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Ellen Hart
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The Grave Soul: A Jane Lawless Mystery (Jane Lawless Mysteries Book 23) Kindle Edition

by Ellen Hart (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 99 ratings
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Ellen Hart was named the 2017 MWA Grand Master, the most distinguished lifetime achievement award offered in the mystery community.

When Guthrie Hewitt calls on restaurateur and private investigator Jane Lawless, he doesn't know where else he can turn. Guthrie has fallen for a girl-Kira Adler. In fact, he was planning to propose to her on Christmas Eve. But his trip home with Kira over Thanksgiving made him uneasy. All her life, Kira has been haunted by a dream-a nightmare, really. In the dream, she witnesses her mother being murdered. She knows it can't be true because the dream doesn't line up with the facts of her mother's death. But after visiting Kira's home for the first time, and receiving a disturbing anonymous package in the mail, Guthrie starts to wonder if Kira's dream might hold more truth than she knows.

When Kira's called home again for a family meeting, Guthrie knows he needs Jane's help to figure out the truth, before the web of secrets Kira's family has been spinning all these years ensnares Kira too. And Jane's investigation will carry her deep into the center of a close-knit family that is not only fraying at the edges, but about to burst apart.

In The Grave Soul, MWA Grand Master Ellen Hart once again brings her intimate voice to the story of a family and the secrets that can build and destroy lives.

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  1. Book 23 of 27
    Jane Lawless Mysteries Series
  2. Print length
    319 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Minotaur Books
  5. Publication date
    October 6, 2015
  6. File size
    1115 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
99 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the mystery engaging, with exquisite plot twists that keep them guessing till the end. They also appreciate the fully developed and colorful characters. Readers describe the book as entertaining and a terrific experience.

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Mystery contentCharacter developmentEnjoyment
7 customers mention "Mystery content"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the mystery content engaging, exquisite, and humorous. They say the story keeps them guessing till the end. Readers also appreciate the surprise at the beginning.

"...Here, the characters come alive, the mystery is engaging (lost some sleep last night finishing it) and I always look forward immediately to the..." Read more

"...Fun, unencumbered, yet relevant and a good mystery each time." Read more

"...Hart always writes an extremely interesting mystery and it's great fun to see how it gets solved." Read more

"...I love The Grave Soul. Love the surprise at the begining (not recognizing it was our old friend who was the injured, confused woman.)..." Read more

4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters fully developed and colorful.

"...Here, the characters come alive, the mystery is engaging (lost some sleep last night finishing it) and I always look forward immediately to the..." Read more

"...The book is beautifully plotted and executed. The traditional characters are all there but they add flavor rather than dominating the story...." Read more

"...The colorful characters are always engaging and fun to read...." Read more

"...Other, great, fully developed characters as well. A winner." Read more

4 customers mention "Enjoyment"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and a terrific experience. They also appreciate the great, fully developed characters.

"...I slipped into one of her workshops. She was engaging, entertaining and I became an instant fan...." Read more

"...The colorful characters are always engaging and fun to read...." Read more

"This latest addition to the series is just a terrific experience...." Read more

"...Other, great, fully developed characters as well. A winner." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Moxiereader
5.0 out of 5 stars Ellen Hart does it again!
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2015
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I am an Ellen Hart junkie. I read everything she writes, especially this Jane Lawless series...In the welcome familiarity of these stories there are always exquisite plot twists and charmingly humorous conversations. Here, the characters come alive, the mystery is engaging (lost some sleep last night finishing it) and I always look forward immediately to the next one. In Grave Soul, the descriptions of the town, the bar and barn where things take place is especially vivid. Another excellent Ellen Hart sleuth story!
3 people found this helpful
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Jean F. Coldwell
4.0 out of 5 stars You Won't Want to Put This One Down
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2018
The Grave Soul, the 23rd book in Ellen Hart’s Jane Lawless mystery series, starts off with a bang on New Year’s Eve. And, no, it’s not fireworks. It’s a shocking prologue. While I’m generally not a fan of amnesia as a plot technique, in this case, there is a concussion involved, and it makes sense. The back of the book jacket quotes Entertainment Weekly, calling Ms. Hart as “a top novelist in the cultishly popular gay mystery genre.” While this may very well be true, I would urge any reader to check out Ellen Hart’s writing. The more I read her books, the better I like them. This one had me riveted to my spot in my book nook for hours on end until I could barely keep my eyes open.

Backtrack to days before Christmas. Guthrie Hewitt, a former employee of restaurateur Jane Lawless, calls upon her to investigate a possible murder. His girlfriend, Kira Adler, lost her mother when she was only five years old. Her death was officially ruled an accident, but after meeting the family and asking a few too many questions, Guthrie received an ominous, anonymous message. It was a photo of Kira’s mother with a threat to Guthrie to butt out. Now he wants to hire Jane, a licensed PI, to check out the Adler family.

Jane is reluctant to get involved. She has resolved to put her time and energy into her business for the time being. But after none of the other investigators Guthrie talks to will look into it, Jane’s friend, the effervescent theater producer Cordelia Thorn, volunteers them to take the job. Thus, Jane is hooked.

Eventually, she returns on her own for a longer stint and goes undercover, landing a job as a bartender for Kira’s dad Kevin. What better way to get close to the family and learn some secrets? Maybe. For every question that is unmasked, a new puzzle seems to emerge. This family seems to stick together. Beneath it all, however, something dark is simmering. What are they hiding? Kira seems caught in a web of deceit, yet she doesn’t even know that she should be afraid. Jane is obviously in danger, too. It’s just a matter of when, and where...

