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Charlaine Harris
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Book
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Publisher | Gollancz | ||
ISBN | 978-057508553 | ||
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Reviewer
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Georgina
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Synopsis
When she was 15, Harper Connelly was struck by a bolt of lightning, which left her with a spiderweb of red over her body, headaches, and episodes of weakness. Sometimes her right hand shakes. And she can find dead people. It's taken a while, but at last Harper's pretty happy with her life: she's making a living, using her unique talent to help people, and she's got a lover - her stepbrother Tolliver. That creeps some people out, but though they grew up together, and got each other through the real bad times - their parents' drug-use, the abuse, the disappearance of Harper's elder sister Cameron - they're not blood relatives. Then Tolliver's dad arrives on the scene, seeking forgiveness for the sins of their youth, and the police get a tip-off that after all these years, Cameron's been spotted in a mall. With all this going on Harper realises life is getting a little complicated, but she doesn't expect those complications to include Tolliver getting shot, or watching a cop die taking a bullet for her. Harper can find dead people, but now it's clear someone wants her dead . . .
Review
This is the first book that I have read by Charlaine Harris. I have to admit I only realised half way through that this was the final part of a 4 book series, which would explain why, as I started to read this I was surprised at the author's lack of detail relating to the characters. Therefore I would probably suggest reading the first 3 to enjoy the book to its full potential. However, saying that, I did find this book fast-paced and enjoyable to read. I am generally sceptical of some super natural books as they can be repetitive and predictable with regards to the characters ‘powers' and plots, with Grave Secret I was pleasantly surprised.
The book follows the journey of Harper, who, by standing near the remains of the dead, can sense how they died and under what circumstances, and Tolliver, her step-brother and lover. That relationship in itself wasn't explored in too much detail as I believe it was covered in the previous books, so I found that difficult to fully appreciate. As they both make a career of helping people uncover what happened to the deceased, the plot follows them as they try to solve a murder mystery for a rich Texan family, which sees them get caught up in something with concerns them on a more personal level. Although I was a bit unsure of this book at the start, as I reached the middle I started to enjoy it a lot more, the introduction of more characters and another psychic, Manfred, added new depths and held my interest.
Although Grave Secret was action-packed and kept me guessing, I did find the author a little too descriptive in parts that weren't so relevant and lacking in character/relationship descriptions. It ended well with a few surprises and twists along the way that I didn't see coming, however I feel the ending was too hurried and not covered in enough detail.
Overall, a good read.
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