I was very excited to get a call from my library to alert me that Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris had finally come in. I had put my name on the list several months ago and was actually surprised that it came so soon considering where I was on the list (pretty far down). However, considering that I returned Grave Secret within 3 days of borrowing it, I can easily see why I got it so quick: It was that good.
Grave Secret begins with Harper and Tolliver traveling back to Texas for a job and a quick visit to see their younger sisters. Sometimes the clients don't like what Harper has to say when she reads graves and the Joyce family was no exception. The revelation that the grandfather had died of fright and his caretaker had died in child birth had rocked the family to the core and the news didn't sit well.
After the grave reading, Harper and Tolliver make their way to Dallas to see their sisters. Unfortunately, danger follows Harper around like a shadow and her brother Tolliver is shot. Harper is now tasked with trying to find out who would try to shoot at them. Add Tolliver's fresh out of prison father to the mix and it's a big mystery filled with family drama. After a second attempt on Harper's life, she begins to wonder if someone really is out to kill her and why. Is it related to a past job? The Joyces? Her sister Cameron?
Family secrets come out of the woodwood work and I'll be honest, I had half of the ending guessed about 3/4 through. Alert readers can pick up on subtle clues and have an idea of the ending. You'll smack your head and say, "Oh yeah!" once the great secrets are revealed. The ends are all tied up, quite tidily. But I'll get to that in a minute....
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SPOILER ALERT - YOU'VE BEEN WARNED! *********************
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Ok, this is the part where I rant about the ending of the book. For four books, we've been following the journey of Tolliver and Harper as they travel around the country to read graves. Their cases were interesting and the books always left us satisfied, yet wanting more. In Grave Secret, the issue of Cameron's killer was resolved. It felt like the author had wrapped up the series, never to write another in the series. I urge her to please not abandon Harper and Tolliver in favor of Sookie. I know that Sookie is immensely popular right now, but Harper is a unique, quirky character. I'd love to read more of her adventures and even have her cross paths again with Manfred. Now that would be interesting.
It just seemed like the ends were all tied up, too tightly and too neatly. When I finished the book, I felt like I'd finished watching the Series Finale of a favorite show. It was too final and I do hope that Harper and Tolliver will be back. She gave us our happy ending and now fans like myself are wondering if it wasn't the end, the big happily ever after.
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