I love Charlaine Harris, period. She is a bit scary, and always great fun.
When one of her books is published, I inhabit her world for as long as the story lasts.

"Ice Cold Grave," is suspenseful, a little sexy, as are all of her books, and great fun.

Mrs. Harris claims to be a soccer mom, but she is so much more. I wish she lived across the street. Not next door, mind you. I wouldn't be too happy if one of her vampires showed up in my bedroom... On second thought, maybe I would.

About a month ago I read all the Sookie Stackhouse books, and decided to read her other stories. I like this series. I think anyone who reads Ms. Harris has to expect creepy and unresolved relationships.

I have no problem with Tolliver and Harper becoming a couple. They aren't brother and sister and didn't come together until they were teenagers. Plus, from the moment they're parents married, Tolliver and Harper were placed in the role of mother and father to the two youngest children. They weren't able to be children together, they had adult responsibilities and only had each other to lean upon and offer comfort and support.

I was disappointed in how the love scene was written. I understand that Harper is only 24 or 25 and Tolliver around 28, but the juvenile language that the author uses to express their thoughts and feeling, doesn't fit their relationship. It should have been fraught with the tension of Tolliver's fear of almost losing Harper.

We experience his increasing jealousy, which is normal, but that shouldn't have been the reason for the two of them to finally express their adult love for one another. After all that they have experienced together and their emotional commitment to each other, their coming together should have been more passionate, sweet, and filled with loving words. Yes, Tolliver does express some of his thoughts, but it's just not done to my satisfaction.

As seems to Ms. Harris's way, I expect that Tolliver and Harper will eventually break up as a couple, and maybe come back together at then end of the series. I hope that this statement proves false, as I think, it would be more real if they grew to trust one another as a couple, and allowed their feelings to become firm with love and commitment. After their childhood and what they've experienced since Harper being hit by lightening, this would be the most satisfactory outcome, at least for me.

As an aside, I think Tolliver's biological brother killed Harper's biological sister and we'll find this out in a future book. I hope Ms. Harris doesn't make it that Tolliver knew, because he so would not have kept this from Harper. Tolliver may have his faults, but he does love Harper more then anyone else. I think if this hypothesis proves true (his brother being the killer)that this will cause some hurt to the couple. However, it would only make them realize what they've always known that they only have each other.

I thought the story was well done, and I'm interested and awaiting the next book.

I am a huge fan of this author but this book was easy to forget. Stick with the Sookie Stackhouse series if you like her and either put this one on the summer reading list or leave it be altogether. It just didn't give me a lasting impression.

I'm really enjoying the Harper Connelly series by Charlaine Harris. The heroine is unusual, the story-lines are fresh (and a great departure from the talking pet formula). I can't wait to see what is coming next!

I would have given this book 5 stars, but frankly, the whole nad-licking scene was off-putting. I'm not a prude, but gratuitous crap like that is jarring and in my opinion added nothing to an otherwise gripping and exciting storyline.

Harris is a talented author when she uses her own voice and isn't trying to channel authors like Bertrice Small. Somebody should give her editor a slap upside the head.

After the previous two books, I knew where the two lead characters were heading. (Unfortunately)

However, the writing which got them to that predictable spot was REALLY good. And the character development after that point seemed fresh and fully explored.

The crime which serves as the reason for the book is disturbing.

But I didn't know exactly where the story was leading, and the last major plot point was a surprise. So this is the best of the three Harper books to date.

The lead characters have much more depth than was apparent in the first book.

An Ice Cold Grave was a great addition to the "grave" series. The story was suspenseful with both her work and relationship with "brother" Tolliver. This book has a bit more edge then the previous books, but if you enjoy a good mystery with an interesting and unique heroine, you'll enjoy this book.

Charlaine Harris has some fluffy books (in the best sense), but this is not one of them. This novel is tense, real, and completely impossible to put down.

One of my favorite things about the series - and this book especially - is that the main character's powers to sense the dead are so very limited. Harper can only do a rather simple thing - exactly the same thing a great detective plus a perfect autopsy would do - but Harris makes it clear how this power is disturbing, important, and disruptive to Harper's life. Those very limits are what make her story compelling and feel real, fantasy genre not withstanding. A wonderful read, and the best of the series.

I very much enjoyed AN ICE COLD GRAVE. The author writes in a very readable way and the story holds your attention, so the time goes very quickly, and I got to the end to fast. I wanted more and hopefully there will be a new one out shortly.

Harper is recovering from the events in A GRAVE SURPRISE and they head to Doraville NC where a boy has been missing for three months. The grandmother has heard of them and raised the money to get them there. But Harper finds not one boy but eight dead boys. There is a serial killer here. This is the first time her path crosses a serial killer and the way the boys were killed is very upsetting to her.

