Helpful Score: 26
What an interesting story! Harper Connelly, after being hit by lightning as a teenager, has the ability, when in the physical presence of a dead body, to communicate with it and see the cause of death. Usually she can also sense the name. She can "feel" the presence of bodies and is called in when they know generally where a body might be. She can usually find it. She can walk through a graveyard, pause at each grave, and recite the cause of death and the name of the person there interred. Amazing stuff.
What makes the book so interesting to me is that as we go along with the character, the ability is not amazing or fantastic or anything like that--it's just a workaday, normal reality for her. She goes from job to job--people hire her to either find bodies or determine causes of death--just doing what she knows how to do. It takes a talented author to sell such a thing, to make it believable and normal, which Charlaine Harris certainly does.
Of course, there are complications in some cases, and this book is about one such. Things don't add up as she finds bodies and causes of death, which are not what the local authorities and the people who hired her expected.
I can't wait for the next book in the series. I like Harris' Sookie Stackhouse vampire series, too, but this isn't just frivolous frippery like those books. There is meat here.
Added later: My wife just finished the book; she, too, gives it a very positive review: "Loved it!"
What makes the book so interesting to me is that as we go along with the character, the ability is not amazing or fantastic or anything like that--it's just a workaday, normal reality for her. She goes from job to job--people hire her to either find bodies or determine causes of death--just doing what she knows how to do. It takes a talented author to sell such a thing, to make it believable and normal, which Charlaine Harris certainly does.
Of course, there are complications in some cases, and this book is about one such. Things don't add up as she finds bodies and causes of death, which are not what the local authorities and the people who hired her expected.
I can't wait for the next book in the series. I like Harris' Sookie Stackhouse vampire series, too, but this isn't just frivolous frippery like those books. There is meat here.
Added later: My wife just finished the book; she, too, gives it a very positive review: "Loved it!"
Helpful Score: 10
Book #1 of a new series featuring Harper, a 20-something woman who can find people who have died and mentally relive the last few moments of their life through their eyes.
Harper and her step-brother/traveling companion both have a no-nonsense approach to her abilities and what is necessary to make her skills minimally socially acceptable. They also exhibit a dry wit and talent for understatement that makes for entertaining reading.
A good mystery with dry humor and likeable characters. I think that I will like this series even better than the Sookie Stackhouse books.
Harper and her step-brother/traveling companion both have a no-nonsense approach to her abilities and what is necessary to make her skills minimally socially acceptable. They also exhibit a dry wit and talent for understatement that makes for entertaining reading.
A good mystery with dry humor and likeable characters. I think that I will like this series even better than the Sookie Stackhouse books.
Charlie M. (bookaddicted) -
Helpful Score: 9
With elements of a cozy but, darker and with a paranormal twist this is a fast paced read. Harper Connelly has the ability to find the dead and see what caused their death after being struck by lightning as a teen. She is called to Arkansas to find a missing teen and opens a snake pit of buried secrets.
Helpful Score: 5
What an interesting story! Harper Connelly, after being hit by lightning as a teenager, has the ability, when in the physical presence of a dead body, to communicate with it and see the cause of death. Usually she can also sense the name. She can "feel" the presence of bodies and is called in when they know generally where a body might be. She can usually find it. She can walk through a graveyard, pause at each grave, and recite the cause of death and the name of the person there interred. Amazing stuff.
What makes the book so interesting to me is that as we go along with the character, the ability is not amazing or fantastic or anything like that--it's just a workaday, normal reality for her. She goes from job to job--people hire her to either find bodies or determine causes of death--just doing what she knows how to do. It takes a talented author to sell such a thing, to make it believable and normal, which Charlaine Harris certainly does.
Of course, there are complications in some cases, and this book is about one such. Things don't add up as she finds bodies and causes of death, which are not what the local authorities and the people who hired expected.
I can't wait for the next book in the series. I like Harris' Sookie Stackhouse vampire series, too, but this isn't just frivolous frippery like those books. There is meat here.
What makes the book so interesting to me is that as we go along with the character, the ability is not amazing or fantastic or anything like that--it's just a workaday, normal reality for her. She goes from job to job--people hire her to either find bodies or determine causes of death--just doing what she knows how to do. It takes a talented author to sell such a thing, to make it believable and normal, which Charlaine Harris certainly does.
Of course, there are complications in some cases, and this book is about one such. Things don't add up as she finds bodies and causes of death, which are not what the local authorities and the people who hired expected.
I can't wait for the next book in the series. I like Harris' Sookie Stackhouse vampire series, too, but this isn't just frivolous frippery like those books. There is meat here.
Helpful Score: 3
This is the 1st Charlaine Harris book I read. I can definitely can see why so many people read her books. This story can take you away in just a few lines. Easy to get into and follow.
No vampires in this this one. I am pleased about that. But a mystery that will keep you guessing! A very enjoyable read!
No vampires in this this one. I am pleased about that. But a mystery that will keep you guessing! A very enjoyable read!
