Harper Connelly and her stepbrother Tolliver use her lightning-induced, body-locating abilities to make their living. Their cases are evenly divided between the searches for a body and the cemetery readings on cause of death. Harper and Tolliver meet with Twyla and newly appointed Sheriff Rockwell to discuss the case. On an icy lot, Harper locates Twyla’s grandson’s body quickly. Harper’s reaction to the boy’s horrific death is compounded when she finds seven more murdered teenagers in the same makeshift graveyard. She collapses, feeling the pain of the boys’ tortured deaths. The discovery flips a missing persons case into a serial killer investigation, and the press descends on the small town. Harper wants to put thousands of miles between her and the monster who caused the boys’ unspeakable torture. Her would-be flight from town stalls as she fights off mysterious attackers and the suspicions of the police.

In An Ice Cold Grave, author Charlaine Harris writes of a young psychic woman who makes the most of her past tragic events. This is the first book I have read from Harris, and I enjoyed the layers of conflict in the down-home, lively characters. Harper is a believable character, fighting fears in the midst of extraordinary circumstances. The relationship between Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver explodes in this book, though this change underlines the story from the beginning. Readers should note the content warnings including disturbing themes, like child sexual abuse and torture. Harris conjures up strong characters, throws them in a pot, and stirs in scary adventures. Readers will enjoy the troubled and talented Harper and the twists of good and evil characters.