I don't like this series nearly as much as the Sookie series, but I'll keep reading. It's only four books right now. I just have to say, I *knew* there was something between Tolliver and Harper. ( )

The second novel in the series featuring Harper Connolly, a woman with a strange talent for sensing the dead. This book features a well-rounded mystery, though this time I figured out a few lead suspects of which one was right. We also learn more about Harper and Tolliver, although I’m not sure I found the romantic aspect entirely feels right or even necessary. ( )

Interesting premise but not Harris' best work. ( )

Grave Surprise is the 2nd of 4 books in the Harper Connelly series.

Harper Connelly was struck by lightning when she was a teenager. She survived, but ever since then she can find dead bodies. She travels with her brother Tolliver all over the United States to help find bodies of missing persons and murder victims. She is often the victim of ridicule and threats because of her "talent,'' and often she is made to feel like a con artist for charging money for her services.

In this 2nd novel, Harper and Tolliver have been called to Memphis to give a demonstration at a cemetery for a local college. Anthropology Professor, Dr. Clyde Nunley, teaches the class, "An Open Mind: Experiences Outside the Box'' but the Professor is still surprised when Harper's talent proves to be genuine. That's not the only surprise, however. Harper discovers that a 100-year old grave in the cemetery is hiding a newer, second body, a girl missing for 18 months.

Who killed the girl? Why was she buried inside a grave in the cemetery? Once again Harper and Tolliver are pulled into a murder investigation, and police are starting to suspect maybe they had something to do with it.

In my review of book 1 Grave Sight, I commented that the relationship between Harper and her brother seems a bit....odd. Too physical. Too emotional. And this book did nothing to relieve my anxiety. While it is true that they are just step-siblings.....it is still creepy that they seem to have a weird, inappropriate dependency on each other. No spoilers....but something was revealed in this book that pretty much moved those feelings from anxiety to full-on creepy-uggo-icky.

But, the ickiness is not bad enough for me to stop reading the books. I enjoy the series, even if the relationship between the two main characters is a bit disconcerting at times.

I do wish that Harper were a bit less of an anxiety-ridden, whiney, wack-a-doo sometimes though. But, I suppose if I was struck by lightning and found dead bodies for a living I would be a bit strange, too.

I am definitely going to read the final two books in this series. In fact, I have just added book 3 to my "currently reading'' list. But, if Harper has sex with her brother......I am closing the book, washing my eyeballs, and giving it a DNF at that point. Uggo.

The cover art for this book was awesome! :) ( )

That the Harper Connelly books are not what they seem becomes apparent in this, the second book in the series.

Like the first book, this one is focused around the consequences of Harper using her strange gift for finding the dead and knowing how they died. The plot is complex enough to be satisfying and plausible enough not to be irritating but you soon realise that the purpose of the book is to understand more about Harper and her relationships to her family.

During the book, I was curious to find out who the bad guy was but the real fascination was in learning more about Harper’s background and her relationship with the men in her life, especially her “brother” and the pierced and tattooed young psychic.

Harper is both fragile and strong. The two parts of her are bound together by her bravery and her need to find the truth.

Harris succeeds in getting the reader to see the world through Harper’s eyes and to sympathise with that point of view. All the little details are right and the pace is well-managed.

I would have been happier with a little less need to recap the first book in the second but this did not mar my enjoyment of the book as a whole ( )