Helpful Score: 3
I really enjoyed this book. It is a very light read that doesn't give a lot of unnecessary details. The characters Harper and Tolliver are very likeable, with their own personal conflicts. All in all a good book that I would recommend as a quick and easy read.
Helpful Score: 3
I was enticed to read Grave Sight because I adore author Charlaine Harris' better-known Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire series, and hoped the fun might extend into Harris' new heroine, Harper Connelly. I don't seek out mysteries as a general rule, but I like Harris' characters and flip dialogue so much, I thought I'd give it a try.
I wasn't disappointed, but I didn't love it as much as her other series. Harper Connelly is a unique kind of private investigator -- after being struck by lightning as a teenager, she can now sense the location of dead bodies and see their last moments on earth. Her first adventure takes place in a small Ozark town where a young girl has been murdered, and the strange tale of her demise. Of course, since its a mystery, lots of twists and turns abound.
It's fun stuff, but I didn't leave the book with the "gotta get my hands on the next installment" feeling that I felt when Sookie's story was over. I will be seeking out Grave Suprise (book 2) but I don't have to make a special trip to Borders today to track it down in a frenzy.
I wasn't disappointed, but I didn't love it as much as her other series. Harper Connelly is a unique kind of private investigator -- after being struck by lightning as a teenager, she can now sense the location of dead bodies and see their last moments on earth. Her first adventure takes place in a small Ozark town where a young girl has been murdered, and the strange tale of her demise. Of course, since its a mystery, lots of twists and turns abound.
It's fun stuff, but I didn't leave the book with the "gotta get my hands on the next installment" feeling that I felt when Sookie's story was over. I will be seeking out Grave Suprise (book 2) but I don't have to make a special trip to Borders today to track it down in a frenzy.
Helpful Score: 3
So I picked up this book while waiting for the next Sookie Stackhouse book since i like Charlaine Harris's writing and was hoping for it to be as fun to read. I have to say, it wasn't so much. I was unmotivated to read it; I found myself kind of forcing myself to finish the book. But I did finish and it was just all right to me. Hopefully this series gets better.
Helpful Score: 2
This is a fast, easy, fun read that keeps you moving quickly through the story. The characters are true to life and humor lightens the subject of "finding dead people." Altogether a very good read.
Helpful Score: 2
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 âGrave Sight,â 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 âapproveâ 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.
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 âGrave Sight,â 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 âapproveâ 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.
Helpful Score: 2
This is an excellent start to this set. Looking forward to reading the rest. This is my Second Set i have read by her
Helpful Score: 2
In the beginning I did not like the characters, in fact I am still not sure that I do. The main character is so wimpy, but guess getting hit by lighting will do that to you. It was an interesting read (very different) Am willing to read book 2 in the series
Helpful Score: 2
This is the first book of Harris' I've read and I am impressed. Great story.
Helpful Score: 2
Book #1 in the new Harper Connely Mystery series by Charlaine Harris (Southern Vampires author).
Ever since Harper Connelly survived a zap from a lightning bolt, she's been able to find dead people, a skill that makes the protagonist in the first installment of Harris's new series a tad more bizarre than the mind-reading heroine of the author's Sookie Stackhouse books (Dead as a Doornail, etc.). Harper travels to the Ozark town of Sarne, Ark., to find a missing teenage girl's body, accompanied by 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. Finding the body takes no time at all, but leaving town afterward isn't so easy. When Harper's life is threatened and Tolliver ends up in jail on trumped-up charges, it quickly becomes apparent that something sinister is going on in Sarne. Harris delivers a knuckle-gnawing tale populated with well-developed, albeit edgy characters. A nifty puzzle toward the end will challenge the most jaded mystery buffs.
Ever since Harper Connelly survived a zap from a lightning bolt, she's been able to find dead people, a skill that makes the protagonist in the first installment of Harris's new series a tad more bizarre than the mind-reading heroine of the author's Sookie Stackhouse books (Dead as a Doornail, etc.). Harper travels to the Ozark town of Sarne, Ark., to find a missing teenage girl's body, accompanied by 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. Finding the body takes no time at all, but leaving town afterward isn't so easy. When Harper's life is threatened and Tolliver ends up in jail on trumped-up charges, it quickly becomes apparent that something sinister is going on in Sarne. Harris delivers a knuckle-gnawing tale populated with well-developed, albeit edgy characters. A nifty puzzle toward the end will challenge the most jaded mystery buffs.
Helpful Score: 2
Another unique, troubled and utterly compelling heroine. Paranormanl elements creepy.
Very different from the Sookie Stackhouse Series.
Very different from the Sookie Stackhouse Series.
Helpful Score: 2
By the author of the Southern Vampire series, Lily Bard Shakespeare and Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, a new supernatural series.
Harper can see what happened to the dead. How they died...which makes most people creeped out. They think that she's cashing in on tragedy or that she only knows details because she had something to do with their demise.
A good read though I do like the author's Vampire and Lily Bard series better. Its pretty good but just not quite as engaging...great to try but not a keeper. I will read the next book in the series though, Grave Surprise.
