The first in the Harper Connelly series, this is a quick, intelligent, fun read. Harper has been struck by lightning and because of it, she can find dead bodies. An interesting line of work leads her into a mess in the small town of Sarne where she's been hired. Along with her step brother Tolliver, Harper sets out to find a body and ends up nearly getting herself killed.

Like many of Charlaine Harris' stories, this one is packed with funny characters, an interesting story plot and it's fair share of dry humor. Makes me want to read more in the series.

A Grave Sight is a well-written mystery that surrounds a young woman, Harper Connelly, who has special powers in discerning the location of dead bodies as well as the cause of death. Harper gained these powers after being struck by lightening. She is aided in her pursuits by her stepbrother, Tolliver Lang, who extends empathy and support as needed.

The story of individuals who live through being struck by lightening is such an interesting topic; I had been unaware of the impact such an event can have on an individual. I found the mystery of the murders in this story to be well concealed in that I was not sure who the perpetrator(s) were until very close to the end. There are no red herrings; more like a large list of equally culpable suspects. It is much fun to read. Only one small complaint - the story could have used just a little bit of comic relief, macabre though it might have been, to lighten the grim load that Harper and Tolliver carry and the storyline in general.

I am looking forward to Book 2 in the series, A Grave Surprise.

This author is probably my favorite of the paranormal chick lit sort of genre that I've been introduced to in the last two years; her Sookie Stackhouse books are outstanding, well-written and genuine and fun. I love Sookie's strength and vulnerability, and the way nothing specific defines her; Sookie is a whole person, and the books explore her working life, her family life, her romantic life, her life as a psychic, as a homeowner, as a Southerner -- everything. No one facet is allowed to dominate, and I really like that. So I was excited about reading a whole new character with a whole new power, and exploring another well-rounded life.

I was disappointed. The book wasn't bad, because Harris is just a good writer, but everything I liked about Sookie was lacking from Harper. Her vulnerability was annoying, her strength was haphazard and undefined, her relationships with everyone but her brother were shallow and one-dimensional. The story wasn't enough to carry me through, though it wasn't bad; it had an interesting twist, but the bad guy wasn't set up as bad enough before he started killing, so it felt unbelievable. For Harper, a woman who was struck by lightning and gained the ability to sense the dead and see their last moments, her power, while interesting, barely made an appearance in the story -- she finds the dead people in the town within the first hundred pages, and the rest of the book is sort of about her flailing around the town without much in the way of purpose. She depends on her brother to the point of psychosis, something that I couldn't relate to, and it wasn't explained enough for me to understand. She has a fling with a sheriff's deputy, but since it's basically a one-night stand, there wasn't much point to it.

I didn't feel like there was much point to the whole thing. But maybe I'm being too hard on it. But there are a lot of other books I'm planning on reading before the second book of this series.

I love Sookie so I gave this series a run. It was so painful to keep turning the pages but I finally finished the book. The lead characters are whiney and boring. The relationship between the two was also kind of, gross? I know they are step brother and sister but something is just wrong about their relationship.

Horrible characters and plat.

Harper Connelly was struck by lightening as a child and has ever since been able to sense the dead. She can sense the final location and the final minutes of their life. So not having many other skills, she hires herself out to find missing persons, she see's it as helping, others see it as a way to take advantage of people at their most vulnerable moments.

Harper travels from town to town with her step-brother Tolliver. They have a very strange relationship that left a funny feeling in me. He is supposed to be her bodyguard, but it plays off more incestuous then that. Harper is about 23, but is less than mature and quite incapable of taking care of herself while Tolliver appears to be the knight in shinning armour who saves her from the terrible fate of bad guys and lightening storms.

This story was a bit twisted with Harper traveling to Sarne, Ark, to find the body of a missing girl. Finding the body is no problem, but being able to get back out of town still alive is the real challenge here. Too much seemed to be thrown into this book with who was related to whom and who was dating who and who sleeping with whom. Harpers relationship with the local cop seemed unnecessary and rather unbelievable. The whole book just didn't flow right.

This is the first in the Harper Connolly series, but it left me a bit cold and I don't know if I will continue on.

Harris' hook is different enough to make this series a fun change in the genre. The book was well edited and pretty well written, which gave it at least one of its stars. She did a good job with most of the characters while keeping us in the dark on others (it is a mystery).

My biggest problem was with the semi-siblings. Their relationship and dialog was way, way too sappy! I hope they become more "real" in the future.

I'll read at least one more.

Unlike the lead characters in Ms. Harris' other books, Harper is somewhat passive. I found the characters believable and interesting, but I can understand how others who have read the book found them annoying or a bit dull.

