Dec152010

REVIEW: Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris

by Zosia • Posted in 3.5 Star Reviews

Grave Surprise (Harper Connelly #2) by Charlaine Harris
Gollancz (Sept 2006) | Paperback, 295 pages
Supernatural Mystery

“If there were an emergency room for psychological shocks, we could go there,” he said.

Harper Connelly – struck by lightning and now able to find dead bodies and see the details of their deaths – is back for a second book. This was another solid, quirky and fun mystery, with a lot of suspicion thrown Harper and Tolliver’s way this time. They’re caught up in so many coincidences that it definitely looks to outsiders like they’ve been playing a part in the murders.

“She was suffocated,” I said, not knowing any other way to say it. Severely deprived of air? Terminally oxygenless?

Again, it’s the confused, close relationship between Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver that steals the show. One can’t be without the other, and no matter what they find themselves caught up in or how angry they might make each other, they always put each other first. They grew up in a trailer park, their drug addicted parents marrying and leaving them to raise the smaller children who lived with them.

Tolliver hadn’t been struck by lightning, and his mom hadn’t tried to sell him to one of her drug buddies for sexual use, it’s true, but Tolliver has his own scars, and he’s not any more fond of talking about them than I am.

Charlaine Harris really captures how normal all these people are – well, apart from all the crazy things they get up to! But nobody’s gorgeous or particularly talented. They do mundane things and live average lives, and it’s really easy to imagine these people really exist.

The mystery in this one – Harper finds two recently killed people in an already occupied grave – was plotted out well, and there were plenty of players to keep you guessing. I really like the Harper Connelly series – it’s a little darker and more twisted than a lot of the author’s other writing.

VERDICT:

This is another good entry to the series. With a solid mystery, some crazy characters and a touch of the supernatural, these are enjoyable books.

RATING:

CHARLAINE HARRIS ONLINE
Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

BOOKS IN SERIES ORDER

Grave Sight
Grave Surprise
An Ice Cold Grave
Grave Secret

US COVER

BUY YOUR COPY

Tagged with Book Reviews, Charlaine Harris, Gollancz, Harper Connolly Series, Paranormal Mystery

Zosia

Zosia lives in Canberra, the capital of Australia – hours from a beach. She pretty much reads whatever she can get my hands on. After majoring in literature at university (and often boring herself to tears) she decided it was time to read for fun, so she won’t turn anything down. Authors she's read and loved include romantic suspense writers Cindy Gerard, Pamela Clare, Christy Reece, Laura Griffin, Kylie Brant, Suzanne Brockmann, Tara Janzen and my favourite ‘unknown’ Kaylea Cross. Favourite paranormal writers include Lara Adrian, Jeaniene Frost and Patricia Briggs. She also recently discovered and loved Lisa Kleypas and Gaelen Foley’s historical stories, and JD Robb’s futuristic crime books.

→ Zosia