I found myself questioning almost every character in this book. Everyone seemed to have something to hide. Besides Kevin, there’s brother Doug, who’s an alcoholic. His wife Laurie is a former teacher and struggles with their marriage. Hannah, Kira’s aunt, was the most mysterious to me. She is a doctor in Eau Claire, sworn to protect life, yet I had my doubts even about her. Evangeline, her grandmother, too. She’s very nice and quite religious, but somehow she’s involved in the family coverup too. There are lots of family meeting. What’s that all about? Guthrie has good reason to be nervous about this dysfunctional family. I must also mention Father Mike. The parish priest is a long-time friend of the family and pretty much considers himself one of the family. He is apparently aware of much of what goes on in this family also, so I couldn’t scratch him off my list entirely.

As a private eye and bartender, Jane does what comes naturally – she snoops. That is to say, she asks questions, lots of questions. She listens quite a bit as well. When it all comes out in the wash, it’s not her decision to make. This up-in-the-air outcome might seem unsatisfactory to a lot of readers. It struck me that no one had truly gotten away with anything. Everyone involved had suffered in one way or another, perhaps more than if the law had done its job years before. The ones who perhaps suffered most were the daughters and the wives, and there is no way to make that up to them except to start telling the truth and let them finally live their lives.

4.5 stars
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D. Kaspersen
5.0 out of 5 stars One of her best - and all of her books are good!
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2015
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I am a long-time reader of Ellen Hart and I always enjoy her books, but this is absolutely one of her best. I discovered yesterday that it came out last month and bought it for my kindle. I started reading it early this afternoon and literally couldn't put it down. My kindle almost went in the shower with me - but I came to my senses long enough to leave it on the sink.

The book is beautifully plotted and executed. The traditional characters are all there but they add flavor rather than dominating the story. The fascinating Adler family provide quite enough drama and intrigue, as well as depth of character to fascinate the reader.

Bravo Ellen!
3 people found this helpful
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Roxanne Hall
5.0 out of 5 stars Can't wait for the Next
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2016
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I met Ellen Hart at the 1995 American Booksellers Association meeting in Chicago. I slipped into one of her workshops. She was engaging, entertaining and I became an instant fan. I love her Jane Laless series, and look forward to each one, savor the read, and dread the end! Fun, unencumbered, yet relevant and a good mystery each time.
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Valorie
5.0 out of 5 stars This is excellent!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2020
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10++++++!!!!
Wow, what a mess Jane got caught up in!!!!
A family dysfunction in a small town were everyone knows your name and family.
Then a terrible tragedy happens and it gets swept under the rug by several people in town for 20 years, then a piece of thread starts to unravel.
Jane is hired to find out what it is all about, and she gets caught in the middle of family DRAMA to the max.
You will love this book, i couldn't figure it out until the last chapter.
I lost a whole lot of sleep.
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Shadow Reviewer
3.0 out of 5 stars May Have Outgrown This Author
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2018
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It’s hard to get motivated to carry on with this story, and, having known a few artisic types, including Aasif Mandvi, who conduct themselves as conventional people, am still not understanding the outlandish antics of Cordelia.

Character development is lacking, and the story drags at a snail’s pace. For example, it took more than 20 chapters to reveal why I should have any sympathy for the victim.

Still appreciated is the desire of gay & lesbian individuals to be included, & the Cast of Characters in front. “The Grave Soul”, though, falls short of expectations.
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maytag
4.0 out of 5 stars It had a good twist.
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2016
This is part of the Jane Lawless PI series. She is hired by Guthrie to find out what happened to his girlfriend and what is going on in her life after she goes home for Christmas and he hasn't heard from her. She has had a nightmare all her life about the death of her mother and he wants to know what really happened. It had a good twist.
One person found this helpful
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Sally M. Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars I always like how Hart introduces her plot and then develops it
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2016
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The beginning of the story in this book took me by surprise. I always like how Hart introduces her plot and then develops it. The colorful characters are always engaging and fun to read. Hart always writes an extremely interesting mystery and it's great fun to see how it gets solved.
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Top reviews from other countries

JMB1779
4.0 out of 5 stars 23rd Jane Lawless mystery
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 10, 2016
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It's no secret that this is one of my favourite lesbian led sleuthing series. It's got great and likeable characters and good stories. I have been critical of some of the latter ones for not using Jane Lawless enough, but focusing more on the other characters, but I think that she is returning slowly in this one and I very much look forward to the next in series - as per usual.

In this instalment, Jane has to help her former employee Guthrie whose girlfriend Kira seems to have been caught up in something bad after returning to her home town to see her family. Jane, of course, is "assisted" by her larger than life best friend Cordelia Thorn and by an old flame, the dangerously attractive Dr Julia Martinsen.

This is the 23rd instalment in the series:
1. Hallowed Murder (1989)
2. Vital Lies (1991)
3. Stage Fright (1992)
4. A Killing Cure (1993)
5. A Small Sacrifice (1994)
6. Faint Praise (1995)
7. Robber's Wine (1996)
8. Wicked Games (1998)
9. Hunting The Witch (1999)
10. The Merchant of Venus (2001)
11. Immaculate Midnight (2002)
12. An Intimate Ghost (2004)
13. The Iron Girl (2005)
14. Night Vision (2006)
15. The Mortal Groove (2007)
16. Sweet Poison (2008)
17. The Mirror and the Mask (2009)
18. The Cruel Ever After (2010)
19. The Lost Women of Lost Lake (2011)
20. Rest for the Wicked (2012)
21. Taken by the Wind (2013)
22. The Old Deep and Dark (2014)
23. The Grave Soul (2015)
24. Fever in the Dark (2016)

Read if you like the heroines of JM Redmann, Katherine W Forrest, Jean Marcy, Kate Calloway, Kate Sweeney etc.
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