Sheriff Bree Taggert is investigating the murder of a former deputy and his mother. She had recently forced him out of office.
she works with a criminal investigator and they soon find the deputy had upset a lot of people. But there is someone out there who doesn't want the past dug up and they are out to get Bree any way they can.
Then her chief deputy goes missing and Bree isn't go to leave any stone unturned until she finds him.

Sheriff Bree Taggert stops in at an isolated farm to do a welfare check on an elderly widow, called in by a concerned neighbour. When there is no response she expects perhaps a fall or heart attack. She does not expect to find a double homicide, with evidence of horrific torture. She is further shocked when she realises one of the victims is a former corrupt deputy, Eugene Oscar, whom she recently forced out of her department.

She calls in criminal investigator Matt Flynn to work on the case with her. She soon realises that she was not the only person to have issues with the former deputy. As the Sheriff digs into the case she discovers that someone doesn’t want her looking into Eugene’s past. Or his links to them. She becomes the target of a smear campaign, aimed at destroying her public and private life. In a small town this doesn’t take much to spread fast, and soon the city council are calling for her resignation. Sheriff Taggert has to fight for her job, as well as fight to find the killer. Then her chief deputy goes missing, and it is a race against time to find him alive.

This is the 5th book in the Bree Taggert series, but each book works really well as a stand alone, but I would recommend each in the series. Taggert is a wonderful character, she is a strong female role, who has men and women looking up to her, and respecting her for the job she does. She is not over the top, and also has a vulnerable side. Her relationship with the investigator Mike Flynn, and with her adopted children shows the other side of her, and what drives her to do her job. She is realistic, relatable and likeable, and you would want to depend on her if you found yourself in a crazy situation! Overall, a brilliant read, that I devoured in one sitting as it had me on the edge of my seat. It also explored the concept of deep fakes and their impact on public figures, and particularly the impact they can have on female public figures in a way that showed just how damaging the ramifications could be. It was scary, because you could see it occurring the way it did on the pages of this book.

*I received this copy from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

It’s been a while since I’ve indulged in a mystery novel. I’m not normally into them but, once in a while, I will treat myself. But what to choose? Hmmm… And then I saw Melinda Leigh had a new book coming out. Never mind that I hadn’t read any of the previous books in her Bree Taggert series. I know just on who the author was, I was going to like it. And of course I was right!

When Sheriff Bree Taggert heads out to a farm to do an elderly check, she doesn’t expect to find a double homicide. And she certainly doesn’t expect to find someone she knew. The victims: the corrupt former deputy she fired and his mother. As she begins her investigations, she finds she’s not the only one who had issues with him. Worse, now she’s a victim herself. Someone has launched a smear campaign to destroy her reputation and career. Bree isn’t going to let that stop her from solving the murders even when things begin to point her way as being the prime suspect.

Ooooo…this was a good one. I liked how the plot was laid out and how it had more than just the murders to solve. The added elements of other little unknowns definitely kept everything moving at a nice pace. Those extras help distract me enough to keep me from just focusing on the whodunit. If I figure out too early who the killer is. No chance of this here. Was a surprised? No not really but then again, I also wouldn’t have guessed the killer was….

I really enjoyed Bree. She’s a strong character without being over the top. I liked how her relationship with Mike, her kids, and the other characters gave her depth. There’s enough of backstory that I understand all the players and has certainly perked my interest to search out previous titles in this series. Guess I have some reading to do until the next in the book comes out.


Stars: 4
I received this book from Netgalley. I was not compensated for the book other than the entertainment it provided. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DAgainst Her by M. Leigh is the fifth stand-alone in the Bree Taggert Series by this author. The book is published by Montlake.
Every book in this series is a stand-alone, interconnected with some cross-overs to previous books.
Bree is the county's Sheriff and her next case starts with a double murder on a farm.
What seems an easy case turns into a complex, fast paced, wrenching, raw and gritty story, emotional and had me sitting on the edge of my seat. With a target painted on her back and employees missing,she's running out of timeI read the whole book, cover to cover, in one sitting, unputdownable, literally.
I loved meeting Bree again, reading about her family, her romantic life, her job who's her calling. A 5 star read when I ever saw one.