Harper can see what happened to the dead. How they died...which makes most people creeped out. They think that she's cashing in on tragedy or that she only knows details because she had something to do with their demise.
A good read though I do like the author's Vampire and Lily Bard series better. Its pretty good but just not quite as engaging...great to try but not a keeper. I will read the next book in the series though, Grave Surprise.
Helpful Score: 2
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed Charlaine Harris as an author, so i thought I would check out this series, the Harper Connelly Mystery series.
Harper and her step-brother Tolliver, travel around using Harpers unique gift to solve mystery's. At the age of fifteen, Harper was struck by lightening in her bathroom, and when she survived, she was left being able to find dead people. Not only can she find them, but she "sees" the last moments, telling her their cause of death, but she is not able to see who did it.
The people Harper and Tolliver met on their travels are mixed, some see her gift as a curse some a blessing, some like it and other hate her for it, but then again, what else would you expect of people. Some people are more open minded and open to things of this nature, and others, who don't understand it, just aren't willing to accept it.
Harper has been called to a small town Sarne to find a missing girl. Her boyfriend at the time was found dead in a field, and no one realized that she might be with him for a number of days. His death was ruled a suicide. Walking the field, Harper was able to tell them where the girl was and how she died, and the fact that the boyfriend most definitely did not kill himself. Her job done, she was ready to move on, only to be called back to Sarne. Harper finds herself having to solve the mystery of what is going on, why these deaths and what secret all these people held in order to get herself and her brother free of Sarne so that they can move on.
I found the book well-written and enjoyable. I wanted to get to know Tolliver and Harper more, to learn about them, in fact I found myself feeling for Harper, rough life add a strange gift, and it can be lonely, and I wanted her to find happiness. It was such a draw, and I found I wanted to journey with them, learn more about them, even fight for Harper.
Can't wait to gt ahold of the second book and continue learning about them.
View all my reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I'm not really a mystery kind of girl but I found this book hard to put down. The main characters are really endearing and I found myself angry on their behalf more than once. Charlene Harris is a wonderful author and this book shows off her skills in the best way. It was a quick read and engrossing from cover to cover. I highly recommend you add it to your to be read pile.
Helpful Score: 2
Eh, it was ok. I didn't really like the main character (she was whiny and entitled) and the mystery wasn't that mysterious. Not my favorite book by this author.
Helpful Score: 2
I really enjoyed this book. The charachter is quite quirky(as with a lot of Charlaine Harris charachters). I really enjoyed with the way she handled herself in the story. Her gift made her quite interesting also. I found this a very quick read and enjoyed it.
Helpful Score: 2
Harper and Tollier are experts at something - but no one seems to know quite what. She claims she can find dead people, and her stepbrother comes along as agent and bodyguard. No one believes them but they still get called in - because they get results. I like Harris' other two series, but I have some reservations about this series debut.
Helpful Score: 2
Grave Sight is the first in the Harper Connelly series by Charlaine Harris.
After being hit by lightening at an early age Harper has a talent at locating a dead body if the general area is known. She can also tell how they died. This doesn't make her very much liked by both sceptics (who think she preys on the weak) and by those who hire her (because they don't always like the truth that comes out).
New spin on murder mysteries and worth a read. The murderer was someone I guessed at but it wasn't that obvious I think. The writing was absorbing - no troubles where I wanted to put the book down and go do something else, and interesting main characters. Really it's Harper's unusual talent and her life with it, that makes the book so interesting. I couldn't really pinpoint the genre here, it seems to cross a couple of them. There also seems to be a mystery in Harper's past (the abduction of her sister Cameron) which I hope gets more exposure in later books. My only reservation was how almost everyone in Sarne treated Harper and Tolliver badly. It seemed like this small-town, small-minded cliche, and I felt bothered by it. I had a hard time believing that so many people (including the police and city officials) could be so suspicious and rude, and I felt like it gives southerner's a bad name.
After being hit by lightening at an early age Harper has a talent at locating a dead body if the general area is known. She can also tell how they died. This doesn't make her very much liked by both sceptics (who think she preys on the weak) and by those who hire her (because they don't always like the truth that comes out).
New spin on murder mysteries and worth a read. The murderer was someone I guessed at but it wasn't that obvious I think. The writing was absorbing - no troubles where I wanted to put the book down and go do something else, and interesting main characters. Really it's Harper's unusual talent and her life with it, that makes the book so interesting. I couldn't really pinpoint the genre here, it seems to cross a couple of them. There also seems to be a mystery in Harper's past (the abduction of her sister Cameron) which I hope gets more exposure in later books. My only reservation was how almost everyone in Sarne treated Harper and Tolliver badly. It seemed like this small-town, small-minded cliche, and I felt bothered by it. I had a hard time believing that so many people (including the police and city officials) could be so suspicious and rude, and I felt like it gives southerner's a bad name.
Helpful Score: 2
The Sookie Stackhouse series is among my favorites which I'm adding this series to...