Tolliver is there to care for Harper and take care of the business end of things. He finds there are more than papers to care for, when Harper is attacked outside their motel room.

The story is good and the romance between Tolliver and Harper heats up. Harper finds her unwanted skill is changing and she is having more intuitions about the murders.

I enjoyed it very much and I think you will too.

I read this book in about 4 hours. I tore through it lusting after the details and relationship between Harper and Tolliver. The body turns out to be a bunch and Harper's first mass murder. The unspoken love between Tolliver and Harper comes to a head and you are left breathless at the climax of the mystery. I hope that this series continues for many years to come.

Since their last case Harper Connelly and her manager and sort-of brother Tolliver Lang have been tiptoeing around each other, careful not to upset the balance of their relationship. Called to Doraville by Sheriff Sandra Rockwell to help find the bodies of six missing boys, Harper knows that her talent, finding the dead and identifying how they died, will be severely tested. That six boys are missing and that could mean a serial killer. When they learn the sheriff was coerced into calling her, Harper knows things could turn nasty. But neither Harper nor Tolliver knows just how bad it could get.

This is the third in the series, and it just keeps getting better and better. Harris's characters are always well developed with back-histories that make them seem alive, so alive in fact that it's difficult at times to remember these are fictional people in a story. Don't be afraid to step into the series with this book because it does stand on its own. There's enough backstory layered into the narrative to explain the interplay between Harper, Tolliver, and Xylda and Manfred Bernardo (psychics met in a previous book). While I found some of the reactions of the investigators irritating and a bit unbelievable, contemplation of the situation made me believe that that is exactly how things would play out in those circumstances.

To me the sign of a good book is when I get so wrapped up in the story and characters that I start feeling upset and argumentative on their behalf -- of course sassing back the book won't change a thing but then again if we care so much about the fictional characters then the author has managed to get us to pay attention and engage with the story. Now if being so engaged also gets us to think about the larger issues involved and to carry those thoughts beyond the book to look at how people react to crime, to those to pursue criminals, those who commit crimes, and those who look away and ignore what's happening around them -- perhaps then we'll see some changes.

There's the major mystery and several subplots that have been carried over from the previous books. Harris manages to balance all these threads so smoothly that there's no jarring note as we move from one to the other. Some of our questions get answered and some don't -- perhaps to be dealt with in a later volume. There is a satisfactory conclusion to the book but also more threads to be taken up in later stories, I hope. Harper's gift is one with limits and limitations and Harris has built a character that is an interesting mix of vulnerability, intelligence, strength, and heart but who yet has the pull of an everyman to her.

I want to start with a recommendation: if you have not read the first two books in this series, go get them and read them first. You will be able to follow along if you just read this book and it is a great stand-alone mystery. But without reading the first two books, you will miss the insight into Harper and Tolliver and the changes in their relationship that Ms. Harris has been developing in each book. That relationship is a major part of this book.

Now to the book as a mystery. Harper is a reluctant sleuth: her job is to use her "gift" to locate dead bodies and tell her clients how they died. Law enforcement is supposed to figure out the killer but inevitably Harper and Tolliver are sucked into the investigation. The reader doesn't know anything Harper doesn't know and I was as surprised as she was at the ultimate ending.

I agree with the reviewers who say this is the best book so far in the series even though it is a great deal darker than the first two. I am looking forward to what happens with Harper & Tolliver and their family in the next book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the latest Harper novel. Charlaine Harris has done a wonderful job in creating a somewhat flawed but likeable character, and we get to understand her a little more in this outing.

The mystery is solid and kept me guessing. I will say that it was the more personal aspects of the book that kept me reading late into the night, however. Because the book focused a little more on Harper personally, I felt that it was warmer in tone than the others.

Obviously, if you haven't read the first two in the series I would say to start there; you could be confused if this is the first one you pick up. Otherwise, anyone who's liked the first two should be pleased with this installment

I was so happy with this book! It was by far the best in the series and I am absolutly in love with Tolliver & Harper. I cannot wait to read more about their relationship, how it will affect them now that they have finally made that leap that I am sure almost all of us were hoping/waiting for. This was also by far the scariest one. It kept me up the night I got to the part where she described the victims in detail. Whoo! WOW!!! I love her Sookie Story line also! My only complaint is that I am at the end of both series and have to wait for new ones to come out! WRITE FASTER PLEASE CHARLAINE!!! I'm hurting here! :)

This is the third book in the Harper Connelly Mystery series.

