A brutal double murder shocks Grey’s Hollow. The killer will do anything to stop the investigation, including bringing Sheriff Bree Taggert down. Can Bree figure out who the killer is before anyone else gets hurt and her reputation ruined?

With no shortage of potential suspects, this fast-paced, complex murder mystery will keep you guessing until the end. The inclusion of timely issues, like harassment, deep fakes, gender bias, and extremist groups, enhances the story.

As a fan of this series, my favorite part of this book was seeing Bree at home in Grey’s Hollow. She’s excelling as sheriff, embracing her relationship with police investigator Matt, and comfortable in her role as guardian to her niece and nephew. I can’t wait to see what is next for Bree!

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for the opportunity to read an early digital copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this voluntary review are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this title. Dead Against Her by Melinda Leigh is the fifth in the Sheriff Bree Taggert books, though it can be read as a standalone. On a well-being check Bree discovers two bodies - tied up and shot, one is an old lady, the owner of the property, the other her son, Eugene Oscar, who she had forced out of the department. Working with a private consultant investigator Matt Flynn, who also happens to be her boyfriend Bree tries to get to the bottom of the killings. Bree comes under personal attack in a nasty revenge porn kind of way and has to fight to stay on the case. A solid read but the lovey dovey relationship between Matt and Bree and the constant dog sub plotting weren't really for me. A solid three stars.

I loved this book. I was hooked from the start and read it in two sittings. With plenty of twists to keep you guessing this is a brilliant page turner.

This is the first book I've read from this author but I now need to read the first 4 of this series.

Will definitely recommend to and crime genre fans.

Another solid addition to the Bree Taggert series. An enjoyable, fast read.

I’ve read the whole series and can definitely say, they should be read in order if only to have a better understanding of the characters.

Thank you #netgalley and #montlake for the eARC.

This book started off with a bang, the twists and turns of this book kept me reading. I just couldn’t guess who it was and with the other story running alongside made this book really enjoyable. The ending was brilliant. Loved this one. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When it rains it pours. Trouble, that is, not rain. And Bree Taggert is up to her lovely neck in a passel to troubles. All right, enough with the all the tried and, in this case true, clichés. Bree has her hands full with several nasty things going on at the same time and I love how she is depending on Matt as her partner more and more. I love that their relationship is growing and that Bree is no longer hiding her feelings for him. A small part of her hard as nails persona is cracking and, even though she is still very much the woman in control she is sharing more of her burdens with Matt.

It all starts with a wellness check on an elderly woman called in by a concerned neighbor. What Sheriff Bree Taggert finds are two dead bodies. The elderly woman is dead and so is her son, former deputy Eugene Oscar, who left the department under a cloud of corruption.

During the initial investigation, Bree finds is that there is no shortage of suspects for the murders including the woman's brother, an antigovernment group - The Hudson Huntsmen, and the Sheriff herself. Facing intense scrutiny, Bree is forced to give up the investigation, but that doesn't mean she is quitting the hunt for the killer, especially when her chief deputy has gone missing and everything she holds dear is on the line.

Dead Against Her by Melinda Leigh is the 5th book in the Bree Taggart series. Although 5th in the series, you can read this as a stand-a-lone. But after reading this book you will want to read the rest of the books in the series.

Sheriff Bree Taggart is a great character trying to balance her job, raising a family (her niece and nephew) and her new relationship will Matt Flynn. Now, she has to solve the murder of her former, corrupt deputy she recently fired. But nothing is ever easy.

There are multiple layers to this book. There is a complication due to her past working relationship with the murder victim, a smear campaign that affects her family and her chief deputy goes missing.

This is a fast-paced can’t put down book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I will go back and read the first four books in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This one wasn't bad and it wasn't exceptionally amazing either. But it was a good enough thriller that it kept my attention and had me guessing until the very end. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a quick, suspenseful, and entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
First publication I've read by this author.
Very decent read that kept me entertained all the way through.
Instantly likeable main characters and good story also.
Look forward to reading more by this author.

A very easy to read well written tale.
Excellent character descriptions major and minor. The story runs along at a breakneck pace.I read it in one sitting.
A compulsive read. .

This was my first time meeting Bree, now the sheriff and not popular with everyone in town. The discovery of a body, following a welfare check called in by a neighbour, and the subsequent questioning of the townsfolk results in the targeting of Bree in a hate campaign designed to destroy her and to distract from the truth of what is going on in town.
You can almost hear the duelling banjos at several points in the book as the fighting and skullduggery rises and rises and the body count threatens to increase again!

The Bree Taggart books have to be one of my favourite series at the moment! They just keep getting better and better. I just love the way Melinda Leigh crafts a mystery.

I recently got back into reading thrillers, and I’m so glad I discovered Melinda Leigh! I found her upcoming release (this one) on NetGalley and grabbed it, planning to read the series so I knew the background of the characters. I managed to read book 0.5 and 1 first (time got away from me, but I’ll go back for the rest), which was enough, and definitely necessary reading material before diving into this book. I would have been a bit lost without that basic knowledge.

Detective (now Sheriff) Bree Taggert had the worst childhood, a rough last few years, and now someone seems to be out to make her life even more difficult, through harassing emails and messages. Someone isn’t happy with her promotion, or perhaps that a female is now in charge? Or maybe they don’t like the fact that everything changed when the former Sheriff was no longer running a corrupt department and the corrupt officers were released from duty. Whatever the answer, one of those former deputies just turned up dead, and Bree found the body - and there are some out there that believe it’s mighty suspicious, calling for her resignation.

