Crossover. Manfred Bernardo appears frequently in this book.

Not a terribly satisfying conclusion to the series. ( )

I wasn't sure about this series when I started it, but each book got better and better. This book is a fabulous end to Harper's story and I was really surprised at the ending. The only thing that bugs me about this book (and the others with Manfred) is that we've been told his age a couple of times, but we still get "he's somewhere around 21" and "he must be several years younger than me" as if he hasn't told Harper his age more than once. But that's a minor irritant and one I can live with over-all. ( )

For once with Harris mysteries, I didn't guess the "ultimate" killer half way through. A good read for when you're bored, but hardly anything mind boggling. ( )

The last of the Harper Connolly novels, we at last learn the truth behind the question of her sister’s death, although this feels somewhat abrupt, almost as though the first 3 books were a setup of Harper’s romantic interest, before the grand reveal. Entertaining enough, I’m glad to have read them. ( )

Another great story by Charlaine Harris wherein the long story of the missing sister Cameron comes to a conclusion. Several stories wound into one that keeps you thinking and enjoying the read. ( )

"Grave Secret", concludes the Harper Connelly series of four books.

Harper Connelly's struggle to come to terms with her past, make the best of her strange talent and find a place for herself in the future holds these four books together.

As the books progress, the balance between focusing on the death Harper Connelly is involved with (she has a talent for being able to find the bodies of the dead and then see their final moments) and her personal history (abusive, drug addicted parents, abducted elder sister, relationship with the man she grew up thinking of as her brother but to whom she is not related) shifts in favour of resolving Harper's own conflicts.

The final book has a good who-dunnit plot that gets side-lined by what-happened-to-Harper-and-what-is-she-going-to-do-about-it. I think this was a brave and good decision by Charlaine Harris. Harper's character is what makes these books memorable and sets them apart from other paranormal detective stories.

I won't give away the plot, but by the end of the series, I had understood that Charlaine Harris is showing us that real bravery is making the most of the hand your are dealt and real love is about being willing to give everything you have for someone else.

I keep going back to the lightning bolt that struck Harper in her teens. This gave her her strange power. It created a bond between her and her not-brother. It set her apart, linking her more intimately to the dead than the living. It weakened her physically and drained her emotionally. At one level, that lightning bolt is a metaphor for all the traumatic events that push young girls into being adults before their time. Harper's story is the story of all those damaged women who choose not to let their circumstances define them, who struggle for dignity and honesty, who crave love but not at any price and who have to come to terms with their past in order to be free to have a future.

Throughout the books, Harper has a fantasy of a normal life where she has a house and a garden and doesn't spend her time on the road. This is a life she has never led and one she does not really understood. It reminds me of the Prozorov sisters endlessly dream of going to Moscow to escape the monotony of provincial life in Chekov's "Three Sisters". It is an escape from reality, not an engagement with it.

By the fourth book it is clear that what Harper really wants is to be whole. She wants to know what happened to her sister, to know how to be with her not-brother, to be at peace with herself and her family.

I think the strength of the Harper Connelly books comes from Harris' decision to write in the first person. We see this world only through Harper's eyes and her vision changes and matures book by book. Harris has a gift for dialogue and she has given Harper a distinct and memorable voice.

I recommend all four books. Here's the sequence to read them in: "Grave Sight", "Grave Surprise", "An Ice Cold Grave", "Grave Secret". ( )

Disappointing. It lacked the intrigue and pace of the previous books, and felt like Ms. Harris was just trying to finish the series off. She even reused a plot point from an earlier book in the series. Overall, not a stellar effort from a writer I expect more from, and usually enjoy. ( )

A Satisfying Conclusion - though I wish there would be more.

Harris ties up the mysteries of Harper's life, though it's too much to hope she might develop this series more. Harris seems happy to build interesting characters and settings, and tie them up and move on. She does it well, but sometimes it would be nice to go on a bit longer..... ( )

Mostly quick moving with a pretty high body count, if you consider the deaths that take place 8 yrs before the main action, one of which Harper has been called to testify on. Harris characters are, as usual, more 3-D than is too common in paranormal fiction. ( )

Grave Secret is an interesting book, yet it feels as if the reader comes into the story after it starts. There are also issues regarding the switching between present and future tense during the story. The good thing of this book is that the action scenes are really good, yet seem rushed. ( )

I didn't realise this was part of a series when I started reading it. Reading the previous instalments probably would have helped a bit, but this novel was able to stand alone in its own right. I enjoyed it. Some good plot twists. ( )

Grave Secret
4 Stars

When Harper and Tolliver travel home to Texas, the secrets of the past come back to haunt them. Tolliver’s father is out of jail and trying to worm his way back into his children’s lives; new evidence in the disappearance of Harper’s sister comes to light and a unexpected grave reading has deadly consequences.