The story is quite dark, like the later Sookie Stackhouse plots.

Maybe not for everyone, but I am glad I jumped into this paranormal series.

Harper Connelly was struck by lightning as a teenager, and besides a weakness in her right leg and a paralyzing fear of storms, she has one other side effect: she can tell how a person died. Creepy as that sounds, Harper has made the best of the situation by deciding to use her "gift" to help those in need of answers. She and her stepbrother Tolliver travel to appointments where Harper can give her information and move on quickly, hoping to leave both the town and their abusive past behind. Unfortunately, in the little town of Sarne, Arkansas, neither the dead nor the living will let go.

This is the first installment in Charlaine Harris's series featuring Harper's unique ability, and unlike Harris's Southern Vampire Mystery series, this one is decidedly darker in tone. Harper is a fragile soul and her reliance on her stepbrother is at times almost a bit odd. The mystery that Harper and Tolliver find themselves caught up in is fairly transparent and has a few sizeable holes. I did enjoy the characters but felt that more actual background, rather than generalities, would have helped me to understand them more and would have given them more depth. However, Harris has a very readable, engaging style, and I found the storyline picking up as the book moved along. The preview for the next title in the series certainly left me intrigued enough to want to move forward. This one can be recommended for those who are fans of Ms. Harris's and enjoy some paranormal elements in their mysteries.

Harper Connelly sees dead people.

Okay, that's not, strictly speaking, true. She doesn't see them so much as sense them. Harper was hit by lightning when she was 15 and since then she can sense dead people. That's how she makes her living, finding dead people. Usually murder victims, but sometimes not.

In "Grave Sight," Harper is in Sarne, AR to find the body of a local dead girl. It seems straightforward enough but it isn't. Harper, along with her brother Tolliver, are drawn into a web of small-town connections and drama. People are hostile to Harper, nearly as a matter of course, since they don't "approve" of her abilities.

I thought this book was probably the very first written by Charlaine Harris. I'm not sure that's true but it starts out stiffly and doesn't improve much, in terms of writing style. The story is good and I know CH has potential, so I stuck with it. I will probably read at least the next in the series and see if it improves.

Charlaine Harris has such a fun, light style of writing. If you like her Sookie Stackhouse novels because of their wit and sarcasm as well as their creatures, then you can read the Harper Connelly books for dessert. So, grab a couple scoops of frozen Cool Whip, and settle down in your favorite chair, and prepare to enjoy a slightly altered reality for a couple hours.
FYI, for such a quick read, Charlaine provides superior character development and sound geographical references. And if you read with an open mind, she finds a way to poke fun at all the bigots in the world, without offending anyone in particular.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I will certainly be reading the follow-up books.

i loved this book. I don't think I ever read any other book as fast as I read this one. I just couldn't put it down. The story and characters were very interesting and so different than anything else I've read. Great job. I've already started reading the 2nd book Grave Surprise. I just can't get enough of Harper.

Harper Connelly has a unique gift; she can feel/find dead people. She can locate a dead body, if given a general location of their where abouts, then she gets a buzzing in her body that leads her to the deceased. She can tell you how they died, heart attack, old age, murder, she just can't tell you if they died, whodunit.

Harper's stepbrother Tolliver is her constant companion due to Harper's special gift and needs. Together they travel to a town called Sarne to locate the body of a young girl who was believed to have been with her boyfriend when he died. His body has been recovered, but hers hasn't. Usually Harper locates the body and then leaves, ASAP. This time in Sarne obstacles and circumstances keep making it impossible for Harper and Tolliver to leave.

The relationship between the two siblings is a little unusual but once you figure out some of their background and learn more about Harper and her gift you can understand the closeness.

After being introduced this past year to Charlaine Harris I have been enjoying the Southern Vampire series and decided to check out some of her other books. I was not at all disappointed in this book; in fact I enjoyed it tremendously. Charlaine Harris has quickly become one of my favorite authors; her books have an endless supply of amazing entertainment and never leave me unsatisfied. She has, book after book, made me a fan

I am horrible at solving mysteries. I always think I know the who and sometimes the why, but in the end I am always wrong. In this case, I figured out pretty much everything early on, and turned out to right. Now I could attribute my sleuthing excellence to a bizarre alignment of the planets, a phase of the moon, or a stroke of temporary genius, but I am thinking the mystery was just a tad weak. Because of that I gave it 4 stars instead of the 5, although for me knowing didn't ruin any of the story, I still had a fabulous time reading. I can't wait to move on to the next.