Harper is very interesting in what she does and there's funny parts with a few laugh out outs... Yeah Harper is a bit whiny,I think it gives her more character... Not that she really needs more with the ability she has her character is very strong... I like that when she senses a dead body she doesn't freak out, it annoys me when a person with a paranormal ability freaks when they sense something.... Fast read doesn't drag on much...
Harper is very interesting in what she does and there's funny parts with a few laugh out outs... Yeah Harper is a bit whiny,I think it gives her more character... Not that she really needs more with the ability she has her character is very strong... I like that when she senses a dead body she doesn't freak out, it annoys me when a person with a paranormal ability freaks when they sense something.... Fast read doesn't drag on much...
Helpful Score: 1
Many people have loved this book but I could not get into the story line. I love the Sookie Stackhouse books but I would not recommend this series. The characters are unlikable. The story line is blahh.
Helpful Score: 1
Grave Sight is the first of four novels in the Harper Connelly Mysteries by author Charline Harris. The main character Harper Connelly was struck by lighting as a teen and though she survived she gained the ability to feel the location of dead people. She and her step brother Tolliver Lang have gone to Sarne a small town in the Ozark mountains to find the body of a missing teenage girl. They get swept up in a secret, lies, and murder. Harper, still suffering from the trauma of her youth, and the fear of lighting, is forced to stay in the small town trying to find answers to the murders while her brother gets thrown in jail on trumped up charges.
This is the third series I have read from Harris and while I flew through the book and will read the next one, I did not enjoy it as much as the Shakespeare or Dead series. The relationship between Harper and her step brother is strong as the survivors of neglect and abuse; some may even see sexual tension. While I am not much for mysteries this was the first one I have read where I figured it out well before the middle of the book and no twist or turn changed my mind or proved me wrong.
This is the third series I have read from Harris and while I flew through the book and will read the next one, I did not enjoy it as much as the Shakespeare or Dead series. The relationship between Harper and her step brother is strong as the survivors of neglect and abuse; some may even see sexual tension. While I am not much for mysteries this was the first one I have read where I figured it out well before the middle of the book and no twist or turn changed my mind or proved me wrong.
Helpful Score: 1
This is the beginning of what promises to be one of the best series around. Harper Connelly can sense the dead, helping law enforcement and grieving families to bring missing persons cases to a resolution not only by finding them, but by sensing how they died.
This doesn't always set well with the law, who seem to think that Harper may have had something to do with the deaths. And Harper also finds other dead, whom she wasn't even there to find.
This doesn't always set well with the law, who seem to think that Harper may have had something to do with the deaths. And Harper also finds other dead, whom she wasn't even there to find.
Helpful Score: 1
A lot better than I expected. Good mystery with a little paranormal stuff. It isn't like Sookie but very good on its own. I will continue on with the series.
Helpful Score: 1
This was certinly a different book for me. Harper has a very unusual gift, it was an excellent read.
Helpful Score: 1
Really enjoyed this book. It's not sookie funny but its a good paranormal mystery. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Helpful Score: 1
It was a good book, not one I would read over and over (like the Sookie Stackhouse), but worth the read. The character in this book Harper is not as likable as some other characters, but I will be reading at least the next couple in the series.
Helpful Score: 1
Although I absolutely love the True Blood series of books by Charlaine Harris this one has left me wanting. It starts out slow and just doesn't really pick up all that much throughout the rest of the book. The main character doesn't have a major life in this book which just leaves the whole story flat. There is much more that could have been done with this character to liven her and the story up, but alas it wasn't done. Don't think I would recommend this one much, but for avid Harris readers it's worth attempting just to see what else she might be working on.
Helpful Score: 1
Loved it! Kept my interest through the entire novel amd loved the paranormal aspects. I'm a huge fan of Charlaine Harris and the Sookie Stackhouse novels can't wait to read the rest in this series.
Helpful Score: 1
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book. I've read alot of mixed reviews for this series, but I wanted to give it a go and see what I thought for myself. I'm glad I did. Harper Connelly was struck by lightning when she was young, ever since she had been able to sense dead bodies. She finds them, and then she can see their last moments, find out how it was that they died.
Harper gets called to Sarne to find a missing teenage girl, but when she gets there she finds that most in this small town don't want her there at all. So when she finds the girl she plans to get out as quickly as possible. Only problem is, the girl was murdered and there are more dead bodies showing up in town. Harper and her step-brother Tolliver are under suspision from the police and are asked not to leave.
But, someone wants them out bad! And they're gunning for Harper and Tolliver. It looks like this time Harper may have to get involved more than she wants if she's going to get her and her brother out of this little town alive.
Harper is a strange character, she brings up her crappy childhood alot, and after reading it a few times it does get kind of annoying, but she's also funny and loyal. The story kept you involved and trying to figure out what exactly was going on in this strange town. It wasn't the greatest book that I've read lately, but it was still good and I plan to pick up the next in the series soon.
Harper gets called to Sarne to find a missing teenage girl, but when she gets there she finds that most in this small town don't want her there at all. So when she finds the girl she plans to get out as quickly as possible. Only problem is, the girl was murdered and there are more dead bodies showing up in town. Harper and her step-brother Tolliver are under suspision from the police and are asked not to leave.
