I waited until I had been able to buy all three parts of this graphic novel adaptation of Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris before I read them. Just because I have a copy of the original book didn't mean that I was willing to wait between parts.

Harper Connelly has been able to find corpses and know how they died since she was struck by lightning when she was 15. Now she uses that power to make a living. Her stepbrother, Tolliver Lang, who saved her life when the lightning struck her, is now her manager. This book opens with a flashback to seven years ago. It's about how Tolliver found Harper when she was walking around. Her older sister, Cameron, went missing. A crying Harper wonders she can't find her.

Back to the present, Harper is practicing her gift in a cemetery outside of Sarne, Arkansas. Tolliver is with her. Deputy Hollis Boxleitner shows up. He warns them about the hard-type state police that have just come. The biggest state officer is quite rude to Harper after the questioning in town. He even called her a vulture.

Tolliver and Harper find Mary Nell Teague, daughter of the Mrs. Teague who hired Harper to find her dead son Dell's girlfriend, Teenie Hopkins, waiting by their car. Three teen boys across the street come over. The biggest is Scotty, who is apparently sweet on Mary Nell and doesn't like her asking Tolliver if he wants to have a coke with her. (Scott goes so far as to say that people who talk to the dead have the devil in them. Harper doesn't talk to the dead, she merely knows their last moments.)
Harper invites Mary Nell to have dinner with her and Tolliver.

At the restaurant, Mary Nell drops a bombshell about Dell and Teenie. During the dinner, Harper gets a call from the deputy. They meet for a drink. She talks about her dream house. Hollis asks her about her worse case. It involved a tornado. She asks him about himself. When they part, they kiss.

Harper is jogging the next morning when Scotty nearly runs her over and then comes out of his truck to confront her. Good thing Harper is prepared. Sheriff Branscom shows up and helps.

Harper goes to a local funeral home, where she met Elijah Gleason, so she can get a reading on the murdered Helen Hopkins.

Harper and Tolliver have burgers with Deputy Hollis Boxleitner. It turns out that Helen, Sally, and Teenie Hopkins used to clean at the Teagues' house. Sally had found something there before she was murdered, but Hollis doesn't know what it was, only what Sally wanted to look it up in.

Harper and Tolliver go see Jay Hopkins, Helen's ex-husband, bio father of Sally, treated Teenie as if she were his own. They need something from him and he agrees.

A police officer named Marv Bledsoe arrests Tolliver, claiming there's an open warrant for him regarding the Montana incident that opened book one. He makes another claim that's just as shady.

Harper discusses this and what Sally discovered with Deputy Boxleitner. Harper finds it, but the clue makes no sense.

Part two ends with Harper and Hollis getting frisky. Its' a good continuation of the story. I'm pleased I managed to get the Sheriff's last name and the first name of Mrs. Teague's husband from this one.

This time the bonus material isn't just about the art. Wiliam Harms writes about adapting the book to a graphic novel format. ( )

Brilliant series of graphic novels. See no 1 for more detailed review. ( )

The artwork is a little weird. The story is what I remember. Kinda makes me want to try the rest of the series. ( )

I'm rarely a fan of graphic novel interpretations of books that I like, but this run has hit the spot. I think it gives me the parts of the story that I enjoy enough to re-read, along with an enjoyable "graphic" twist. I really wish I could buy the graphic version of the book as a whole, but collecting the pieces hasn't been too much of a pain. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: The longer they stay, the more they get involved, both with the murders and town bedmates.

Opening Sentence: “Get in the car.”

The Review:

In the second installment of Grave Sight, we get a more in depth look into the main characters. While being forced to stay in the little town of Sarne, Harper Connelly and Tolliver Lang continue to search for answers in the murder of Teenie and now her mother. The townsfolk are uncomfortable having Harper as their guest and start to react more violently towards her and her stepbrother. Even to the point of having one of them falsely arrested. The idea that the townsfolk fear Harper’s gift is not unusual. As people, we tend to fear that which we do not understand. With no way to remain separated from the instigators, can Harper remain safe from the unmitigated hatred that the people have for her while still finding the answers that she seeks?

The playfulness between siblings is more evident in this book. They both are very comfortable with one another and tease each other about their respective “interests”. For example, Hollis, a deputy, has made his interest in Harper known almost from the beginning. Both Harper and Tolliver are portrayed as open with their affections. Though, to be honest, how else are they going to get any with as much as they travel?

The artwork helps reflect each characters internal emotions. I find it interesting that everyone seems very animated except Hollis. I believe that this is deliberate. For all of his sharing his history, he remains aloof from Harper. The facial expressions help further enforce the differences in the townsfolk and their newest guests. This is one of the things that comes across as exceptional in the graphic novel version: the use of art to drive the story as opposed to the writing.

I look forward to the final chapter in this exciting new graphic novel series.

FTC Advisory: Dynamite Entertainment graciously provided me with a copy of Grave Sight: Book 2. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. The only payment I’ve received are in hugs and kisses from my little boys. ( )