Grave Secret

I'd say that wraps it up for this series. No, I won't tell you why I'm saying that, or it'll ruin the book for you.

The Harper Connelly series hasn't ever been as strong as the Southern Vampire series, in my opinion, but it wasn't too bad in comparison to some of her earlier work, like the Aurora Teagarden and Shakespeare mysteries. She seemed to be experimenting with something darker this time around. I haven't looked at the Amazon rank or any other figures for the series, but it's my gut feeling that they never took off in comparison to the Sookie Stackhouse series, especially since True Blood has gotten so much attention with the television series. I have to wonder what that feels like for Ms. Harris, as this really was a decent concept with some promise, and it doesn't seem to have been given that much of a chance to blossom.

In any case, Harper and her brother are prickly characters and not very easy to relate to, and they don't get any easier in this book. They are back in their home town, and we get to now a lot more about their origins this time around. We finally get the whole story about their missing sister, and we meet the two little sisters who live with an aunt and uncle.

The portrayal of the devout blue-collar people with their working-man's faith is absolutely smack on. I came from those people, and I could taste the sweet tea and see the linoleum and the absolutely clean Formica dinette, feel the cracked chairs the characters sat on and look around at the carefully kept house. Harris did a great job with that town and those people, so much so that I'm sure she either came from a similar place or has spent plenty of time in one.

There isn't as much new magic/plot stuff as there are answers this time. The sexy gypsy boy-almost-man is back, to my delight. Harper's love interest is still a bit of a squick, but I suppose it makes sense for the characters. I have to wonder how many authors would stick with that kind of decision, knowing the backlash they'd get from their readers?

If you've read the other Harper Connelly books, read this one for closure. If you haven't, this isn't the place to start!

Spoilers
Overall, this book is about what defines a family, family relationships, and how far one would go to protect it. Drug addicted father recently out of prison tries to reconnect with his family. The legally brother and sister, but not blood relatives, main characters become engaged. And even the main plot twist with the youngest vs oldest sisters and what lengths the rest of the family would go to protect them.

This book finally deals with the endlessly rehashed family issues from the previous book in a few creative twists. I was actually disappointed this was the last book in the series since it would have to deal with cases (and the ...slightly disturbing but technically okay... relationship between the main characters after being brought up as brother and sister).

Pros:
A nicely complex plot ties Harper's case and her family woes together.
We get to meet the rest of the family and see their interactions with each other and their definition of family. I really enjoyed how the case and the Cameron case intertwined.

Still a fun, light story with novel ideas.

Cons: (Plot issues that really threw me out of the story)
For claiming to be smarter than average, Harper and Toliver make some silly decisions. Toliver and a police officer were both shot by someone trying for Harper. Yet, the next day she insists on going back to the same hotel without waiting for an escort so she can... shower.

In spite of a phone call in the last book (a few weeks/months prior) by a stressed woman resulting in a gun battle, Harper and Toliver fall for the same trick again.

The same trick results in 2 people dead, but our hero and heroine are promptly back in the car looking for a hotel room. Evidently all the police response in the other books is not the norm in Dallas/Texarkana.

Once 2 people are dead and Toliver hospitalized, the shooter inexplicably ignores the vulnerable Harper and stops trying to kill her.

Some of the family stories still include the same ‘cut and paste' descriptions found in the other 3 books. There are at least some new examples and descriptions.