But, someone wants them out bad! And they're gunning for Harper and Tolliver. It looks like this time Harper may have to get involved more than she wants if she's going to get her and her brother out of this little town alive.
Harper is a strange character, she brings up her crappy childhood alot, and after reading it a few times it does get kind of annoying, but she's also funny and loyal. The story kept you involved and trying to figure out what exactly was going on in this strange town. It wasn't the greatest book that I've read lately, but it was still good and I plan to pick up the next in the series soon.
Helpful Score: 1
Another Harris romp, with a bit of a twist, she can comprehend the dead. I will not say communicate, because it doesnt seem as a communication, more of a *knowing* who they are, and what has happened to them.
I liked this book, the first of the "Grave" series. I'm looking forward to reading the others. Charlaine Harris's quirky characters are in full force here and I just enjoy that. The story was engrossing, the characters likeable and the mystery engaging. A good, quick, easy read.
Helpful Score: 1
Charlaine Harris is wonderful! And you have to love a girl who has a knack for finding dead bodies... What a great date! LOL Very fun beginning of a series!
Helpful Score: 1
If there's one thing Charlaine Harris does well is characters. She has a magical way of creating a cast full of quirky, eccentric, real, and believable characters. She definitely delivered her skill and personal touch with characters to this book.
Unfortunately, the story fell flat a little bit. Not far into the book I hit a point where I just kept wondering why Harper (the main character) and her brother Tolliver were staying in the town! They visited the town only to do a job, and (without giving too much away) ended up sticking around for various reasons. Personally I just didn't believe it, and I think that made the rest of the story seem weak.
I also felt like Harper's "gift" wasn't explored enough. Maybe this is because it will be delved into in another book, but I felt like she talked about it a lot, and really spent most of the time repeating herself.
Overall, it wasn't a bad read, but I'm not left wishing for more. I'm glad that I read it though, since I really like Harris!
Unfortunately, the story fell flat a little bit. Not far into the book I hit a point where I just kept wondering why Harper (the main character) and her brother Tolliver were staying in the town! They visited the town only to do a job, and (without giving too much away) ended up sticking around for various reasons. Personally I just didn't believe it, and I think that made the rest of the story seem weak.
I also felt like Harper's "gift" wasn't explored enough. Maybe this is because it will be delved into in another book, but I felt like she talked about it a lot, and really spent most of the time repeating herself.
Overall, it wasn't a bad read, but I'm not left wishing for more. I'm glad that I read it though, since I really like Harris!
Helpful Score: 1
Just not as good as the Sookie Stackhouse series, kind of boring
Helpful Score: 1
I liked this better than the True Blood series. The True Blood series is very entertaining, but this breaks the boredom.
Helpful Score: 1
I think I've found me a new series. I really like this one..
Helpful Score: 1
I started with the Sookie Stackhouse series of Charlaine Harris's and love them. So I gave this series a try and am hooked on Harper already. I can't wait to get a hold of the next book in the series!
Helpful Score: 1
I could NOT put this book down. It had me from start to finish! It is a must read for all paranormal mystery lovers!
I really enjoyed this. I love the Sookie series so decided to give this one a try. I def will be reading the next ones!
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this short, 3 book series of stories about a step brother and sister who form a business by using her gift to find dead bodies. I don't trade these books away, keepers, worth a second read and shelf space in my library.
Helpful Score: 1
I LOVED this book series. So much I'm doing a review.
This is the story of Harper Connelly. A girl with not the best family life and survives a lightning strike only to find out it gave her abilities she didn't have before. Her and her step-brother Tolliver travel around the country using her gift to not only make a living but try to help families know what really killed their loved ones or how they died etc.
I loved this series. It kept me interested during the whole book.
This is the story of Harper Connelly. A girl with not the best family life and survives a lightning strike only to find out it gave her abilities she didn't have before. Her and her step-brother Tolliver travel around the country using her gift to not only make a living but try to help families know what really killed their loved ones or how they died etc.
I loved this series. It kept me interested during the whole book.
Helpful Score: 1
My first book with this author, but definitely WONT be my last.
I really liked the characters Harper and Tolliver and how Harper can find dead bodies, and know what killed them.
In this first installment, she gets tied up in Sarne, AR, a small town that harbors lots of secrets.
I really liked the characters Harper and Tolliver and how Harper can find dead bodies, and know what killed them.
In this first installment, she gets tied up in Sarne, AR, a small town that harbors lots of secrets.
Helpful Score: 1
Great book by Harris. Very interesting premise. Great read!
Helpful Score: 1
very good story and the next in series is also good
Helpful Score: 1
I'm probably only one of two people in the world who isn't a fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series, 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 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!
Helpful Score: 1
I didn't dislike the book, but I think I had such high expectations after reading so many of the Sookie Stackhouse books that I was disappointed by the time I finished. The story was good and I liked the premise, but my dislike for Harper (main female character) permeated the entire story. I found Harper to be whiny, needy, and very dependent on her brother for EVERYTHING. I guess I just prefer a stronger, more independent female characeter.
