An Ice Cold Grave (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 3) | Charlaine Harris

An Ice Cold Grave (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 3) | Charlaine Harris | Almost 5

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An Ice Cold Grave ...

	An Ice Cold Grave (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 3) Charlaine Harris Berkley Prime Crime, 2007 - 280 pages average customer review:based on 49 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Hired to find a boy gene missing in Doraville, North Carolina, Harper Connelly and her brother Tolliver head there-only to discover that the boy was only one of several who had disappeared over the previous five years. All of them teenagers. All unlikely runaways. All calling for Harper. Harper soon finds them-eight victims, buried in the half-frozen ground, all come to an unspeakable end. Afterwards, what she most wants to do is collect her fee and get out of town ahead of the media storm that's soon to descend. But when she's attacked and prevented from leaving, she reluctantly becomes a part of the investigation as she learns more than she cares to about the dark mysteries and long-hidden secrets of Doraville-knowledge that makes her the next person likely to rest in an ice-cold grave.

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Getting To Know Harris

About a month ago I read all the Sookie Stackhouse books, and decided to read her other stories. I like this series. I think anyone who reads Ms. Harris has to expect creepy and unresolved relationships.

I have no problem with Tolliver and Harper becoming a couple. They aren't brother and sister and didn't come together until they were teenagers. Plus, from the moment they're parents married, Tolliver and Harper were placed in the role of mother and father to the two youngest children. They weren't able to be children together, they had adult responsibilities and only had each other to lean upon and offer comfort and support.

I was disappointed in how the love scene was written. I understand that Harper is only 24 or 25 and Tolliver around 28, but the juvenile language that the author uses to express their thoughts and feeling, doesn't fit their relationship. It should have been fraught with the tension of Tolliver's fear of almost losing Harper.

We experience his increasing jealousy, which is normal, but that shouldn't have been the reason for the two of them to finally express their adult love for one another. After all that they have experienced together and their emotional commitment to each other, their coming together should have been more passionate, sweet, and filled with loving words. Yes, Tolliver does express some of his thoughts, but it's just not done to my satisfaction.

As seems to Ms. Harris's way, I expect that Tolliver and Harper will eventually break up as a couple, and maybe come back together at then end of the series. I hope that this statement proves false, as I think, it would be more real if they grew to trust one another as a couple, and allowed their feelings to become firm with love and commitment. After their childhood and what they've experienced since Harper being hit by lightening, this would be the most satisfactory outcome, at least for me.

As an aside, I think Tolliver's biological brother killed Harper's biological sister and we'll find this out in a future book. I hope Ms. Harris doesn't make it that Tolliver knew, because he so would not have kept this from Harper. Tolliver may have his faults, but he does love Harper more then anyone else. I think if this hypothesis proves true (his brother being the killer)that this will cause some hurt to the couple. However, it would only make them realize what they've always known that they only have each other.

I thought the story was well done, and I'm interested and awaiting the next book.

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Almost 5

I'm really enjoying the Harper Connelly series by Charlaine Harris. The heroine is unusual, the story-lines are fresh (and a great departure from the talking pet formula). I can't wait to see what is coming next!

I would have given this book 5 stars, but frankly, the whole nad-licking scene was off-putting. I'm not a prude, but gratuitous crap like that is jarring and in my opinion added nothing to an otherwise gripping and exciting storyline.

Harris is a talented author when she uses her own voice and isn't trying to channel authors like Bertrice Small. Somebody should give her editor a slap upside the head.

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Ice Cold Grave

I love Charlaine Harris, period. She is a bit scary, and always great fun.
When one of her books is published, I inhabit her world for as long as the story lasts.

"Ice Cold Grave," is suspenseful, a little sexy, as are all of her books, and great fun.

Mrs. Harris claims to be a soccer mom, but she is so much more. I wish she lived across the street. Not next door, mind you. I wouldn't be too happy if one of her vampires showed up in my bedroom... On second thought, maybe I would.

Better than I was expecting

After the previous two books, I knew where the two lead characters were heading. (Unfortunately)

However, the writing which got them to that predictable spot was REALLY good. And the character development after that point seemed fresh and fully explored.

The crime which serves as the reason for the book is disturbing.

But I didn't know exactly where the story was leading, and the last major plot point was a surprise. So this is the best of the three Harper books to date.

The lead characters have much more depth than was apparent in the first book.

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Easy to forget

I am a huge fan of this author but this book was easy to forget. Stick with the Sookie Stackhouse series if you like her and either put this one on the summer reading list or leave it be altogether. It just didn't give me a lasting impression.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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