This was such a beautifully written novel, full of so many perfectly great twists and turns, where suspicion is cast upon every single character so well, and you never quite know… until you just know exactly who dunnit, and you can’t guess at the safety of anyone involved until the end - and then you can finally breathe a sigh of relief. This one is hard to put down because you just have to finish to find out, exactly what the heck is going on here! So many weird and wild things!

I defend recommend this to everyone who enjoys any sort of thriller, especially police detective series. Super well done!

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Montlake, and this is my honest feedback.

**First order of business is mentioning a content error that I am guessing (hoping) has already been fixed since this pubs in 2 days: at about 35% (Loc 1962-1967 ish) in Chapter Twelve which is told regarding Todd, there is a sentence that begins with "Matt suspected" There is nothing to suggest this should not say "Todd suspected" as the rest of the chapter regards his interactions.

Let me begin the review by saying I went into this knowing there were previous Bree Taggert novels and I haven't read any of them. In fact, this is actually my very first book by Melinda Leigh. Not having Bree's full backstory didn't hinder the experience here for me at all. We are given enough details to know the important details of where Bree is in life.

I thought the writing was fast-paced. I liked the story. The very first chapter is told from the perspective of the killer with little detail as to who it could be. The suspects start to pile up, all with their own issues with (and probable motives against) the victim. Bree and Matt's professional & personal relationship was enjoyable for me. It felt like they could go into stressful situations fully trusting one another; but the romance didn't distract from the mystery. (Maybe this is more fully fleshed out in the previous books? Again, I wouldn't know as I didn't read them but it was a good amount for me here).

Overall I thought this was an enjoyable, quick read and I'm excited to go back to read more about Bree as well as another of this author's series-stars who makes an appearance.

Big thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for the early copy to read and review! And happy almost Pub Day!

Bree gets classier with every book. She’s an outstanding Sheriff, loving aunt/mom to her niece and nephew, and most of the community love her. But of course, there’s always someone who’s not happy. Bree is a woman and that can threaten some people, mostly men. So she’s dealing with threats while solving a double homicide. This homicide is unique with too many questions and too much scrutiny from outside entities. As usual Bree is doing it all and forgetting to rely on her family, Matt and other deputies. I love when she says, “I’m a working sheriff.” Sort of puts those lazy law enforcement guys in their place. Another outstanding mystery! I received my early copy through Netgalley, review given freely.

Not realizing this was part of a series, I was still able to enjoy this book. Knowing Bree’s backstory would probably have enhanced my understanding of her character, but I definitely enjoyed her strength in this read. Each of the characters added a new dimension to the plot. The twists and turns held my interest throughout, but the ending was somewhat of a disappointment, except the importance of Bree’s tattoos. The fact that a woman’s reputation can be so impacted by deep fakes is very maddening. I like the way Melinda Leigh covered that topic within the pages of this book.
My very favorite character was hero Brody! Sounds like Todd and Cady will be together in the next book in the series. I am planning on reading the first four in the series to fill in the blanks regarding Bree.
Three and a half stars. Many thanks to Melinda Leigh, Montlake, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this soon to be published book.

Thanks to Melinda and NetGalley for allowing me to read Dead Against Her before the publication date.
This is the first book in the series which I have read.

Following a call from Homer Johnson, a concerned neighbour, Sheriff Bree Taggert takes a welfare call to a remote farm. She finds 2 people strapped to chairs and shot dead. Camilla Brown is a 70 year old widow who owns the property.
The second victim is Eugene Oscar, a corrupt former deputy who blames Bree for forcing him out of his job.

Bree needs help to work this case and employs criminal investigator Matt Flynn, a former K9 officer who, along with his dog Brody, was medically retired.
The investigation uncovers aspects of Oscar’s life which highlight a number of people who would have motive to kill him. But why kill Camilla?

Bree has already been receiving anonymous hate mail and now faked photos have been circulated which stir up more hate in the community. Reporter Paris Vickers is quick to fan the flames, distracting from the murders with her demands that Bree resign. The self-important Country supervisor sees her opportunity to get involved.

Reluctantly, Bree accepts that her history with Oscar could be seen as a conflict of interest and hands over the investigation. It doesn’t take long before she finds herself in the sights of the new investigator, Philip Ash.

When her chief deputy, Todd Harvey disappears, Bree is determined to find him.
With the animosity which she encountered from the deputies who supported the previous chief, can she rely on their support to save Todd?

The numerous characters keep the reader engaged but none more so than Brody, who is ever present throughout the story. Melinda has managed to personify him with lines which communicate his thoughts and feelings and dog lovers will be on tenterhooks for the aging K9.
This is a story of politics, misogyny, corrupt police, media interference and conspiracy theorists with a little hint of romance for good measure. As you would expect from a thriller, there are plenty of twists, turns and red herrings in the tale.

I love the Bree Taggert series. These stories are fast paced hold your breath suspense that once you start you have to keep reading. Melinda Leigh add twists and turns that readers don’t see coming. Over the series it has been fun to watch Bree grow in her relationships and her role as guardian of her niece and nephew. As a longtime fan of Leigh, I Ioved how she brought some characters from another series into this highly engaging installment. Thank you to NetGalley and Montclair for the opportunity to read an advance copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

A very enjoyable book to read. Good characters and a storyline that you can get into easily enough with a few twists and turns to keep you intrigued. Good book for a night on the sofa with a glass or wine or sitting by the pool in the summer.

I was thrown off-guard by the book.
I've never heard of Melinda Leigh before, so I didn't really know what to expect when I started reading it and right from the first page, I was hooked.
Damn - this was one hell of a ride.
I now need to read the other books in the series.