Helpful Score: 1
This was a little more serious than Harris' "Undead" series but it is an enjoyable read. I can't wait to read the next one. Unique premise...heroine can "feel" where a dead body is at and help find them.
Helpful Score: 1
New series. Loved it.
Helpful Score: 1
A fairly dark story and characters. The main character comes from a very troubled background and is full of anxiety and terrors. On top of it all, she has a paranormal "gift" received as the result of a lightning strike. Overall, interesting and well-written, enough so that I would like to look up the other books in the series.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a great read. I was suprised to find that I enjoyed it more than her vampire series, because I found that series a real hoot. This is more serious and creepier, but it sucked me right in.
Helpful Score: 1
First in the Harper Connelly series. Interesting premise, can't wait to see how she develops it more.
Helpful Score: 1
Finally a cozy series with a new twist to it! The main character can sense dead bodies and find out how they died, and oftentimes who killed them. Very cool! I really enjoyed this book. I was getting tired of reading cozies because they were all becoming so formula. Glad to see that Charlaine Harris continues to provide stories that are original and just fun to read.
Helpful Score: 1
She finds dead people. And at the end of the book, she finds out why they're dead. Quick read. Halfway through the book, I was tired of the writing style of the author, clumsy. This is the first in a series. I won't be reading the second book.
Helpful Score: 1
An interesting premise kept me reading this book and sparked enough interest to make me want to read the rest in this series.
Helpful Score: 1
An interesting book with a semi-handicapped heroine who requires the help of her brother both mentally and physically. Even with her quirkiness, I really liked Harper Connelly. Harper finds dead people and her brother, Tolliver follows her around the country assisting and protecting against harm. An exciting start to a new series. I will definitely be reading more about Harper and Tolliver.
Harper and Tolliver are asked to come to a small podunk town in Arkansas by the rich folks in town but when they arrive, the townspeople no longer want to hire them to do find Teenie Hopkins. When Harper and Tolliver leave in disgust and return to their hotel, Harper "finds" a dead body and now everyone believes though they don't approve of Harper's gift. All hell breaks loose when Harper finds Teenie's body. Harper's life is continually threatened and Tolliver is arrested on trumped up charges. Harper doesn't usually get involved in solving the crimes that took the people she finds but she finds herself digging deeper and deeper to solve this mystery and get the heck outta dodge.
Harper and Tolliver are asked to come to a small podunk town in Arkansas by the rich folks in town but when they arrive, the townspeople no longer want to hire them to do find Teenie Hopkins. When Harper and Tolliver leave in disgust and return to their hotel, Harper "finds" a dead body and now everyone believes though they don't approve of Harper's gift. All hell breaks loose when Harper finds Teenie's body. Harper's life is continually threatened and Tolliver is arrested on trumped up charges. Harper doesn't usually get involved in solving the crimes that took the people she finds but she finds herself digging deeper and deeper to solve this mystery and get the heck outta dodge.
Helpful Score: 1
Harper and her step brother Tollivver are experts at getting in,getting paid and then getting out of town fast, because the people who hire Harper have a funny habit of not really wanting to know what she has to tell them. At first, the little Ozarks town of Sarne seems like no exception. A teenage girl has gone missing, and Harper knows almost imediately that this girl is dead. But the secrets of her death, and the secrets of the town are deep enough that even Harper;s special ability can't uncover them. With hostility welling up all around them, she and Tolliver would like nothing better than to be on their way. But then another woman is murdered. And the killer's not finished yet.........Loved the book so much I ordered the second one
Helpful Score: 1
It was an easy quick read. Mildly interesting characters. The gifted part where she could find dead people was intriguing. The relationship with her step-brother was interesting also.All in all I give it 3 stars!
Helpful Score: 1
I liked the main characters Harper and her step-brother Tolliver. I especially liked how her ability to sense the dead was explained and how it often posed problems for her clients as they didn't always liked the answers she gave them. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Grave Surprise.
Helpful Score: 1
Another great series by Charlaine Harris. Once again she has created great characters with realistic thoughts and feelings.
Helpful Score: 1
Charlaine Harris had done it again! Fantastic mystery and a bit supernatural with her grave finding abilities. I enjoyed reading every page!
Helpful Score: 1
Weird and offbeat start to what should become a good series. Worth the time, absolutly.
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed this book, it ws different from Charlaine Harris' usual books and had a different spin. Hope to read a lot more like this one!
Helpful Score: 1
"Grave Sight" is the story of Harper Connaly and her step-brother Tolliver. Harper was hit with lightening when she was a teen and developed the ability to sense where bodies are. Once she finds a body she sees/experiences their last moments with them. Now all grown up Harper travels the country helping police and family find missing people. Tolliver travels with her as her manager/bodyguard.