For the past several years six boys of a similar age have gone missing in the town of Doraville, North Carolina. The previous Sheriff refused to find anything sinister in or even investigate their disappearances, claiming they were probably runaways or suicides. The new sheriff, who was deputy under the old sheriff, has always thought something was wrong. But she has run out of leads and ideas on how to locate the boys.

Word of Harper Connelly's gift of finding the dead has reached the town and Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver arrive in the hopes of helping. Twyla is the grandmother of one of the missing boys and is willing to try anything at this point. She convinces the sheriff and the other townspeople to hire and give Harper a chance. It isn't long before Harpers gifts are proven and she and Tolliver are at the sight of horrific crimes.

This book is by far the best in the bunch. While I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books, this one blew me away. The mystery is troubling and the set up is tight; I was on the edge of my seat (couch) waiting for the murderer to be caught. There are more than a few frightening and terrifyingly disturbing moments in this book and I found myself more than once holding my breath or gasping in shock.

This is definitely a darker book than I am used to reading from Ms. Harris, but the journey was just as an enjoyable. Harper and Tolliver give it just enough lightness and energy to keep it from being too dark. They have some serious issues that come to head in this book, making me all the more eager to get onto the next. An Ice Cold Grave gave me chills and warmed my heart; an exciting combination!

Grave Sight (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 1)
Grave Surprise (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 2)

I don't know how she does it, but Charlaine Harris just keeps getting better. I've read all the Sookie , and Harper books and I absolutely love them. Once I picked this book up I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to see what happens next. If your looking for something fun, witty, and sexy to read then this book is for you. ENJOY!!!

Last fall, I stumbled onto the middle book in this three-novel series (Grave Surprise) and bought it simply because it looked interesting. I found both the writing and the characters quite engrossing, and have since read all three of the novels. This latest is a really strong entry that follows up on some plot elements from the earlier two books (though you need not have read them first to enjoy this).

The writing reminds me a bit of Barbara Michaels, but a little edgier. It definitely has the page-turning "have to know what happens" quality of the best Barbara Michaels romantic/supernatural suspense novels.

Just crossing my fingers that this book is not the last of its line. The author states on her web site that she would like to write at least one more novel in this series, but the earliest it could possibly see publication will be 2009.

This is the third book in the Harper Connelly Mysteries. I liked this book; it was a quick, fun, and easy read! Main reason it didn't get 5 stars was because it was exactly what I was expecting and I didn't necessarily find it outstanding!

In this book Harper and Tolliver are called to North Carolina in the winter to check on a case in which a teenage boy went missing. Harper quickly discovers that there are actually many boys missing and finds that they are actually dealing with a serial killer.

This was very well-written and fun to read. This is the type of book I read when I want something lighthearted and fun with some twists. This book definitely had the twists in there; it was a well written mystery (of course, I don't have a ton of experience reading mysteries). It kept you guessing and there was some nice character development between Tolliver and Harper (those who have read it will chuckle at my *nice* description).

This book was exactly what I expected from the next book in this series, and I wasn't disappointed at all! I look forward to reading more books in this series in the future.

http://www.karissabooks.blogspot.com/

An Ice Cold Grave (2007) is the third fantasy novel in the Harper Connelly series, following Grave Surprise. In the previous volume, Harper interrupts the killer in the midst of another murder and is almost shot. Tolliver overwhelms the murderer. Harper and Tolliver have learned and deduced most to the story and pass it on to the police.

Harper has never encountered a true ghost prior to Josiah Poundstone. She arranges with Xylda Bernardo to lay his spirit. Josiah seems amazed at the thought of seeking peace, but gradually fades away.

In this novel, Harper and Tolliver travel to Doraville, South Carolina, during the ice and snow of January. They have been called in to search for six youths who have become missing during the past five years. The sheriff -- Sandra Rockwell -- had been a deputy who ran against the former sheriff over his mismanagement of this issue. Yet she has not been able to discover any additional leads.

The grandmother of the last missing boy suggested that Harper be used to find the bodies. After checking the police grapevine and getting a positive recommendation from a participant in a former case, Sheriff Rockwell asked for Harper to perform a search. After discussing the case with the sheriff, Harper meets with Twyla Cotton, the woman who is responsible for her involvement in the case.

The sheriff provides a list of the most suspicious locales. Twyla drives Harper and Tolliver around to each site. Harper finds the bodies of eight boys -- including Twyla's grandson -- on the grounds of an abandoned house with a two-car garage off to one side. Harper marks the burial sites with red flags while Twyla calls the police.