This was a very good book. I got pulled in right from the start, as I would expect from Charlaine Harris. If you like her southern vampire novels, you'll probably like this book. Harper connelly sees the last moments of someone's life, and has used this gift to her advantage, though not everyone likes the things she finds. It's definately worth a read. Or two!

If you like murder mysteries, see yourself as an ameteur slueth, and don't mind psychic abilities in book characters - this is a book for you!

She finds dead people and can tell you how they died - were murdered, natural causes, accidents, etc... but not who might have killed them. For that she has to gather clues and have a great deal of good...um OK often BAD ... luck to figure it out.

I enjoy a true mystery that is not sooo foreshadowed that you can figure out the end by the third chapter, don't you? That is why I really liked this book because it kept ya guessing! There are soooo many people that could be the killer and the clues point you one way then the other.

And yes, this is a series, but it isn't the type of series that leaves you hanging in the middle of the action and then you have to wait for the next book - NOPE - the book actually ends! You know that Harper has more mysteries to solve scheduled in the future, but this case does end with this book. But it leaves you wanting to follow her future adventures --- I know I am reading the next book - A grave surprise - for sure.

"Grave Sight" is a murder mystery novel, with one small fantasy twist -- the main character has a psychic ability that tells her the cause of death when near any corpse. The setting is modern day, the victims a teenage couple, and the "detectives" the psychic and her step brother, who are investigate reluctantly.

Overall, this novel is nicely written, enjoyable, entertaining, and closes nicely. On the other hand . . . the mood is pessimistic and glum; the pshychic and her brother actively seek one night stands with complete strangers (which grosses me out); the psychic spends way too much time feeling sorry for herself; and the third quarter drags on a bit. Still, I enjoyed it and I'll read the sequel.

I really like Charlaine Harris as an author. This is my second book that I have read of hers. They are mystery with a little bit of paranormal. Just my kind of book! She doesn't put in a lot of filler descriptive words which I like. It holds your interest all the way through. I recommend this book and Grave Surprise.

Grave Sight(2005)

I bought this book for my wife based upon Arthur W. Jordin's excellent review(see below) and then decided to read it myself, first. It's an excellent book, if you enjoy the TV shows Bones, House and others like them which my wife does you'll enjoy this book. It isn't War and Peace, but it is light enjoyable reading. I didn't particularly like War and Peace anyhow. I think it was all those Russian names.


Gunner June, 2007

Okay I was fooled into getting this book by a person I know and it wasnt what I expected. For people who have read her other series please do not think that this book follows the sames lines or even the humor in this series. If you like mystery with a touch of suspense than this for you. Harper has powers that allows her to see death seeing as she was hit by lightening when she was younger. All in all it has good characters and a solid plot but for those as I said looking for another Sookie go elsewhere this series is for the mystery at heart readers.

The books that Charlain Harris writes have been ending up on my keeper shelf for years. This new book seems to be keeping right up with her older series for entertainment value, so if you like your mysteries with a bit of paranormal spice, this one will fit right in. I enjoyed it very much and will be looking for more in the series.

I'm probably only one of two people in the world who isn't a fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series *g* but I was definitely looking forward to reading Charlaine Harris's GRAVE SIGHT. I wasn't disappointed--I think this book is an excellent start to a new series.

Harper and her brother, Tolliver, are both interesting and well-developed characters with the requisite flaws to keep them entertaining. When Harper was a teen-ager, she was struck by lightning--and given an extraordinary gift in the form of the ability to find dead bodies, and relive their last moments of life (i.e. tell how they died). She travels around the country with her brother as her assistant/bodyguard/accountant, traveling to aid whoever has hired her to find the body of a loved one or determine if they met with foul play.

As they travel to the town of Sarne, the bodies start piling up, Harper and Tolliver are suddenly suspects in a murder, and the suspect list just keeps growing and growing. The outcome was definitely, at least to me, unexpected, and I thoroughly enjoyed this beginning of Ms. Harris's new series.

The only small problem I had with the book was it's verrrrry slow-moving pace. I felt like the whole book could have been told in about 100 less pages, but it might just be that I was feeling in a hurry. =)

Overall, GRAVE SIGHT was a dark, brooding, suspenseful read--just the kind I like!

Harper Cornell has an unusual gift. Corpses 'speak' to her and tell her how they died. Traveling the country with her best friend, stepbrother Tolliver, she uses her gift to make money.

Initially I didn't like Harper. The author almost went too far to make sure we feel sorry for her: she was struck by lightning as a child, she has several physical ailments, her parents drank, her mother tried to pimp her out when she was a teenager, the world doesn't like her, doesn't understand her, and believes she is a kook, she has an abducted sibling, her sisters hate her, she had trouble in highschool, etc. Its almost a little much. But if you can ignore this obvious play to get us to feel sorry for her, I actually began to like this book. Harper is a tough, determined character. She has none of Sookie's airiness and I prefer it that way.

