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    Grave Surprise
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    Grave Surprise
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    Grave Surprise
    Ebook280 pages4 hours

    Grave Surprise

    By Charlaine Harris

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Psychic sleuth Harper Connelly travels to Memphis and ends up involved in a case of murder times three in this mystery from #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris.

    At the request of anthropology professor Clyde Nunley, Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver come to Memphis, Tennessee, to demonstrate her unique talent—in an old cemetery. Nunley is skeptical, even after Harper senses—and finds—two bodies in the grave beneath her feet. One of a man centuries-dead. The other, a young girl, recently deceased, whom Harper had once tried, and failed, to locate. But Harper’s new investigation into the crime yields yet another surprise: the next morning, a third body is found—in the very same grave...
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Group
    Release dateSep 26, 2006
    ISBN9781101205778
    Author

    Charlaine Harris

    Charlaine Harris is a New York Times bestselling author who has been writing for over thirty years. She was born and raised in the Mississippi River Delta area. She has written four series, and two stand-alone novels, in addition to numerous short stories, novellas, and graphic novels (cowritten with Christopher Golden). Her Sookie Stackhouse books have appeared in twenty-five different languages and on many bestseller lists. They’re also the basis of the HBO series True Blood. Harris now lives in Texas, and when she is not writing her own books, she reads omnivorously. Her house is full of rescue dogs.

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    Reviews for Grave Surprise

    4/5

    964 ratings71 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The second instalment in this series does not disappoint. This book follows on nicely from [Grave Sight] and continues to develop the main characters, Harper and Tolliver.
    • 4/5
      Charlaine Harris does it again. I really enjoyed this one. In the 2nd installment of this series Harper comes face to face with a case she couldn't solve. She has to try to figure it all out before she gets herself in trouble or killed. Looking forward to next book.
    • 2/5
      Per my review for the first book, I expected the second book to be more polished than the first.It wasn't.I simply cannot sympathize with Harper Connolly's plight nor can I even say I really like her. The characters are so wooden, the plot convoluted and the writing so stilted that I cannot even begin to fathom why people like this series even as a guilty pleasure.My reluctance to read the Southern Mysteries is now even more intensified because if I cannot even invest time into Harris' secondary series, why should I invest in her first?It's a shame, as I said before, as I like the premise of the series but it's just so badly done! I now wonder if Harris is hurting for cash and is using the fan base of her primary series to fund her other series' as a means to gain popularity?
    • 4/5
      A quickly read compact mystery where the central character is a lightning struck young women who finds the bodies of the dead and can tell the cause of death. The only real suspense was wondering whether the author was making an obvious suspect as a distraction, but nope. Pretty good characters dealing with the non-natural element in their lives tale.
    • 3/5
      I must admit that I was slightly dissapointed in Grave Surprise it just didn't like she actually wanted to write th book (or at least that is my impression.) Harper in the first book had been one of my favorite characters I thought it was very unique that she could feel the cause of death from dead people. The story was a bit see through for me but the strange little fit Harper threw in the hotel over something she thought about Tolliver was weird and just seemed out of character for her. I think I will at least give the third book a chance to see if maybe she was in a writing rut when she wrote this one? Other then finding the book a bit stuffy and weird compared to her other works I have read I am sure there are plenty out there that would enjoy this book. The concept is very unique (at least I think it is) and it is worth giving it a try.
    • 4/5
      This didn't warrant the "Really Good Writing!" designation, but that's the only thing that's keeping it from being a five-star book. It was definitely a page-turner, that's for sure! I read this in two days - three if you count that I was up reading it until 2 AM one morning. Harper Connelly travels the American South with her step-brother, Tolliver Lang, finding bodies, a unique gift that she discovered after she'd been struck by lightning at the age of 15. She's been called upon by an incredulous professor to demonstrate her skill at detecting the causes of death for bodies buried in an old cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. To everyone's surprise, she finds the body of a young girl she had been searching for 18 months ago, the daughter of a wealthy Jewish family. The family is very grateful. Except for one individual, who will stop at nothing to keep her misdeeds from being discovered. I found this novel to be particularly interesting, because it revealed a profound truth about humans, which is that we will forgive charming, good-looking people almost anything, regardless of the devastating consequences their charm and beauty have on the lives around them. After all, they can't help it if people make desperate fools of themselves over them. That's kind of a sobering point to consider next time you find yourself falling for a gorgeous face.
    • 5/5
      Didn't figure it out until the end which is always a plus for me!
    • 4/5
      I'm freezing right through this series. Still enjoying them.
    • 4/5
      I received this graphic novel from Netgalley and Dynamite publishing in return for a fair and honest review. Thank you!I liked this graphic novel. It kept my attention to the end and the illustrations are striking. It's a good premise and I'm intrigued what direction it'll be brought in.
    • 5/5
      A really compulsive read - I was very annoyed when I was interrupted as I really didn't want to put it down! Definitely recommended for long journeys etc.
    • 4/5
      I love this graphic version of a favorite series by my Harris. The story stays true to the original with the addition of beautiful illustrations full of emotion. While the full length story has many more details this graphic series does not let you down. I am looking forward to the next bookThank you Net Galley and publishers for the advanced reader copy
    • 3/5
      Interesting premise but not Harris' best work.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      Can I just say WOW?!?! I loved this book. I know it is just the graphic novel, but I thought it was great. I really was guessing through the whole book who could of done it. The reason behind it just blew me away. Never in a million years who I have thought someone would have done that for the reason that it was done. WOW WOW WOW
    • 3/5
      Harper Connelly was struck by lightning at the age of fifteen. Since then, she has been able to tell how any person died. In Grave Surprise, Harper is in Memphis, Tennessee doing a demonstration for a college class when she discovers that the grave she's analyzing contains more than one body. One is the original inhabitant of the grave. The other is a young, teenage girl that Harper had once tried, and failed, to find. Then, later, a third body is put in the grave.