The police discover decayed bodies at each site and contact the State Bureau of Investigation to report the find. SBI agents and technicians come to Doraville to verify the identities and to gather any available evidence about the murderer. Harper is prepared to leave town when she is attacked outside the motel.

In this story, Harper meets with the usual skepticism and hints of fraudulent practices. The existence of the bodies, however, proves to be irrefutable evidence of the crime and, despite their suspicions, the police cannot prove any criminal involvement by Harper. Naturally, some police -- particularly the SBI agents -- still suspect Harper of nefarious wrongdoing.

Harper becomes more involved in this situation than in her previous cases. She gets to know some of the people involved and starts to like several of the individuals. Unlike previous cases, nobody -- other than the SBI agents -- tends to blame Harper for the killings and few are upset by the arcane natural of her talent.

This story also has Harper becoming more troubled by her relationship with Tolliver. She is beginning to feel attracted toward him. While he is her stepbrother, they are otherwise unrelated and that is becoming rather important to her.

Highly recommended for Harris fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of unusual talents, forensic psychology and helpful neighbors.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Charlaine Harris is one of the best writers on the market today and this is another engrossing addition to her list.

An Ice Cold Grave (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 3)
Harper Connely is the latest intriguing personality created by Ms. Harris.
I read this book as slowly as I could, with frequent re-readings because I didn't want it to end. It is always facinating seeing Ms. Harris spin out a great "who-dun-it" but the relationship between Harper and her not-brother Tolliver is the main draw in this series. I was a bit surprised that the cat was let out of the bag this soon, but Harper, along with beloved Sookie, is a very practical young lady and it would have been wrong for her personality to continue a "tease". I LOVED the book. I cried for the sad young men whose graves she finds. I guessed the killer when first introduced but that'a not why one reads the book! Please more?

I enjoyed the first two books about Harper Connelly Grave Sight (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 1) and Grave Surprise (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 2), and I think that both the second and the third books are stronger than its predecessor.

That said, this book might not be for everyone. The book involves the serial killings of teenaged boys, all of whom are tortured and raped. What happens to these poor kids is absolutely horrifying, as are the descriptions of the crimes.

The language in the book is stronger than the two previous, and I can see why the author did this, as the crimes are so terrible. I can see how and why the characters discussing the crimes can curse over them.

As always with the books of Charlaine Harris, the characters are well written and developed, and the setting is very well done. The sheer horror of the crimes combined with a small southern mountain town in the winter, all iced in, makes for one creepy place.

One other thing that might bother some readers is that the relationship between Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver goes right where it looked like it might right from the first book. Now, I do not view this as incest, as there is no blood relationship between them, and when younger they were the defacto heads of their family, raising the younger children when their parents were not functioning. They both dream of sharing a home together and having those younger kids back. This step was logical to me, given the contents of the two previous books. But I can also see how this could bother some readers, who could think that such a relationship between step sibs is completely improper.

So I guess in short - while I personally loved this book, I can see how other people could have issues with it. If you are someone who might be bothered by the horrific crimes or the relationship between the stepsibs, you might want to check it out from the library rather than purchasing.

I wouldn't want to say too much about this book, to read spoilers prior to would be a total shame.

After being struck by lightning as a teenager, Harper Connelly has developed the unique ability to find the dead and see how they died. She and her stepbrother, Tolliver Lang, run a business in which they travel the country assisting law-enforcement personnel and family members of the dead. In her third case, Harper is hired by a woman to find her missing grandson. In fact, numerous teenage boys have disappeared from Doraville, North Carolina. Harper finds the bodies, but still reeling from coming into contact with her first serial killer, she is attacked and injured. She stays in Doraville to recover and assist in the investigation.

Ice Cold Grave is an excellent addition to the Harper series. The story line is well written and it kept me glued, reading it in one sitting. However my pleasure in the story was marred by the disturbing description of horrible murder, torture and rape of children. That is just too far over the line for my reading pleasure. I tried to skim over that part. So I have to subtract one star.

However, the story itself was facinating from cover to cover. I am a loyal fan of Charlaine Harris work (Sookie and Harper) and will look forward to the next installments. Yet, I will read the reviews on the next Harper before purchase just to make sure it does not have so much yuk factor. So pleased with the eventual development between Tolliver and Harper.

This could have been an excellent book in a very good series. The idea of the dead communicating from the grave has enormous potential. This author demonstrates both the ability to write well and the capacity for unique story lines, but...

Here comes the big BUT. The incestuous relationship between the two step siblings is just too off putting to tolerate. A few may argue that a sexual relationship between step children is not illegal however; it is beyond normal moral values.