The book has an interesting premis, but that's about it. I still can't quite figure out why Harper starts investigating the mysteries of the small town of Sarne. Sure, the police are interested in them in relation to a murder that happened after they visited a person, but it's also pretty clear that's only because the police see Harper as a trickster preying on the grieving, and not because there's anything actually tying them to the murder besides talking to the woman. Harper and her brother don't really have any emotional tie to the whole slew of dead people in this tiny town. It really seems like the only reason they're "investigating" is because the sheriff doesn't want them leaving town and they're bored.
The fact that they've never investigated a murder, much less a series of murders is quite evident. At one point they whedle an ex-husband into giving them hair samples from him, his recently deceased ex-wife and thier supposed daughter to figure out if he was actually the father. Except that they're already working under the assumption that he's not the father, and that someone else believes that he's the father as well. So what does it matter if the ex-husband is the father - if someone else believes that he's the father and might be making decisions based on that, does it really matter if the ex is the biological father or not? Anyway, even if the ex isn't the father, where does that get them? Right where they were before they decided to look into that.
It's a bit ridiculous how many people in this small tourist town are being murdered, especially once you figure out the reason.
Harper is certainly not Sookie Stackhouse. While Harper does have an interesting ability, her emotional problems get to be just a bit too much. She gets all upset when her brother tries to insist on knowing where she's going and who she's going with, insisting that she's more than capable of taking care of herself. Yet anytime she has to do without him she completely falls apart, and lashes out blindly at anyone she can. For someone who practically raised 3 younger sisters, she's remarkably unable to take care of herself. She's needy, whiny and annoying.
If this were the first book I was reading by Charlaine Harris I would stop right here. However, since I like the Sookie Stackhouse series so much, I'll be giving the second book a chance and seeing if the series improves.
The book has an interesting premis, but that's about it. I still can't quite figure out why Harper starts investigating the mysteries of the small town of Sarne. Sure, the police are interested in them in relation to a murder that happened after they visited a person, but it's also pretty clear that's only because the police see Harper as a trickster preying on the grieving, and not because there's anything actually tying them to the murder besides talking to the woman. Harper and her brother don't really have any emotional tie to the whole slew of dead people in this tiny town. It really seems like the only reason they're "investigating" is because the sheriff doesn't want them leaving town and they're bored.
The fact that they've never investigated a murder, much less a series of murders is quite evident. At one point they whedle an ex-husband into giving them hair samples from him, his recently deceased ex-wife and thier supposed daughter to figure out if he was actually the father. Except that they're already working under the assumption that he's not the father, and that someone else believes that he's the father as well. So what does it matter if the ex-husband is the father - if someone else believes that he's the father and might be making decisions based on that, does it really matter if the ex is the biological father or not? Anyway, even if the ex isn't the father, where does that get them? Right where they were before they decided to look into that.
It's a bit ridiculous how many people in this small tourist town are being murdered, especially once you figure out the reason.
Harper is certainly not Sookie Stackhouse. While Harper does have an interesting ability, her emotional problems get to be just a bit too much. She gets all upset when her brother tries to insist on knowing where she's going and who she's going with, insisting that she's more than capable of taking care of herself. Yet anytime she has to do without him she completely falls apart, and lashes out blindly at anyone she can. For someone who practically raised 3 younger sisters, she's remarkably unable to take care of herself. She's needy, whiny and annoying.
If this were the first book I was reading by Charlaine Harris I would stop right here. However, since I like the Sookie Stackhouse series so much, I'll be giving the second book a chance and seeing if the series improves.
I like the premise. It was enough for me to consider reading the next installment of the series.
You will love this. It is different enough to keep you coming back for more but it is believable also.
This is a very good series. It's different and refreshing. Love that it's not the same old read.
This book, and its author, were a complete surprise to me. Friends suggest I must have been living in a Greenland research station to have missed Charlaine Harris' wildly popular books but the truth is that I've been doing a 'Jane Austen retrospective'in recent years. It was a short sprint, I suppose, from dead authors to an "I see dead people" novel, but it wasn't that aspect of Grave Sight (however clever) that delighted me. As a native Southerner, nothing riles me faster'n than authors who write about Southern people, landscapes, and customs without really knowing much about them. Grave Sight, however, has the stamp of authenticity about it. The characters, the dialogue, the settings, the quirks and lifeways and encounters that make up the books: well, of course, they're fictional, since no one I ever heard of told the local sheriff where to find a dumped body because they could sense the grave and the last few seconds of the victim's life. But they nevertheless feel credible to such an extent that after the first few pages you stop thinking Grave Sight is fiction and start taking in the narrative like a story you're hearing from a friend.
Excellent series. I recommend it.
Harper Connelly finds dead people. After being struck by lightning at the age of fifteen, Harper can sense when she is near a dead body, and she can see their last moments. Harper and her stepbrother, Tolliver Lang, travel the country offering their services to find lost loved ones. Their current case takes them to the Ozarks. Teenie Hopkins has been missing for six months. Her boyfriend, Dell Teague, was found dead from a gunshot wound at the time she disappeared. The police believe that Dell may have killed Teenier and disposed of her body before killing himself. Dell's mother, Sybil Teague, wants her son's name cleared, so she is asking for Harper's help.