The plot revolves around two seemingly unrelated mysteries, the murders of a wealthy oil magnet and his young caretaker alongside the case of Cameron Connelly. Although the explanations come as somewhat of a surprise, the twists and turns are very compelling and make perfect sense given the characters and the circumstances.

Harper and Tolliver’s romance goes from strength to strength and the obvious love, trust and affection between the two is a highlight of the story. Tolliver’s faith in and acceptance of Harper abilities as well as his loyalty to her makes him one of my favorite heroes. Likewise, Harper’s prickly nature and uncompromising love for Tolliver make her particularly endearing.

All in all, a satisfying conclusion to the series with a great sense of closure but I’m sad to see it come to an end. Looking forward to reading more about Manfred in the Midnight, Texas series and will also listen to the Aurora Teagarden books to get my Charlaine Harris fix. ( )

I'm giving this three stars because I like Charlaine Harris's books. However, I really feel that she shot her load with "An Ice Cold Grave," the novel preceding this one, and she just wrote this Harper Connelly mystery because she had to finish out a contract, or find a way to end the series. The loose ends are tied up, Cameron is found, people who belong in jail go to jail and all is right with the world in the end. ( )

This book, which I assume is the last of this series, was a bit of a disappointment. The plot itself was very slow going, and you spent a lot of time reading about Harper visiting Tolliver in the hospital. Not that much time was spent on the mystery itself. Much more time was spent on the discussion of different relationships, which got a bit boring after a while.

I had a small problem with the resolution to Cameron’s disappearance; I thought it unrealistic. I was impressed however with how the author intertwined Cameron’s disappearance with their current case.
( )

This book was going along good until the last few chapters. It's as if Harris suddenly decided that she was done with the series, but didn't want to do too much revision, instead deciding to cram all the answers into a few dozen pages.
I'm glad to have gotten a resolution to the mysteries of the series, but I'd rather they were worked into the book better. ( )

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. ( )

We finally find out what happened to Harper's sister. Her step-father is back in town and some long time issues are resolved. Tolliver and her develop their relationship while the drama unfolds. I believe this is the last book in the series ? If so I will miss Harper, I enjoy her stories. ( )

Solid addition to this well-written series. ( )

2.5 Stars....

Harper & Tolliver are now "officially" a couple much to the consternation of their relatives. Harper is hired by Lizzie, the daughter of a wealthy rancher, to find out more about the cause of his death.....but Harper recognizes the men who accompany Lizzie from her past. Tolliver is shot as is the detective who is trying to protect her. Tolliver's druggie father (who was married to Harper's mother) shows up and tries to make amends with Tolliver... More of Harper & Tolliver's past is revealed and the question of Harper's missing sister Cameron is divulged.

Although this is very well written and the plot contains twists & turns...parts of this were just gruesome (in my opinion). There was quite a bit of violence

I really like Harper, I like Tolliver, but I find them being a couple just creepy.... I also wasn't really thrilled with all the violence and killing. It just seems to me that Charlaine Harris is writing more & more violent stories (as was seen with the last Sookie novel) and frankly it's beginning to turn me off. I don't mind some violence, after all this is a "Mystery" series, but all the added violence just kills (pun intended) the story for me.


( )

I never finished this book... I didn't like it... I liked book 1 but struggled with book 2 and 3. Book 4, I just didn't want to invest anymore time. ( )

I never finished this book... I didn't like it... I liked book 1 but struggled with book 2 and 3. Book 4, I just didn't want to invest anymore time. ( )

Fourth of four novels in the Harper Connelly mystery series. As a result of being struck by lightning as a teenager, Harper has the ability to sense the location of dead people. Harper can’t actually tell who killed murder victims, but she can tell how they died. She now makes a living at this, travelling the country with her protective stepbrother, Tolliver Lang.

Travelling back to their childhood home in Texas, Harper and Tolliver's memories of their terrible childhood resurface. They are drawn back into the family secrets as they learn that Tolliver's father is out of jail and Harper finally discovers what happened to her missing sister Cameron so many years before... ( )

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. ( )

I have been thinking about how to review this book all weekend. It comes as no surprise that I'm giving it two stars.

First, it creeps me out that Harper still calls Tolliver her brother...not stepbrother..."brother." That's. just. EWWW.

Second, this reads like a really bad choose-your-own-adventure story where all the adventures some how tangle up and no matter what pages you choose, you still end up wondering what the heck happened and why.

Third, Harper is as co-dependent at the end of the book (and series) as she was at the start of the first book (and series).

Actually, I could probably go on for an hour about the things I don't like in this book or the series overall. It's just no worth the effort. It's an awful book and an awful series. ( )