Parts of the story were not to my liking, though: Such as: I found Tolliver to be a bit of an idiot. I felt he was mooching off of Harper, even though we hear every five minutes how much harper *needs* him. I felt at points the relationship was co-dependant and unhealthy. Also, I didn't find Tolliver (long hair and moustache) to be that sexy. I kept imaging this tall greasy guy with black hair, moustache and bad skin. Yuk.

Overall, an enjoyable read, but I wouldn't call this a romance or a 'humorous' book. Its pretty dark even if its not explicit. 4 stars.

Harper Connelly has many problems that she needs to deal with on a day to day basis but is a big believer in that when the world hands you lemons, you make yourself some lemonade. Harper and her step-brother Tolliver earn their living from Harper's ability to seek the dead, a "gift" she received as a result of being struck by lightning when she was young. It may not please everyone that the two profit from death as such, but Harper knows that the newly bereaved aren't always in the right place to be appreciative of her services. Drawn to where the dead lay, and receiving mental images of what brought them to their death is the limit of what Harper provides for her fee. It is never her wish to be drawn into what comes after, but on this latest job, it's unavoidable.

The small community of Sarne in the Ozarks had accepted that one of the town's finest sons committed suicide out in the wilderness but there was still the question as to what became of his girlfriend, supposedly in his company that day. Harper locates the body of the missing girl and delivers to the disbelieving family the news that both Dell Teague and Teenie Hopkins were murdered. Sarne's small-minded sheriff and suspicious townsfolk turn on Harper and Tolliver, something they are sadly used to but not to this extent. There is hate and there is pain in all the relationships the two come across in this town, and they are sure that most of the hostility being shown to them emanates from the direction of whoever killed them. Dell and Teenie's killers still walk amongst their families and friends, a fact not lost on anyone involved.

Harris has written an edgy little novel with numerous undercurrents running through that unsettle and have the reader rising more than a few questions of their own. No great pains have been taken with creating a plot of any intricacy but there is value in the strength of the stifling, flat-eyed air of menace that pervades throughout the whole read. It's easy to visualize the whole town and walls closing in on the two interlopers, who stand out in a crowd for other reasons than Harper's psychic connections to the dead.

The narrative here is terse and unfriendly which suits perfectly both the characters and the oily facade of prosperity and normality that the town of Sarne, Arkansas is trying so desperately to project. There isn't much to like in Harper's character, and her relationship with her step-brother doesn't sit comfortably either. Harper does however come across as talented and damaged (always interesting); always keeping something of her true self in check, even given that this novel has been written in the first-person narrative. As common with a series read and a first entry at that, there are the threads of possible future plot lines in GRAVE SIGHT to compel the reader to seek out the next book.

Author Charlaine Harris has written two other novels in the Harper Connelly series: GRAVE SIGHT (2005) and ICE COLD GRAVE (due for release September 2007). Harris is best known for her Southern Vampire (Sookie Stackhouse) novels and has written two other series, as well as several standalone works and short story collections.

Grave Sight (2005) is the first fantasy novel in the Harper Connelly series. Harper was struck by lightning as a girl and after that she was able to sense the presence of bodies. When she is close enough to the body, she also relives the death experience.

In this novel, Harper and her stepbrother, Tolliver Lang, have come to Sarne -- a small town in the Ozarks -- to find a body. Dell Teague, a teenage boy, had been found dead six months ago, but his girlfriend Monteen Hopkins had not been missed until the next day and the body still hasn't been found. Dell's mother, Sybil Teague, hires Harper to find the missing girl.

Harper finds Teeny's body and faints from the shock of reliving the youngster's murder. Then Harper and Tolliver have to stay in Sarne awaiting confirmation of identity by the state police lab before being paid. Harper finds out more about Teeny and Dell and even meets Helen Hopkins, Monteen's mother.

Harper also meets a friendly policeman, Hollis Boxleitner, who had been married to Teeny's sister. Sally Boxleitner had died before Teeny and Harper soon finds out that she too had been murdered. Then Helen is also murdered.

In this story, the common people of Sarne are generally hospitable, but Sheriff Harvey Bransom is very hostile. His widowed sister Sybil and her lawyer Paul Edwards seem to be more antsy than usual. Other people associated with the principals are even more hostile than the sheriff. And then there are the state police investigators.

Harper has a continuing problem with people who believe that her ability to find the dead is fraudulent or downright weird. Some even believe her to be an agent of the devil. She has been stoned as a witch and once she barely escaped from a mob. She suffers from a bad case of kill the messenger.