This is the first book in Charlaine Harris' Harper Connelly series. Several people told me that I would like this series. They were right. I found the story very entertaining. I liked the mystery which had several suspects. I did guess the killer and motive in the middle of the book, but that did not detract from my enjoyment. My rating: 4 Stars.
This is the first book in Charlaine Harris' Harper Connelly series. Several people told me that I would like this series. They were right. I found the story very entertaining. I liked the mystery which had several suspects. I did guess the killer and motive in the middle of the book, but that did not detract from my enjoyment. My rating: 4 Stars.
Very easy to read, great book. Loving the series so far, looking forward to book 2. I hope the Sookie books will be just as good if not better.
The first of a new series. A lttle spooky bur interesting.
Harper Connelly was hit by lightning when she was 15 years old! Now she can find dead bodies! And...she can tell how they died.
Good book! I've read the three in the Harper Connelly series now, and will read others by Harris.
Good book! I've read the three in the Harper Connelly series now, and will read others by Harris.
A good read, but I didn't LOVE Harper the way I do Harris' other heroines (Sookie and Lily Bard). Harper is fragile without the toughness of Lily or the social connections of Sookie. Fascinating premise, but the "big clue" in the story was pretty obvious to me. Worth a read, but not a keeper for me.
Not as good as the Sookie books, but okay. Don't know if I will get into this series or not.
I was waiting on my next Sookie Stackhouse book when I decided to read the Harper Connelly series. I found this book delightful. The characters and plot are creative and the plot kept me wanting to read more and more.
I am looking forward to the rest of the series. Anyone who enjoys the hint of supernatural should definitely read these.
I am looking forward to the rest of the series. Anyone who enjoys the hint of supernatural should definitely read these.
I cannot put down Ms Harris' books once I start them, just want to eat them up as fast as possible. This is another fun, fresh mystery about a young woman who can find dead bodies and sense their cause of death ever since she was struck by lightning at age 15. Sounds a little hokey, but in Ms Harris' hands, it's not. If you liked the Sookie Stackhouse series you'll probably like this somewhat darker book.
Kristen S. (SomethingSmarter) reviewed Grave Sight (Harper Connelly, Bk 1) on + 48 more book reviews
I enjoyed this new series
A different twist on 'talking to the dead'.
Harper and her step-brother Tolliver are experts at getting in, getting paid, and then getting out of town fast, because the people who hire Harper have a funny habit of not really wanting to know what she has to tell them.....
Great reading!!! Read it in one sitting!!!
Great reading!!! Read it in one sitting!!!
Easy to read, but not very exciting. I didn't finish it.
Interesting new series. Catches your interest right from the beginning!
I loved this book. She can find dead people and relive their last moments, i wish she had more power, but all in all i really enjoyed this. It was a little confusing at the end because of how many people were involved in the main plot, but it comes together in the end, i can't wait for book 2 to come.
Love this author...A very good read
Loved this book.It grabbed me and didn't let go.
This book was an easy read but I'm not a big fan of it. Not bad, but not great. I have the next two in the set so I will probably read them too just to see what happens.
A little show to get into, but it picked up along the way. It is worth the read.
very good book
Andy T. (MayberryFlyBaby) -
Loved this! Although somewhat predictable in places, this is an excellent read for a first in series. Can't wait to get book #2 Grave Surprise!
If you are comparing the Suki series to the Harper series you are going to be surprised. I, myself, like this Grave series a lot more. But it is somewhat "darker" suprisingly even though the world in which is it written is entirely 'normal and modern'. There is perhaps, not as many humorous references as Suki is more likely to laugh at herself. But Harper is an engaging character and the books are well written.
Another series by author Charlaine Harris. Good read but like the Dead books better.
Surprisingly engrossing. I enjoyed the characters, the writing, the mystery. This introduction to Harper and her step brother Tolliver really kept my interest and I read it in 2 evenings. There's a dry wit throughout it, but it certainly isn't a "funny book."
Tolliver and Harper are two of the more interesting characters in the paranormal mystery genre. And although Harper can get into the mind of the deceased at the moment of their deaths, it wasn't overly heavy on the "ghost story" part of the novel.
As a fan of Dean Koontz' "Odd Thomas" series, I kept thinking that Harper and Odd should hook up!
Tolliver and Harper are two of the more interesting characters in the paranormal mystery genre. And although Harper can get into the mind of the deceased at the moment of their deaths, it wasn't overly heavy on the "ghost story" part of the novel.
As a fan of Dean Koontz' "Odd Thomas" series, I kept thinking that Harper and Odd should hook up!
I really enjoyed this book, enough that I'm going to get the 2nd in the series. I found the main character Harper very interesting - besides her "gift" and the limitations it has which she works through, even making a living off of it... there's everything else that life has thrown at her and she still goes on, sometimes shakily, to the best of her ability. They mystery part of the story was interesting enough, I kinda had it figured out, but not the total why of it all. Anyway, if you like a who-dun-it with a splash of weird, you should enjoy this
not a romance, but interesting characters
Good story