It would seem that for whatever reason, Charlain Harris set this series up for failure. Since the majority of the mystery genre reading public is female and most have children this series may be considered distasteful in the extreme.

Since being struck by lightning, corpses talk to Harper Connelly. The talent was disturbing at first, but now she makes a living finding bodies--and determining what happened to them. When she's called into a small North Carolina town missing a series of boys, she fears she'll discover something unpleasant--but she has no idea how unpleasant it will be. The boys were tortured, sexually abused, and left to die--and whoever did it is still at large.

Finding the bodies is Harper's job, but when she's attacked, the case gets more complicated for her. Since the police won't let her leave the town, she decides to investigate a bit more.

Being hospitalized does serve one additional purpose, though. Harper has been in love with her step-brother for years but has been afraid to tell him for fear that it will destroy their relationship. There's no way that truth can avoid coming out this time--although Harper worries that she'll lose everything by making the gamble.

Author Charlaine Harris continues her Harper Connelly series with a mystery that stretches Harper's talents to the limit and also brings back psychic Xylda and her grandson, Manfred--a young man who happens to have a crush on Harper. With a strong start and an action-packed conclusion, there's a lot to like about AN ICE COLD GRAVE. Harris's writing is engaging, and the first person narrative brings us into Harper's thoughts and dangers.

I would have liked to see a bit less of the romance between Harper and her step-brother. To me, this element slowed down the story. While it's perhaps understandable to be afraid of change, Harper's inability to see Tolliver's jealousy and desire as anything other than what it really is makes her seem less intelligent than we know her to be. On the other hand, Harris's handling of the animal-torturing youth, Chuck, is strong and compelling.

Charlaine Harris' use of the cold of winter, as brought out by the title, is very effective in setting the nature of the crimes brought to light by Harper Connolly's lightning-bestowed talent for finding corpses in this book. The horror of what was done to the boys is chilling and is meant to be chilling. The attitudes of some of the local law enforcement establishment, past and present, are also chilling and, I believe, meant to be seen that way by the reader.

Equally, the season is used effectively, in a contrary direction, as an impetus to move forward the relationship between Harper and Tolliver -- who is not, as he points out at a critical moment, her brother. There has been plenty of background on this: their parents married when they were both in their teens. They are not consanguineous kin. It's actually somewhat odd that some readers perceive their relationship as incest, given how carefully Harris built it up through the first two books and the first half of this one.

Overall, this series has shown much more depth than the author's popular Sookie Stackhouse series. I hope that Harris produces other books in the future that become more than just an evening's entertainment.

First Sentence: The eastern seaboard is crammed with dead people.

After being struck by lightening, Harper Collins was left with spider-web scars, a weak leg and the ability to find dead people and to determine how they died. With Tolliver, whose dad married her mom but they're not related by blood, by her side, they are in North Carolina where Harper has been hired by Twyla Cotton's missing grandson, Jeff. In talking to the Sheriff, six boys have gone missing without a trace. Near the place where Jeff's cell phone had been found was an abandoned house--and, Harper perceived, eight bodies. Now that the bodies have been found, someone is not happy and Harper's life is in danger.

This is my favorite book of the series so far. The characters, and their relationship, have developed. Learning about Harper's gift and how it works is fascinating. There is enough skepticism of Harper's abilities yet willingness to let her use them on the part of the authorities to make the story realistic. The plot was tight with enough possible suspects to keep me going. There is an escalating feeling of suspense with the protagonists continually almost leaving town but then something else happening to keep them there. An ice storm, the illness of a friend's mother and the alteration in a relationship all add dimension to the story. Readers should be aware that this book is more graphically violent and sexual than previous books.

I hate taking the time to write reviews BUT this book deserves one. It was the best in the series so far. I love that Harris didn't string us along endlessly with Harper & Tolliver's relationship. That really gets frustrating for me as a reader. In my opinion, the advancement of their relationship made their characters more vivid for me. In addition, the sex scenes were done perfectly. This story line really wouldn't work for me if the sex was "hidden" and left vague. Harper's 1st person narration has allowed us into the majority of her thoughts and feelings, censoring the sex scenes would have implied shame on her part.

Yes, this book was more graphic, but it wasn't gratuitous. In fact, I know that I enjoyed this book more than the others BECAUSE of the details. I hope that Harris continues writing this series with this level of detail. This style really seems to suit her. This book contains her best writing by far.

Charlaine Harris is such an amazing writer. And this is one of her best books. I couldn't put it down, so stayed up half the night reading. The plot, while so fast paced and gripping, is enhanced by the developing relationship with her characters. That was the best part-- the characters stepping out of their comfort zones to become even better than they were before. I highly reccomend this book and am so glad that I bought it... because it is one that I will read again and again.