      This book is a fun and easy read. It's not great literature but makes a good book to carry around with you for when you get extra little pieces of time to read.
    • 2/5
      Grave Surpriseby Charlaine Harris 20062.0 / 5.0I will admit, mysteries are one my very least favorite genre to read, but since I was put in this group for the #scarathon rather than the horror group that I would have enjoyed much more, I have to read mysteries. This book started with a lot of promise. Good storyline, interesting paranormal elements. It quickly fell apart for me and lost me interest. The characters are not engaging and I could not stand either one. Harper Connelly is just pompous and full of herself, and Tolliver believes punching people in the stomach is an acceptable way to get them to talk. The lack of integrity and boring AF characters made this one I had no interest in finishing. #teamslaughter #scarathon @Clwojick If anyone has some suggestions for mysteries, please send them my way. So far, my opinion of mysteries has not changed.
    • 2/5
      The sequel to Grave Sight is not as good as I'd hoped.
    • 4/5
      Grave Surprise
      4 Stars

      Harper and her stepbrother, Tolliver, arrive in Memphis at the behest of an anthropology professor determined to debunk Harper's abilities and expose her as a charlatan. Imagine his surprise when Harper senses two corpses in a centuries old grave - one the body of Tabitha Morgenstern, a young girl who Harper was hired to find two year prior. Once again, Harper is the prime suspect and must undertake her own investigation to clear her name.

      A charming cozy mystery with a touch of the paranormal.

      Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way first. In this installment, Harper comes to the realization that she has more than sisterly feelings for her stepbrother. This is a significant issue for many reviewers as, for them, it is indicative of one of the oldest taboos - incest. Personally, I don’t see it that way as Harper and Tolliver are NOT related by blood. Their parents married when the two were in their teens and it is clear that they did not spend their formative years as siblings. Moreover, it is obvious even in book #1 that they share a closeness that goes beyond the brother/sister relationship, and as such this development is not surprising.