Having this talent has made her life more difficult. Yet she also has the consolation of giving closure to the relatives of missing persons. Still, Harper is not always successful in finding the missing bodies, particularly when the victim has been taken far away from the scene of the crime. Her own sister is one such case.

Harper and Tolliver are very close. Although they came from different families, her mother and his father were married when they were older children. Since these parents were alcoholics and drug users, their children were more neglected than parented. Harper and Tolliver raised their younger siblings with a little help from Mark, Tolliver's older brother.

Having personal experience with such neglected and abused children, I find Harper's backstory to be fairly typical of such cases, even to the children trying to avoid the governmental authorities. Naturally, these two are very protective of -- and dependent upon -- each other.

This story is an unusual variant on the murder mystery. As with the Southern Vampire series, the paranormal element introduces a wild card into the plot. Although Harper's rare talent is powerful, it also has strict limits; for example, she only perceives what the victim sees in the last few moments. Rarely does she know the identity of a killer.

Highly recommended for Harris fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of mysterious murders, exceptional talents and unusual persons.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Grave Sight (2005) is the first fantasy novel in the Harper Connelly series. Harper was struck by lightning as a girl and after that she was able to sense the presence of bodies. When she is close enough to the body, she also relives the death experience.

In this novel, Harper and her stepbrother, Tolliver Lang, have come to Sarne -- a small town in the Ozarks -- to find a body. Dell Teague, a teenage boy, had been found dead six months ago, but his girlfriend Monteen Hopkins had not been missed until the next day and the body still hasn't been found. Dell's mother, Sybil Teague, hires Harper to find the missing girl.

Harper finds Teeny's body and faints from the shock of reliving the youngster's murder. Then Harper and Tolliver have to stay in Sarne awaiting confirmation of identity by the state police lab before being paid. Harper finds out more about Teeny and Dell and even meets Helen Hopkins, Monteen's mother.

Harper also meets a friendly policeman, Hollis Boxleitner, who had been married to Teeny's sister. Sally Boxleitner had died before Teeny and Harper soon finds out that she too had been murdered. Then Helen is murdered.

In this story, the common people of Sarne are generally hospitable, but Sheriff Harvey Bransom is very hostile. His widowed sister Sybil and her lawyer Paul Edwards seem to be more antsy than usual. Other people associated with the principals are even more hostile than the sheriff. And then there are the state police investigators.

Harper has a continuing problem with people who believe that her ability to find the dead is downright weird. Some even believe her to be an agent of the devil. She has been stoned as a witch and once she barely escaped from a mob. She suffers from a bad case of kill the messenger.

Having this talent has made her life more difficult. Yet she also has the consolation of giving closure to the relatives of missing persons. Still, Harper is not always successful in finding the missing bodies, particularly when the victim has been taken far away from the scene. Her own sister is one such case.

Harper and Tolliver are very close. Although they came from different families, her mother and his father were married when they were older children. Since these parents were alcoholics and drug users, their children were more neglected than parented. Harper and Tolliver raised their younger siblings with a little help from Mark, Tolliver's older brother.

Having personal experience with such neglected and abused children, I find Harper's backstory to be fairly typical of such cases, even to the children trying to avoid the government authorities. Naturally, these two are very protective of -- and dependent upon -- each other.

This story is an unusual variant on the murder mystery. As with the Southern Vampire series, the paranormal element introduces a wild card into the plot. Although Harper's rare talent is powerful, it also has strict limits; for example, she only perceives what the victim sees in the last few moments. Rarely does she know the identity of a killer.

Highly recommended for Harris fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of mysterious murders, exceptional talents and unusual persons.

-Arthur W. Jordin

This was the first Harper story I read and it was dull. I enjoyed the Sookie story series. I won't be buying any more stories with this character. She just bored me and was pretty pathetic.

After partaking of the first books in both the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire series and the Harper Connelly series (Grave Sight & Grave Surprise), I have to say I prefer Harper and her brother Tolliver to Sookie and her friends. The Sookie series is much lighter fare with humor abounding. Her exploits revolve around her ability to read the minds of the living and her involvement with vampires who have 'recently come out of the coffin' and are now living in her hometown of Bon Temps. Harper, whose job it is to wander the country with her brother Tolliver reading the minds of dead folks, often encounters prejudice, disbelief and violence on the part of those who've hired her to find out how and why their loved ones have died. In my mind, the big difference between these series is that the Sookie Stackhouse novels put more emphasis on romance with a side order of mystery. The Harper Connelly novels are mysteries with a little dash of romance to season the storyline. Many of the negative reviews here seem to be from Sookie fans who don't like the path Ms. Harris has taken in the Harper novels. I think it's fine that she's begun writing books that may interest a different audience.

