Shhh....it's a Grave Secret

I am a big fan of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse "Southern Vampire Series." Even though that series (and the HBO series "True Blood" which is based on the books) has made Harris more popular, I am pleased to note that she is still writing new books in her "Harper Connelly series." The newest title is Grave Secrets, and the book traces the events of the lives of Harper Connelly and her stepbrother Tolliver. Harper and Tolliver are not related by blood-- Harper's mom and Tolliver's dad were married after Harper and Tolliver were born. Harper and Tolliver have a unique relationship, as they banded together to survive their horrible childhood with drug-addicted parents, struggling to attend school and work enough so that they could take care of their little sisters Gracie and Mariella. Harper was a normal girl, until she was struck by lightning--ever since then she has been able to "hear" the thoughts of dead people by standing on their graves and using her "extra sense" to learn their last thoughts before they died. This talent is especially helpful when it comes to finding murderers and other types of secrets. When Grave Secrets opens, Harper has been hired by a Texas rancher family to discover how the patriarch of the family died. The police were satisfied that it was an accident, but at least one of his children believes it could be foul play. When Harper puts her talents to work, she finds plenty of secrets in this Texas family, that eventually bleed into her own life and add to the mystery of her oldest sister's disappearance. I love the character development in this book! Harper and Tolliver are very "real" to me and I enjoy the "family developments" in the book, almost as much as the mystery. I have enjoyed watching Harper and Tolliver's relationship develop (you'll have to read the book to find out what happens) as well as the bits of their childhood experiences that Harris weaves into the story. This book is a great blend of suspense, action, romance and paranormal mystery that is a fast and easy read. Try it out this book, or one of the others in the series (Grave Secret, Grave Surpise, An Ice Cold Grave) and let us know if you like it!