount of typos, stilted dialogue and extraneous paragraphs of nonsensical thought processes and events in this book, I highly doubt it ever made it to any kind of editing stage before being published at all. This reads so much like a first draft it’s unreal.
The one (1) singular plus I will give this book is Manfred. I enjoyed seeing Manfred again, I think he���s an interesting character, and much more likeable than either Tolliver or Harper. Having read Midnight first, Manfred is what brought us to this series in the first place, but his scenes are far and in between and not enough to save the travesty of Harper Connelly, and even then, it seems Charlaine changes his demeanour and traits at will, making him feel inconsistent with both past and future characterization. I’m just... I don’t know how the difference in quality of these two series is so immense, she didn’t write them all that far apart, but I actually enjoyed Midnight for the most part, aside from some bizarre and rushed parts of the ending and a few other small things, but overall I think she handled writing the small town and the characters well. Even the Sookie books, which are older works of hers that I can honestly say I’m not a personal fan of, were written with more care and skill, but here, oh she phoned it in, she phoned it in so hard.
Yes, maybe I'm being a bit harsh, and I probably have more I want to complain about, or point out or harp on, but I will spare you as I don’t want to devote more time to this review because my memory is fading and I have complained quite enough, I have reached my complaint quota for the week. So in conclusion, while it had an interesting premise, and some aspects of its mysteries did hold my attention, this was not a great series overall, it was repetitive to a ridiculous degree, lackluster, underwhelming and frustrating, but it was an enjoyable buddy read because it was a short series that we could both complain about as one. After all, what are friends for if not dunking on bad writing choices together?
November 27, 2009
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.
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.
March 15, 2015
ETA (3/2015): It is interesting for me to go back and read this review from 5 years ago. The only thing I liked about this book was Manfred - explains why I am enjoying Harris's new series focusing on Manfred. Enjoying right now anyway. Please Harris keep it consistent. Harris has such a great talent for writing characters and daily life in a small town. Her weakness comes in keeping a series consistent and ending it.
Review from 2010:
I was very dissapointed by this book. I love Harris and her characters. I really liked the first 3 books in this series, but nothing new happens with the characters. It is the same stuff, they run, they eat salad, they get shot at...... a character in the story was even endangered and murdered for a similar discovery and using the same method as happened in book #1!!! It was a relief to have a resolution of the Cameron issue. She is now at peace. But this book dragged on and I got to a point that I was so thankful for Manfred (a side character) for showing up. I will not be reading #5 if she writes one. I recommend reading the last 25% if you are really curious about finding out what happened to Cameron. That is the only reason to skim this book.
Review from 2010:
I was very dissapointed by this book. I love Harris and her characters. I really liked the first 3 books in this series, but nothing new happens with the characters. It is the same stuff, they run, they eat salad, they get shot at...... a character in the story was even endangered and murdered for a similar discovery and using the same method as happened in book #1!!! It was a relief to have a resolution of the Cameron issue. She is now at peace. But this book dragged on and I got to a point that I was so thankful for Manfred (a side character) for showing up. I will not be reading #5 if she writes one. I recommend reading the last 25% if you are really curious about finding out what happened to Cameron. That is the only reason to skim this book.
May 11, 2013
Just can't get past the incest. (read half of it) The protagonist (Harper) says several times that her love-interest, who is also her step-brother, is someone she does not have a true familial relationship with, as they were both older when their parents married each other. But then she almost immediately starts to constantly refer to him in the narrative as her brother. With whom she has sex. I'm okay with step-siblings who did not grow up together having other types of relationships, but I am not down with siblings having sex. It's skeezy and gross, and I can't for the life of me figure out why Harris not only went that route but then feels the need to constantly remind the reader that she's done so. If Harper did not constantly call Tolliver her brother, I'd be fine. But she does, and frankly, it so overpowers everything else in the book, that it's just not worth it for me to keep reading. I think it takes a better writer than Ms. Harris to carry off whatever it is she's going for.
October 23, 2014
3.5 stars & the best of this series I've read yet. I dislike Harper. She whines about her past too much. This time, that works out well, though. Lots of twists & turns. Unfortunately, some of the motivations weren't as logical as I would have liked.
August 14, 2011
Oh, Ms. Harris, what have you done? This series was quite interesting, but this fourth and final book was a hot mess. My complaints are not much different than other readers. It was boring and contrived. The end felt rushed and everything clicked together in a perfect way, with confessions galore. Spoilers ahead, turn back now if you plan to read this book.
First, I had this big mystery paternity figured out the second it was brought up. I don't know how anyone could miss it, when the answer was spoon fed to us from the get go. Then, Cameron was brought up. Cameron is Harper's sister, who disappeared eight years previous to this book. I connected the pieces pretty quickly, realizing that her death was linked to this mystery child. In the end, it was just preposterous!
I understand that in order to prove something in most of these books, the killer has to confess. However, it has gotten really old. Every murderer in a Charlaine Harris book, confesses exactly how they committed the crime and why they did it. Sometimes, I feel like I'm reading a script for a Scooby Doo episode. "No one woulda ever found out if it weren't for you meddlin' kids!" Muhahahahaha! *twirls beard manically*
Also, I find that Harper (who is 24, like me), doesn't act her age. Not sure what it is, but I can't really relate to her. When I read about her, I keep thinking of her as an older woman. Maybe its because the author is in her 50s or 60s (not sure which), but she doesn't resonate with me. Could be the way she talks. Sometimes she speaks like a young person, but mostly she speaks like an older generation who grew up in the south.
If that is not enough to express how much this book disappointed me, I will conclude with the total ick factor involving Harper and her lover, Tolliver, who happens to be her step brother. Now, this would not bother me at all; they only lived together a short period of time, then were split up. What bothers me is the fact that they continue to call one another "brother" and "sister" after they've begun having kinky sex every time they turn around. YUCK!