After partaking of the first books in both the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire series and the Harper Connelly series (Grave Sight & Grave Surprise), I have to say I prefer Harper and her brother Tolliver to Sookie and her friends. The Sookie series is much lighter fare with humor abounding. Her exploits revolve around her ability to read the minds of the living and her involvement with vampires who have 'recently come out of the coffin' and are now living in her hometown of Bon Temps. Harper, whose job it is to wander the country with her brother Tolliver reading the minds of dead folks, often encounters prejudice, disbelief and violence on the part of those who've hired her to find out how and why their loved ones have died. In my mind, the big difference between these series is that the Sookie Stackhouse novels put more emphasis on romance with a side order of mystery. The Harper Connelly novels are mysteries with a little dash of romance to season the storyline. Many of the negative reviews here seem to be from Sookie fans who don't like the path Ms. Harris has taken in the Harper novels. I think it's fine that she's begun writing books that may interest a different audience.

As a avid fan of Charlaine Harris, I grabbed this book and looked forward to being entertained. Well, yes I enjoyed the book; however, the story wasn't as adhesive as her novels usually are. This is understandable as she is beginning a new series, but I hope the sequel has more substance to it. Her characters are well shaped; but repeating the same ground very times was irrating. While I was disappointed by several parts of the story, I eagerly look forward to the sequel and hope Ms Harris is back to her old self next time.

Charlaine Harris is a gifted writer, plain and simple. Her Sookie Stackhouse vampire novels have kept me well entertained, while my wife enjoys Harris's more straightforward mysteries. Now, this talented imagination has conjured up a new kind of heroine who straddles the line between mystery and contemporary fantasy: Harper Connelly.

Harper is no action hero. She's not a brilliant detective or slayer of evil. She has no supernatural origins, nor does she have a relationship with any kind of undead creature. No, Harper's world is largely mundane, with one major difference. Ever since she was struck by lightning, she's been afraid of thunderstorms, she is weak in one leg ... and she can sense the location and final moments of the dead. That makes her a valuable commodity to those seeking answers, closure for a loss or the location of a missing (presumed dead) loved one. It also makes her somewhat unclean in the eyes of many, a ghoul who makes her living off the dead and, quite often, supplies answers no one is eager to hear. Still, she travels with her stepbrother, Tolliver Lang, and does what good she can -- for a profit -- without getting too involved in the lives (or deaths) of those she encounters.

But then she and Tolliver roll into Sarne, a small town in the Arkansas Ozarks with a few big secrets. The job seems easy at first, just find a missing teenage girl. But answers to one disappearance lead to further questions about other deaths, and soon the siblings are wrapped up in a criminal case that could cost Harper her professional reputation -- or even her life.

Harper is a darker protagonist than Sookie, and the tone of the book is more serious; there is humor, but it's painted with a much lighter brush. Also, while Harper's "power" is certainly fantastic, the novel otherwise is entirely grounded in reality. The characters, major and minor, seem so damn real, it's hard to believe they were just invented for this book.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(n e t) editor

I read this because I like the Southern Vampire Series. This is totally different. The characters are unique. The feel of the book is more serious. But different is good and I enjoyed it. The characters are well created but with room for development. The concept of being able to see how people died is believably presented yet leaves enough unknown so that plots can develop. I'm looking forward to reading the next.

OK- I gave this new series by Harris a chance as I LOVE her Sookie Stackhouse series and I was surprised to really like Harper. I don't read mysteries - I'm into Sookie for the Vamps, YUM! - but Harper has depth and dark soul that appeal to me. Well written, I'll be sure to read the rest of Harper's books.

This is a paranormal mystery.

The sleuths are a "brother sister" pair - she can talk to the dead, he protects her from the world.

Once again, Harris brings us a real-life heroine, despite her gift/handicap. She's strong in some ways, but horribly flawed in others. She runs to keep herself fit, yet is scared of thunderstorms. She reads all the time, but hasn't a memory for jeopardy details. She's a woman you might know, but of course, you don't.

Ms. Harris tells the story of Harper and Tolliver with the same gift she brings to all of her books. They are live, gritty people in a live, gritty world. They find humor in the strangest places, much as anyone would.

The lower rating is for the story itself. I found the criminals frustrating, the story itself was almost disturbing (not in an "Along Came A Spider" kind of way) in the offhand manner in which people killed others. The basic plot loses that grip of gritty realism that often lies just below the fantasy of Ms. Harris's stories.