I enjoy Ms. Harris's books, and this one was no exception. I look forward to the next one.

The book has a solid story line and is taut and well-written. She definitely set her mark and hit it squarely. I read all the time about books you can't put down and books that have twists and turns, but this is the first time in a long time that I actually experienced such a thing. All that said, I will be a bit careful when the next one comes out. The graphic details of torture were a bit much for me and I will be glad when they fade from my memory. I tried to skip, but her writing is so tight that the descriptions appeared quickly. I also did not like the development of some personal relationships and I think the series would have been better without it. I like the ability the main character has to communicate with dead people and that alone makes for some interesting reading and presents endless story lines. I hope Ms. Harris has gone as low as she intends and will find other interesting story lines. Of course, one story line is set in stone and rather upsetting. I was so hoping that she was not going to "go there." I am dying to say more but it would spoil the end for you. It was an unnecessary deviation that serves to limit future story lines. It will be hard to find an author whose writing I enjoy as much as I have her's, but I will not be able to read another book if the series continues in this vein. I am rethinking the five stars, but the author did what she did extremely well. A good writer and a compelling story. Still, I don't like the sexual abuse and torture. I read to escape not to be reminded of the vile nature of people. Sexual abuse, torture, and incest cross the line for me. For example, I like Law & Order, but not SVU. Ms. Harris has demonstrated in other books in this series that she can portray Harper's unusual talent without exploring such depraved sociopathic behavior in vivid detail. Okay, I knocked off a star for content unacceptable to me.

This is the third book in this series I have read, and I think only the third in the series. The storyline just gets better and better! Charlaine's characters seem so real and believable!

I've come to be particularly fond of the quirkiness of Charlaine Harris' characters. In this latest Harper Connelly mystery, much of what has been simmering under the surface comes to fruition. It's a delightful read and I couldn't put it down.

An Ice Cold Grave is mind blowing and a fantastic read. It did not take me long at all to read once I finally bought it. Harper and Tolliver are back at the job and this time end up in North Carolina where young boys have been missing for days, months, and even years. When the most recent victim's grandmother hires Harper to find the body, for she knows that he has to be dead, Harper finds more than just one body. She finds several.

When Harper and Tolliver try to leave town after solving the case they are delayed when someone beats up Harper. Could it be the kidnapper?? Harper is determined to try to solve this mystery even though she did her part. Mandfred and his grandmother come along to support Harper and help her out, but then tragedy strikes them. Meanwhile Harper is trying to deal with the developing feelings that she has been having for Tolliver that are anything but sibling love. Tolliver's reaction to her feelings that suddenly get reveal are life changing for the both of them.

Then there is a turning point in the case where they catch the kidnapper/murderer, but something is still nagging Harper. She believes strongly that there is yet another murderer out there somewhere prowling the streets of the quaint town.

An Ice Cold Grave is a fabulous read!! I cannot wait until the next one, the only compensation to get is that the Sookie Stackhouse book will be out around May and then in September we'll get the next Harper book, yea!!

Once again Harper Connelly just can't stay out of trouble! All she wants to do is her job, get paid and move on! Of course there is nothing wrong with that, except she finds more than she's originally hired for! I can't tell you how much I love Charlaine Harris's books! I started with the Southern Vampire Novels (and I still continue to read them) and then just happen to pick up a new genre. Not since Lily Bard and Sookie Stackhouse can you ever find a female character like Harper. She has such courage, wit , immense passion and compassion (not to mention has strange talent when it comes to earning a living!) You'll not be dissapointed with this book, especially when it comes to Harper's brother/manager Tolliver!

I loved this book, did not want to put it down. So far this is the best one in the series. Can't wait to read the next one.

This is the third installment in the Harper mystery series and it really keeps getting better. The only beef i had about it the language was stronger in this installment as were some of the described sex scenes, but other than that, it was excellant.
The book alludes to Harper finding her missing sister also in another book possably forthcoming.

I've been waiting for this installment of the Harper Connelly series for awhile, & I was not disappointed at all. As in the first installment, we see Harper & Tolliver visit a small town, which has become a staple of any Charlaine Harris book. The small town setting is one aspect of Harris' books that I always enjoy because she paints the characters very realistic without deriding them.

This time, the personal relationship between Harper & Tolliver outshines the murder mystery, & I was pleased with the path their relationship took. This series is truly unique, & I hope there are many more to come.