Sheriff Bree Taggart goes on a routine welfare check to an isolated farm house. What she finds there is a brutal murder scene, an elderly woman and her son tied to chairs and shot dead. The son is Bree’s former Deputy Eugene Oscar, who retired when Bree took office to avoid facing corruption charges. Working with her team and Criminal Investigator Matt Flynn, Bree begins to dig into Eugene’s life. Unfortunately someone doesn’t want them digging too deep and Bree becomes the target of frightening, very personal, attacks.
Her Chief Deputy, Todd, goes missing and Bree knows that unless they find him quickly he will be another casualty of the case.
Great story, characters you can really relate to and very well written. This is the first of these books I have read but I will be going back and getting the other Bree Taggart books because I feel I have missed out on a great character. Bree is tough but also vulnerable. She has great empathy and understanding of her colleagues and her relationship with Matt is realistic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dead Against Her follows Sheriff Bree Taggert as she investigates the violent double murder of a former deputy with a vendetta against her after Bree fired him from the police force and his mother. The further Bree gets into her investigation, she reveals that many people would want him dead, and someone will go to great lengths to keep this case’s secrets buried.

This was my first read by Melinda Leigh, but it definitely won’t be my last. Dead Against Her was an intriguing mystery that kept me guessing. Some of my favorite elements of this story, however, was getting to know the characters, including Bree, freelance criminal investigator (and love interest) Matt Flynn, Bree’s brother Adam, and her niece and nephew, Luke and Kayla. I’m already looking forward to returning to this world in future books and can’t wait to see the next mysteries that Bree and Matt will tackle together.

Leigh’s books are very popular with our patrons, and I think this entry in the series will be another winner with my community’s readers. 4 stars.

Nothing worse when investigating a crime when colleagues start to missing, nothing is as clear cut as it looks ..

Bree Taggart goes out on a welfare check and finds the bodies of a former deputy and his mother. They have both been shot. The investigation brings up past problems she had when she took over the Sheriffs department. She is also receiving disturbing emails and threats. She brings in her boyfriend Matt, a former investigator to help with the case, Their investigation takes them to other former deputies and finds that there is more going on than they thought. When the family of the victims try to push suspicion on to her Bree has to pass the investigation on to another department, but not before one of her deputies is abducted to try to stall their investigation. Bree and Matt concentrate on finding the deputy. In the middle of all this Bree is also dealing with deepfake images of her and all the political fall out this causes. We get to see more of Bree and Matt’s relationship and her home life which I liked. I know she has deal with the harassment, but it was nice that she wasn’t the one being physically attacked for a change. I think this is my favourite book of the series so far.

This was my fifth Bree Taggert book, and like the previous four, I loved it. I found the story interesting, the development of the relationships satisfying, the events that occur very present day and I found myself getting angry at the things Bree was constantly having to deal with in her job; i.e. superiors and the press. The end of the book had me tied up in knots! 4-1/2 stars

Thanks you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is such a page-turner, I was up all night reading it. Bree, the new female sheriff is called to a murder scene, and the victim turns out to be known to her. The plot involves the murder investigation, revenge porn, conspiracy theorists, incels, and a right-wing vigilante group, and also an adopted family, a lover and a lot of dogs. All the plot strands are interlinked in a totally satisfactory way, there's never any confusion about what's going on, or who is who. Really enjoyable and great writing style.

An Okay Read

With the book cover, the description, and all the four and five star reviews, I was excited to get to read this book. The narrative opened strongly with … “Hate is a living thing, a seed to be planted and watered.” … and a little further on … “Regret is a funny emotion. By definition, you can’t experience it until after the fact.”



Unfortunately, I soon got bogged down in passive writing, split infinitives galore, crutch words and repetition. After just the first few chapters, I lost count of how many times the reader was informed Oscar had been fired by Bree, and all the whys and wherefores around that.

I liked that the main protagonist is such a strong character, and here are some more lines I loved …

”Weedy pastures and run-down structures painted a desolate landscape.”

And … “The foyer was like its owner, dated but well kept.”

All in all, an okay read that starts slow and is heavy on description at times, but has likeable characters and a good plot. A solid three stars from me.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

Oh I am just loving this series, this series just a nice way to spend an evening escaping into that environment, there is always something going on in middle america.

The relationships continue to develop and and so well researched so for example I am learning more and more about rescue dogs and their building up to become police dogs. Really interesting.

I cannot wait for the next one - always delivers

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Nice to catch up with author Melinda Leigh again in the 5th book in Bree Taggert series. As always, extremely well written, flows well, not over descriptive and lots happening to keep the pages turning.