This was not as entertaining as Sookie, and not as riveting as the Shakespeare opener, but is a good read anyway! If only it didn't basically say at the end... read the next book (I always subtract a star from my ratins for obvious sequel plugs).

(*)>

I love Charlaine Harris so this was a no-brainer. She is great and so are her stories. Keep them coming!

This new series by Charlaine Harris does not disapoint. Harper and her stepbrother live a very unusual lifestyle. When Harper was struck by lightenig it gave her the ability to feel when a dead body was near and to tell exactly how that person died. Since her gift has also made her extremely afraid of thunderstorms and a little on the fragile side in terms of temperment her stepbrother has taken over as her business manager and protector. They make a living by offering Harper's talents to anyone that needs to find a missing person that is believed dead. Sometimes Harper doesn't find what she is looking for, but instead turns up the unexpected and because her talent is often thought of as a hoax they can find themselves as the suspects. This first novel leaves you wanting to learn more about this unlikely team. Charlaine Harris does it again, a satisfying read with just enough paranormal intrigue and mystery to leave you wanting more.

I love every book I've read by Charlaine Harris and this one is no exception. The only reason I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 is that it was too short. The book wrapped up everything completely... it's just it took me about 4 hrs to read and I wanted more!

Coming with great enthusiasm from the sookie books, I was hoping to find an equally as good series to start reading. Although the book is well-written and interesting to those who enjoy this stuff,this genre just doesn't do it for me. It's more detective story than I expected, and it was slow-goin' for me. This Sookie fan was disappointed. P.S.- there is nothing romantic about this book. At all. And no sexual tension between the two main characters.

Charlaine Harris brings realism to her characters that make you care and want to know more about them. I look forward to the next book.

Standard whodunit with dismal characters in a dismal setting. Although the premise of the protaganist being able to sense corpses is interesting, she is a lackluster heroine. The book completely lacks the charm, wit, and whimsy of the Southern Vampire series.

When Harper Connelly was a teen she was struck by lightening, ever since she has been able to find dead people and determine how they died. Harper along with her step brother Tolliver travel around the country to help families and the police find their missing loved ones.

Grave Sight leads Harper and Tolliver to a small town in Arkansas to look for a missing teenager. What the encounter is the usual bias and skepticism for Harper's and gift and the unusual fact that someone is trying to stop Harper from finding the teenager at all costs.

Fans of Harris' Sookie Stackhouse will appreciate this new series and find the paranormal mystery quite entertaining and good. Mystery fans may find it quite easy to figure out who the culprit is but will still be able to enjoy Harper's unusual talents. This is a great start for a new series.

OK, OK, I recognize futility when I see it and 80 plus reviews are a substantial number for this book. But I could not let the injustice go of less than 4 stars! Come on, what are you all reading? This novel excellently blends the top three genres in mass market writing today (paranormal, romance, and mystery) with a plot rich in both brains and heart. The mystery is well written with enough clues to keep you intrigued right to the end. And the romance!!!--it was light on sensuality but very touching and poignant bringing together the best of two people who found each other and then....As soon as I finished this one I went out and got the second one and it promises to be a goodie too. Take a risk and you will be rewarded.

I enjoy reading Charlaine Harris at different times in my life. Her books are good light entertaining fare but she missed the mark on her new series featuring Harper Connelly. As stated in the synopsis she was hit by lightning which gave her the ability to locate corpses and know their last moments on earth. The idea of the book is brilliant but Harper and her step-brother Tolliver just don't pull the reader into their world. Harper is semi-likeable whereas Tolliver is likeable but he's not the main character here. Of course, by reading the book we all understand Harper has had a tough life. By choosing to get paid for what she does (find corpses), her life has only become tougher. Still there is something about her that put me off. It's not her abilities so much as her attitude. She has a lot of neurosis and she is always on guard and unfriendly. She doesn't seem to enjoy her work all that much.

In this book they go to a small town in Arkansas named Sarne. This town has the nastiest people in the world living in it. Very few, if any, in this town have any redeeming qualities. If it were not a fictional place I would advise getting rid of it and its inhabitants.

I still think Charlaine Harris is a talented writer but she can do much better than this book. It lacks humor, which I usually love in Harris's works, and it is especially dark. The mystery part of the story is intriguing and Harris does a good job not giving it away before the end. In fact the mystery aspect of the book is the reason I gave this a 3; however, I would not recommend that anyone who has not previously read Harris start with this book. Her other series are by far superior.