An Ice Cold Grave continues the trend of the well-written Harper Connolly series (Grave Sight and Grave Surprise). I read this in one sitting and agree with the other reviewers that this book is the best of the three so far. Not only does Ms Harris describe the wintry climate in such a way as to make you actually feel you're right there in the freezing temperatures with Harper and Tolliver and the rest of the inhabitants of Doraville, NC, but you can feel the tension among them as well.

An Ice Cold Grave is definitely darker than the first 2 books in the sense that there are more violence, more bodies, and more graphic descriptions of what happened to the victims. After all, Harper's talent is to find dead bodies, by nature a dark skill, regardless of whether the deaths are natural or not. On the other hand, Harper and Tolliver's personal and business relationship grows apace, and they each come to terms with what it is they want. {My hope is that this series doesn't follow Ms Harris's other two (ie, The Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse series, Lily Bard/Shakespeare series), as well as a number of other paranomal/urban fantasy series, in that the "heroine" loves and then leaves or is left by the "hero(s)." There seems to be a trend of such women finding and losing one's lover (sometimes many lovers throughout a series) recently. I can think of 6 series offhand that have done this.}

Another nice thing about An Ice Cold Grave is that, for once, Harper and Tolliver aren't treated with suspicion by every person they meet. Sure, there's skepticism, but at least most of those they come in contact with aren't outright hostile, leading to a wearying tango and tangle with such individuals.

We also meet Xylda and Manfred Berdardo again, and both are colorful as always, but they're also sympathetic and poignant characters here. I can't wait to see what becomes of Bernardo and his psychic skills. Will he be a small talent, as he seems to believe, or as great as or better than his grandmother? And how will his path cross that of Harper and Tolliver in future?

I strongly recommend An Ice Cold Grave -- which can be read as a standalone but would enhance a reader's experience if read in sequence. The book consists of a taut story line, mystery, love, grief, betrayal, and pathos, but in the end, there's hope and compassion.

Although I loved the first two Harper Connelly books, this one disappointed me. I liked the first two because they weren't too graphic, but still told a good story. The details of the murders in this one were too disgusting. I think that anyone who reads the word "torture" can get the idea of what happened without all the gruesome details. It seems Ms. Harris thinks she has to shock to tell a story (like in the Sookie Stackhouse books) but she is an excellent storyteller and should rely more on that.

I love this series. In fact, there are times when I love this series more than the Sookie Stackhouse books also written by Charlaine Harris. This is just creepy enough to be interesting and human enough to drag you into the lives of Harper and her not so brotherly companion, Tolliver.
This book is especially good as it shows the progression of their relationship and a more horrific job than anything Harper has done before. It really shows how strong Harper is and how useful her skill is. They're real people with not so pretty lives who plug on just like the rest of us.
Charlaine Harris is an amazing writer. She is a writer whose words you don't find yourself skimming as one does with books that aren't as well written. She is probably one of my favorite authors because of this. I'd probably enjoy reading ad copy if she was the one writing it!

I love Harris' books. I haven't read one that wasn't great. I really enjoy Harper's adventures. They are great fun and I can't wait until the next one comes out.

Charlaine Harris never fails to not disappoint when putting pen to paper. This 3rd in the series brings a new demension and layers to the characters. They grow in this story and we get travel along for the ride. I have read all of Charlaine's books/series and short stories and there is just never a one that, at the end of the story, I did not wish ....was just longer. Always delivers a great story filled with great character both the good and bad and evil!!

I've read all of the Sookie Sackhouse books as well as the Harper Connelly books, and Charlaine Harris keeps getting better with each book. I couldn't put this one down.

I've been a fan of Harper Connelly and Tolliver Lang since "Grave Secret." To date, Charlaine Harris has not disappointed me. "An Ice Cold Grave" is, in my opinion, the best book of the series. For those of you new to the series, Harper Connelly was struck by lightning at 15. That incident left her with a set of strange illnesses and the ability to find dead bodies and discover their cause of death from reading them. She travels around the country with Tolliver, who was raised as a brother, but is not related by blood working to help find lost people or determine the cause of death.

Doraville, NC--winter's coming. With six missing persons, all of them male and under 20, the grieving townsfolk have nothing to lose when they take up a collection to bring Harper Connelly in to find the young boys.

She finds all six of them pretty quickly at an abandoned property near where one of the boys was lost. All six of the boys from the town are there--as well as two boys missing from other nearby communities. Details Harper gets from reading the remains make her sicker and sadder than any other case she's ever worked--in no small part probably due to her losing her own older sister to an abuductor during high school.

Harper and Tolliver want nothing more than to leave town just as soon as the check for their services is cut. Unfortunately, the Sheriff and the State Bureau of Investigation aren't going to allow that--and an attack on Harper ties them further to the town.