There seems to be a double murder at a remote farmhouse and sheriff Bree, together with criminal investigator Matt Flynn, are called in to action. Whilst the story is familiar and maybe similar to other books, there are plenty of twists and turns. Bree is also not so much of a 'loner' now?

Always a quality book from Ms Leigh but not quite 5 stars.

Thanks to Net Galley and Montlake for the chance to read and review..

A solid, well-written detective novel with likeable main characters who have nicely drawn-in home lives. I haven't read any of the previous books in this series but I had no problem keeping up with events. Well=paced, believable twists and turns and a good ending. You can't ask for much more than that, really.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have been a fan of Melinda Leigh for a long time, but this might be my favorite of all of her books. It has more intensity and excitement than ever. I loved that we got to see some of her characters cross over from her other series into this story.

This fifth Bree Taggart mystery begins with her doing a wellness check on her way home from work and discovering two murdered people. One of them is the deputy that she wanted to fire but who managed to retire because she didn't have concrete evidence of his corruption.

As she and her deputies and her investigator/boyfriend Matt Flynn investigate, Bree also has to do with harassment through a series of hate emails. That would be bad enough but then things escalate when someone begins posting deepfakes and revenge porn by posting her head on porn star bodies and sharing the videos all over the internet.

The fake videos threaten to take over all her time when she should be tracking down a murderer. Luckily, she hires Morgan Dane to help her by suing any place where the videos are being posted. That doesn't stop one of the county supervisors from demanding that Bree remove herself from the investigation or resign her position as sheriff.

When her chief deputy is kidnapped, she and Matt need to put all the pieces together if they want to save him and solve the crime.

This was a fast-paced story with lots of tension. I like the way Bree is growing into her new role as parent to her niece and nephew. I also like the way her relationship with Matt is progressing.

Another suspenseful and fast-moving book in the Bree Taggert series! Bree is the local sheriff and she is hands on. She is so realistic I can always picture her as she investigates crimes, as well as being an instant parent to a niece and nephew. She uses a lot of the same tools in both roles. The other characters are believable also, and everything that happens is true-to-life. There’s romance, suspense and thrills packed in this book. The book is so well written I didn’t resolve the murder in my mind until there were only 50 pages left to read. I recommend this series to anyone who likes a good mystery. I think it would be beneficial to read the series from the beginning to understand better how previous events make the story. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Dead Against Her by Melinda Leigh that I read and reviewed.
This is the fifth book in the Bree Taggert series and I had a hard time getting into this one. I could just not get into this book at all. Maybe it was because I did not like Oscar in the previous books and I really had zero feelings that he got murdered. He was a dirty cop and he got his and I had no interest in how or why. I guess this whole thing with the bad cops from the old police chief is being dragged out way to long is is really making me get sick of this series. They are gone and yet have way too much power on Bree’s force which is very small. It just seems strange.
I can only give this book three out of five stars because the storyline just does not move on from the past ever.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is book number 5 in the Bree Taggert series and Melinda Leigh has written another fast paced thriller.

Bree responds to a welfare check and finds two dead bodies one of which she knows well! As the book progresses she falls under suspicion and her deputy goes missing.

This is a total page turner and I haven’t been able to put it down.

I really enjoyed this, the whodunnit, the relationships Bree has with Matt and the kids and especially the K9 aspect! 100% recommend.

Dead Against Her is book #5 in the Bree Taggert series by @melindaleigh1 and it doesn’t disappoint. Book 5 picks up about two months after the events of book 4 ended with the murder of a former deputy and his mother. With the former deputy’s estranged family, his ex wife, and a convicted felony being people of interest in the case, the media disregards the evidence and decides to set its sights on Bree instead. Clearly fake images of Bree surface and she becomes a suspect as the media calls for her resignation. It’s up to Bree, Matt and her other deputies to clear her name and find out what her former deputy was involved in that lead to his death all before more bodies begin to appear.

One of the things I love about this series is that not a lot of time has passed between each of the books giving you that connection to the characters and their lives. Bree has made huge progress in her personal life even if she still feels out of her depth. Her relationship with Matt is solid and strong, she’s found her routine and her relationship with her niece and nephew is good, and her brother is more involved in their lives. Bree has also found more solid ground in her role as Sheriff even if it means dealing with things (and people) she would rather avoid. This is a great series for anyone who loves a strong female MC and a good mystery!



Thank you @melindaleigh1 , @amazonpublishing , Montlake, and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.