By now you know the lead in the story, Harper, was struck by lightening as a teen and can now sense the dead, along with a flash of how they died. She and her stepbrother, Tolliver, travel around using this talent to locate the deceased for their families/friends/law enforcement. For whatever reason, Publisher's Weekly states "her stepbrother, Tolliver, who acts as her manager and bodyguard and with whom she shares a thinly disguised physical attraction that they manage to keep at bay by engaging in casual sex with various partners." There was absolutely no sexual tension, disguised or otherwise, between the two siblings and I don't know why this statement was even made unless in the next book something comes up.

Anyway, they travel to an Arkansas town and locate a missing teenager, find out about several previously unknown murders, and get sucked into the nastiness of small town corruption. The characters, particularly Harper and Tolliver, are interesting if not well fleshed out. Being a voracious reader of Charlaine Harris I was suprised at the somber tone of this book. I'm used to a bit of humor in her writing but this book is (you'll pardon me for saying) deadly serious.

Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised as the last Sookie book was a lot darker than the previous ones. Maybe this is the direction in which she is now choosing to go.

An interesting book, well worth the read.

I wanted more supernatural development. This is an above average mystery novel with some extra-natural plot.

I am a fan of Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series and when this new series finally came into paperback I thought I would give it a try. This was my first strictly mystery novel. It wasn't a bad start either. I may have been basing my opinion on her previous work with vampires and since I love vampires thats why I only gave the book 4 stars.

Harper was struck by lightning when she was a teenager and after surviving the incident she gained a special talent. She is able to see how people died. When she stands near a dead body she is able to see how that person died, but in her case she is unable to see the murderer. Although not everyone is found of her special talent. Her and her stepbrother Tolliver travel the country getting calls to towns to see how a certain someone died, but then they usually have to run for it because after Harper performs her services, the customers react badly and think Harper is evil and all that stuff.

So when Harper and Tolliver go to Sarne to find the body of a missing girl they get more then they bargained for. After discovering that there were previous deaths of people who were connected to the missing girl things get really bad. After Harper finds the body, the mother of the girl is murdered. Now Harper and her brother are unable to leave town because the sheriff and the rest of the deputies are looking at Harper and Tolliver for the murder.

To top it off Harper is getting close with one of the deputies, who's wife who was murdered awhile back and who was the sister and daughter of the girl and mother who died.

The plot is a little slow, but that's typically how mysteries go. At the end(which I don't want to spoil for you), everything gets tied together and you may have a hard time following it because there's more than one murderer.

Overall the book is good, a lot different than the Soutern Vampire series' mysteries, but its still a good read. There isn't really any supernatural connections despite how it may seem. Good book though, buy it in paperback if you want to give it a try!

Harper Connelly was struck by lightening when she was 15, she now has the power to find dead people. If there is a dead body nearby she can find it. Both Harper and her step-brother Tolliver travel around and find missing people, usually dead. She can't find the living only the dead. Coming from a very disfunctional family they are also searching for their lost sister, Cameron.

Tolliver is a protective brother type. I kept wondering why they don't feel more than sybling love for each other. Maybe they do and just don't know it. Any way Harper is slightly needy and he takes care of her.

This is a dark mystery and not quite what I expected after her other novels. Very few of these characters are likeable, Harper and Tolliver seem to just be led about by the need for their services. They are in town to find the body of a young girl who is believed to be a part of a murder/suicide. It turns out there are several murders and one happens while they are in town.

I really feel this should have 3 and 1/2 stars. It is better than O K, but not good enough for I liked it. IT is somewhere in the middle.

As I said this is a dark book but I did not find any humor in it. The only reason I would buy the next one is to see if a romance developes between the main characters. There is a very good mystery and I did have to get to the end and find out what was going on.

I was somewhat disappointed but this series may become better as we go along. Ms Harris is a talented author and I am willing to give her another chance.

This book lacks the supernatural element in the Sookie books, but it was still a very driven mystery. I enjoyed it, but I felt the ending was too predictable. I didn't feel any real buildup in suspense. I enjoyed learning about Harper and Tolliver more than the acutual mystery. I would definitely recommend this book to any fan of Charlaine Harris.

I like Charlaine Harris in her darker mood. This book will probably appeal to fans of her Lily Bard series rather than her Teagarden series. The heroine is pretty screwed up and the power she has is not a comfortable one.

If you are looking for a cozy it isn't here. If you are looking for a romance it isn't here either although she does make a connection. a connection that showes just how uncomfortable relationships can be for someone with her ability.

The second book in the series is already out as I write this.

i love Harris's Sookie Stackhouse seris so i gave this a try and i loved it. it was fast paced and full of mystery. i love Harris's writing stlye and her chracters. she tied things up real nice at the end. i recomend for a good weekend read.