An ice storm is closing in Knott County, NC and a serial killer is on the loose. He's got a particular interest in Harper since she was the one who found his cache of bodies.

"An Ice Cold Grave" is the strongest of Harper Connelly books so far. There's a lot more at stake here--both for the families of the decedents and Harper herself. There's not just implied but actual violence.

In my opinion, this is the best-written of the series. Both Harper and Tolliver have come into their own as characters. We've known them and liked them for a long time, but they now know themselves and what they want as individuals and as a team.

Ms. Harris also does a great job setting the scene. Her writing really does take you there to the NC mountains and a town laid open by grief. She understands this kind of situation and treats it with grace.

The plot kept me reading page after page til the book was done. "An Ice Cold Grave" is a satisfying read that I'd recommend to fans of mysteries, thrillers and paranormal fiction. While you don't have to read "Grave Secret" and "Grave Surprise" to understand this book, it's definitely not a waste of your time to do so.

Charlaine Harris has gelled the Harper Connelly Mysteries - The main characters have settled in and have a more three dimensional air about them -
Without giving any spoilers away - Harper and her 'brother' Tolliver are asked to go to Doraville, North Carolina to help find what they presume dead bodies of at least six young men - As they have in the past, they are met with a mix of reactions - Harper can find the dead, and know what caused their deaths. When Harper helps the sheriff of Doraville, she is injured (by the killer?) and has to stay for a while.
This sets Harper up to deal with whoever is doing the murders.
The reader should be aware there is more vivid violence, detailed sex, and language than previous Harper books.
Harris is hitting her stride with this series, and I liked this book better than her latest Sookie Stackhouse book.
Harper is believable and her gift is being fine tuned. What was referred to in previous books comes to a resolution, which in itself, can be a wild predicament.
It is a sound series, and a great book.

You've got the gist of this story right, well I had been eagerly waiting its release and I wasn't disappointed, well maybe it could have been longer I agree.

****minor spoilers****

This book goes a little harsher in Harpers findings, eight murdered teenagers. Tortured, raped, and finally murdered or "let" to die over a period of time no one knowing what happened to them.

The bodies are of course found right off by Harper who is horrified by what she finds. Though now there is a murder loose and it's someone in the small town of Doraville, though none want to believe that someone they knew was capable of doing what was done to the victims.

Manfred and his grandmother Xylda Berdardo make an appearance of course, and a new relationship between Harper and Tolliver blooms which I suspect everyone who's read the first two books in this series knows was going to happen.

I have to say that I really like the characters that Charlaine Harris creates their eccentric in a quiet way (or not in Xylda case) and seem very down to earth.


If you haven't read this then I recommend it very much.

This is the third in Charlaine Harris's series featuring Harper Connelly. Harper survived a lightning strike as a teenager, which left her with the ability to sense the presence of dead bodies as well as their cause of death. Harper has parlayed this into a career of sorts. Accompanied by her stepbrother Tolliver, Harper tours the country hiring herself out to families of missing persons. AN ICE COLD GRAVE tells the story of Harper's journey to Doraville, NC to locate the bodies of several missing teenage boys.

This is at once darker and more hopeful than the two previous books in the series. The darkness stems from the subject matter; it turns out the boys have been abducted and murdered by a serial killer. The hopefulness stems from Harper's new start to pull herself out of her own personal darkness. I do think the book is more skillfully done than the two previous books (which were also excellent), and certainly the suspense is top-notch. Sections of the book are as taut as tightly-drawn wire, and are very well done indeed. Those of us who have been in since the beginning also may be very pleased to see that Harper and Tolliver are beginning to re-define their relationship (I certainly am, although I know some may find it hard to understand), and I definitely applaud the realistic way that this is handled. Change may be exciting, but it can't happen all at once, and things always have to be worked out along the way. There are also some very humorous moments... I may never think of HBO the same way again.

I gulped this book down in just a few hours. I'm going to have to go back and savor it now. This is definitely one of my new favorites, and I highly recommend it to fans of Ms. Harris, or anyone who enjoys a good, solid suspense novel. While it can likely stand on its own, if you can, do read the first two books first (GRAVE SIGHT, GRAVE SURPRISE) to get the full flavor.

Harper and Tolliver are building a rep inside the law enforcement community and with it new and harder jobs come their way. Looking for missing boys Harper tumbles on the dump site of a serial killer. The killer resents an outsider spoiling his fun so Harper and Tolliver must unmask the killer before Harper will be safe. A great murder mystery with just a little paranormal thrown in. My only complaint is the legnth, I wanted more.