      Back to the plot - the mystery is good albeit rather predictable as the identity of the killer and the motivation become obvious once the clues begin accumulating. Nevertheless, the climax is tense and the resolution satisfying.

      Harper is a difficult heroine to categorize as her brusqueness could be interpreted as callous disregard and coldness. However, her tough veneer conceals a soft hearted woman who truly cares about both the living and the dead. She feels that it is her responsibility to provide them with the closure they are entitled to.

      In terms of the audiobook narration, Alyssa Bresnahan does an excellent job. She manages to capture the nuances of Harper’s personality and those of the other characters very well.

      In sum, Grave Surprise is an entertaining listen and I look forward to finding out what is in store next for Harper and Tolliver.
    • 4/5
      Wasn't sure I was going to like this book at the beginning but did end up liking it fairly well by the end. This involves the mystery of a missing young girl. Harper does find the girl on a totally unrelated case in a nearby city. Thus begins the true mystery of this series. Unfortunately I had a fairly good idea of who the killer was going to be before the end of the book. Still a good series overall. Going to be interested to see what the author does with Harper and her brother in future novels in the series.
    • 3/5
      Charlaine Harris has a very charming writing style, but based on ‘Grave Surprise,’ I don’t like this quite as much as her Sookie Stackhouse books. While Sookie’s world is unmistakably supernatural, here, heroine Harper Connelly is more in the realm of daytime talk shows for the gullible. Harper, a woman in her early 20’s, gained psychic powers when she was struck by lightning. Now, she can mystically find dead bodies – and if she touches those bodies, she can tell how they died. This allows her to make a good living – but now, it seems that someone more than the usual crew of debunkers is out to get her – someone has buried the body of a dead girl she was hired (and failed) to find in a shallow grave at a historical burial site. Who knew that Harper would be at that site to give a demonstration? And what is the motive behind the crime?

      While the premise is rather silly, the story moves along at a good clip, with plenty of twists. I wasn’t enamored of Harper’s giant crush on her stepbrother (ick), but overall it was a fun light read.
    • 4/5
      I liked this one better than the first one because it wasn't as stressful. They weren't stuck in some little town against their will and you weren't sat there willing them to get the hell out of there- you wanted to know what they'd find and hoped they'd stick around to work out who the killer was.
      I like the relationship between Harps and Toll. They work well together and they have great chemistry. I always hoped they'd get together and from the way this book seemed to have been heading, I guess that might come true. Either that or I read it wrong.
      I'm looking forward to reading the next one. Big thumbs up from moi. :D
    • 5/5
      Second of four novels in the Harper Connelly mystery series. As a result of being struck by lightning as a teenager, Harper has the ability to sense the location of dead people. Harper can’t actually tell who killed murder victims, but she can tell how they died. She now makes a living at this, travelling the country with her protective stepbrother, Tolliver Lang.In Grave Surprise, skeptical anthropology professor, Clyde Nunley, has decided to test Harper's gift in an historic Memphis cemetery. As well as the historical burials, Harper discovers a fresh corpse has been added to an old grave. The body turns out to be a missing 12-year-old girl that Harper failed to locate in Nashville two years earlier... Another fantastic read.
    • 3/5
      I found an empty chair right by that of another person who seemed to be feeling like an outsider: Victor, Joel's son by his first marriage.I only read Grave Surprise because I picked it up at a BookCrossing meet-up before I read the first book in the series. Apart from the creepy relationship between the main characters, it's also annoyingly repetitive. How many times does Harper need to mention her weak leg, the problems lightning-strike survivors have in getting their medical problems taken seriously, her abusive childhood, her missing presumed dead sister Cameron and her aunt and uncle not allowing Harper and Tolliver to see their little half-sisters? The answer - I can't be bothered to go back and check, but so many times that it seems like padding added to make the book longer. As an example of this redundant information, the quotation above comes over half way through the book, by which time Victor has been mentoned numerous times, and the reader shoudl be well aware that he was Tabitha's half brother.I carried on to the end though, because there were things I liked about this book. The mystery plot was good, so I really wanted to find out who committed the murder and why.
    • 4/5
      Paranormal events in literature always seem to symbolize something. In Grave Surprise, it's not some allegory about religion, sex, or power - rather, a marker of difference. Harper Connely's ability places her apart from the ideas and beliefs common to modern America. I feel like the real drama in the novel is in how Harper deals with the disbelief and scorn she meets almost everywhere she goes. Harper's corpse-finding is treated very matter-of-factly; there's no fanfare or mystery about it. The struggles, the twists and turns of the plot, the conflict, originate in ordinary human behavior.

