This was an interesting book. Harper has an interesting job and because of it, people are wary of her. I feel bad for her because she seems to be sweet and just wants to give people closure. The mystery itself was interesting because you learned little clues all the way to the end. However, I was able to determine why and how the killer was related but not who the actual killer was. It was definitely a well-kept secret. ( )

After being struck by lightning when she was 15, Harper Connelly can locate dead people and see the last few seconds of their life although not their killer, if it is murder. She is hired by a woman to locate a missing girl that her son is said to have killed and then committed suicide. However, when Harper locates the girl's body and visits the grave of the boy she knows they were both murdered. Normally at this point she and her step-brother who travels with her would have left town, but the sheriff and several locals become hostile and force them to stick around. Soon many secrets are coming to light and more people die. Good plot. This was an unusual set up and I was drawn to Harper and her brother, Tolliver. They had a tragic past and family life growing up. There are still unanswered questions from their past that I hope will come to light in future volumes. ( )

Arkansas socialite Sybil Teague and her lawyer, Paul Edwards, have hired Harper Connolly because of her unique talent for finding dead bodies. This is a skill that might make you want to avoid thunderstorms since it's something that Harper’s had since she was struck by lightning when she was 15. Once she serves the purpose she was hired for and locates Teenie Hopkins, who vanished with Sybil’s son, Dell, and confirms that both teenagers had been murdered, her employers join the rest of the folks in this Arkansas town, in regarding her "gift" with revulsion, ranging from mild to hostile. Harper wants nothing more than to get into her stepbrother, Tolliver Lang’s Subaru and drive far away from it all. Even the budding romance with deputy Hollis Boxleitner, who once used Harper’s "powers" to confirm that his wife Sally's death by drowning, was in no way an accident... can’t convince her to stay around. After the beating death of Helen Hopkins, Sally and Teenie’s recovering-alcoholic mom, Sheriff Harvey Branscom demands that the siblings stay in town, despite minor harassment by Vernon McCluskey, the owner of the motel where they’re stuck for however long the duration may be. Then there is more serious persecution from Scot Briscoe who is a high school student who is "irked", (his word not mine), by the crush that Dell’s sister Mary Nell has developed on Tolliver. Branscom’s so busy getting on Tolliver's case for a broken taillight that solving the murder cases themselves might be only way that the pair can get out of this town. Not a bad start for this short series... (There's only 4 books). You get a really good sense of what Harper is facing with the people who are afraid of her, those that are bigots and think her power is evil and her relationship with her brother/manager is REALLY suspicious. I didn't think the characters were as engaging as the ones in her "Sookie" series, but I liked Harper well enough as a character to give it a 4.5-star rating. If mysteries and the paranormal are your "thing"... then you'll probably like this story. ( )

Murder

I'm reading this series again. It's just so good. ( )