I'm sad that this is the last book in this series, because it deserves a better ending. Guess it will never get it.
First, I had this big mystery paternity figured out the second it was brought up. I don't know how anyone could miss it, when the answer was spoon fed to us from the get go. Then, Cameron was brought up. Cameron is Harper's sister, who disappeared eight years previous to this book. I connected the pieces pretty quickly, realizing that her death was linked to this mystery child. In the end, it was just preposterous!
I understand that in order to prove something in most of these books, the killer has to confess. However, it has gotten really old. Every murderer in a Charlaine Harris book, confesses exactly how they committed the crime and why they did it. Sometimes, I feel like I'm reading a script for a Scooby Doo episode. "No one woulda ever found out if it weren't for you meddlin' kids!" Muhahahahaha! *twirls beard manically*
Also, I find that Harper (who is 24, like me), doesn't act her age. Not sure what it is, but I can't really relate to her. When I read about her, I keep thinking of her as an older woman. Maybe its because the author is in her 50s or 60s (not sure which), but she doesn't resonate with me. Could be the way she talks. Sometimes she speaks like a young person, but mostly she speaks like an older generation who grew up in the south.
If that is not enough to express how much this book disappointed me, I will conclude with the total ick factor involving Harper and her lover, Tolliver, who happens to be her step brother. Now, this would not bother me at all; they only lived together a short period of time, then were split up. What bothers me is the fact that they continue to call one another "brother" and "sister" after they've begun having kinky sex every time they turn around. YUCK!
I'm sad that this is the last book in this series, because it deserves a better ending. Guess it will never get it.
December 2, 2009
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
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
March 12, 2010
At age 15, Harper Connelly was struck by lightning. She survived, but it left her with a bad leg--and the ability to sense the dead. Since then, she and her step-brother Tolliver have traveled the country, solving murders and finding bodies. The closely observed details of their odd life and relationship are the strongest part of the series. Harper and Tolliver are each other's best friends and (as of the third book in the series) lovers. Harris neither ignores nor glamorizes their codependence. Over the years they've worked out systems to keep them sane and healthy (crates of secondhand books in the trunk, daily runs, which chain restaurants are the cheapest and healthiest), but if separated, each is at a loss. And although they just want to make a living, Harper has a strong sense of morality to go with her supernatural power, and so she keeps getting sucked into solving the murders she discovers. The mysteries themselves are always interesting, but also sordid and grim.
This is the fourth book in the series, and it mostly deals with Harper and Tolliver's twisted family. This book made me realize that Harris is a much more skillful writer than I realized; she'd laid hints throughout the series, and one extra clue is all it takes to make them go off like a chain reaction. Finally, Harper recieves answers--some to questions she didn't even realize she needed to ask.
This is the fourth book in the series, and it mostly deals with Harper and Tolliver's twisted family. This book made me realize that Harris is a much more skillful writer than I realized; she'd laid hints throughout the series, and one extra clue is all it takes to make them go off like a chain reaction. Finally, Harper recieves answers--some to questions she didn't even realize she needed to ask.
November 1, 2009
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.
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.
May 24, 2017
I liked the mystery (well mysteries really). I liked that Harper and Tolliver finally had closure on the whole Cameron thing. Both shocks at the end were really a surprise. Honestly I didn't see either one coming.
The only issue I had with this book was the whole brother/sister incestuous relationship between Harper and Tolliver. Sure they aren't actually blood related but they were raised together and for years and years Harper introduced Tolliver as her brother and still does. I just find it creepy that they have a sexual relationship and CH made it very visual in this book. I think everyone's reaction to the news that they were getting married validates my reaction.
The only issue I had with this book was the whole brother/sister incestuous relationship between Harper and Tolliver. Sure they aren't actually blood related but they were raised together and for years and years Harper introduced Tolliver as her brother and still does. I just find it creepy that they have a sexual relationship and CH made it very visual in this book. I think everyone's reaction to the news that they were getting married validates my reaction.
October 27, 2009
This is the last Harper Connelly book and it ends perfectly.
All I could think as I finished it last night was Wow.
Harper has grown, Tolliver has grown and they've grown together. The mystery this time hits real close to home and the twist at the end blindsides and breaks your heart.
I wish there had been a little more reflection on the baby but other than that...this book ended the series on the appropriate note - making it a perfect conclusion to one of Charlaine Harris' darker series.
All I could think as I finished it last night was Wow.
Harper has grown, Tolliver has grown and they've grown together. The mystery this time hits real close to home and the twist at the end blindsides and breaks your heart.
I wish there had been a little more reflection on the baby but other than that...this book ended the series on the appropriate note - making it a perfect conclusion to one of Charlaine Harris' darker series.
April 15, 2021
Grave Secret on Books On Track
The mystery of Harper's sister Cameron's disappearance is finally solved in this last book of the series and it's something I wasn't expecting...
Harper and Tolliver's latest case takes them back to Texas and many unpleasant memories, as well as the unwelcome news that Tolliver's dad Matthew is finally out of prison and wants to reconnect.
Their case reveals something that the rich family was not expecting to find and someone is unhappy enough to . Harper is on her own and in danger and she needs to find out who wants them dead and why before they succeed.
It turns out that .
It's not exactly an "all's well that ends well" story, but Harper and Tolliver do manage to finally put the past behind them and , before going back to their lives and unusual job.
Previous book reviews:
✦ An Ice Cold Grave (Harper Connelly, #1) ~ ★★★ (13/04/2021)
✦ Grave Sight (Harper Connelly, #1) ~ ★★★ (11/10/2019)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,703 reviews