      Harper is one tough cookie and I very much like her character - very strong, very blunt, but also very fragile. She's jaded, a real cynic, but she's got a good heart buried under her tough hide. And as always, what I love most about Harris' writing is her attention to little things; Harper trying to work a treadmill, choosing a hotel, noticing the construction of a wire barrier around a parking lot. There's a really beautiful simplicity about Harris' style, and she has an incredible way of infusing everyday events with meaning and...presence, I guess. Also a really keen understanding of human nature.

      I thought the plot of Grave Surprise was a little bit funny; I was disappointed when I found out who the murderer was. But I loved the characters, I loved the atmosphere, and I loved seeing the development of Harper and Tolliver's relationship.
    • 3/5
      Yeah, I can't help it, I like Charlaine Harris' books. This series is popcorn for my brain, but that's not a bad thing: so is Georgette Heyer, in a different way. I've been spoilered as to future developments in the series, and it doesn't put me off a bit: I was sort of expecting it to go this way. I mean, I've dipped in and out of fandoms since I was twelve. But just in case anyone has a really bad squick and needs to check that it's not going that way, the spoiler is that Harper is in love with her step-brother and they do develop a relationship in the next book. (Sorry, people on LibraryThing. If you have a spoiler tag, I haven't met it yet.)There's nothing of great moment about the actual plot of this book, aside from those emotional things, but Harper and Tolliver get dangerously embroiled anyway. I'm not a great fan of the portrayal of the killer -- it seems we have more than enough of that type of person in the media -- but it's hard to take too seriously, and it won't linger with me. It was just fun. In an entirely different way to Georgette Heyer.This review really doesn't encapsulate how I feel about these books. It makes me sound too indifferent. I do love them, in a casual popcorny way!
    • 3/5
      Was okay. I accidently read this before the 1st so eventually will the beginning of the series
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this mystery a lot, even more than the first book in the series! The plot kept me interested, perhaps in part because it had to do with an old cemetery (I like old cemeteries a lot!) and a college campus (I work on one).

      The relationship between Harper and Tolliver made much more sense to me in this installment of the series. They seemed to be much more of a team, both professionally and emotionally, in this book.
    • 2/5
      This gets two starts because I am nitpicky about certain things and Charlaine Harris was incapable of keeping the details about Mariella and Gracie straight from one book to another. This is understandable if there are seventeen or so books in between but this was the second book.
    • 2/5
      I was excited to check out this series because I really enjoy the Sookie Stackhouse series. Eh, no. While an interesting and entertaining listen, I found the plot to be predictable and the incestuous undertones a little disturbing. Just because someone is not your relative by blood doesn't mean they can't still be considered your brother. And he is described as being skinny, pock-marked, and with a ponytail! Get real!

      Anyway, when I first began this one, I did not know it was the second in the series. She catches you up pretty quickly so I did not feel lost. But I felt like the killer was obvious from the first interaction with that person.

      And what the heck kind of a name is Tolliver?
    • 3/5
      I loved the true blood series, so i thought i would read one of her other series. not bad at all.