Dead Against Her is the fifth in the Bree Taggart series - and the best yet.

Taggart is a former Philly homicide detective turned upstate New York sheriff with a tragic family background. Now caring for her murdered sister's children she is building a new life in a new job - against resistance from the old guard. So when she finds the bodies of a former deputy who retired in murky circumstances and his mother, she knows it will be a difficult case.

Life gets even more complicated for Bree when she is targeted by a hate campaign, with the local press soon on her back. Fighting misogyny as well as trying to solve a murder case and deal with a teenage stepson takes its toll. And then her chief deputy goes missing ...

Dead Against Her is a good murder mystery with several added levels of suspense. The cast of characters has been well developed in pervious books and gives a solid foundation for this excellent series.

The latest entry in Leigh's Bree Taggert series is as good as stories #1-#4. It has one of the best endings I have seen in Ms. Leigh's books, making me think of stories one reads about the harrowing training experienced by SEALS.

As always, Ms. Leigh's attention to detail and monologuing in the main character's head brings out the tremendous research she does, making it more enjoyable.

I received a copy of an uncorrected proof for Netgalley, but I couldn't see anything to correct.

Well, Dead Against Her certainly hits the deck running, with a hook that grips you from the first page. Sheriff Bree Taggert certainly doesn't have an easy time in her job. First a double homicide and then she's a victim of deep fake video pornography. I must say I was shouting at the book that she must recuse herself long before the plot got round to that. Frankly the deep fake device Melinda Leigh carefully wove in to her novel was the first I have come across to put a shot across the bows of an active investigation and it was so well done. Dreadful I know but very original. The novel was a real page turner but I have to mitigate my praise for it having come from a series of novels where the story flip flopped from past to present on alternating chapters. Dead Against Her is not one of those, it is chronologically linear and I really liked that. My only criticism was that it lacked a certain depth and the ending was a little 'motherhood and apple pie'. However, who doesn't like a happy ending?
Oh, and do farmers plant hay? Maybe if they do, trawlermen catch kippers!
If Melinda upped the depth angle then she would get a five star review from me.

Name of Book: Dead Against Her
Author: Melinda Leigh
Publisher: Montlake
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: May 17, 2022
My Rating: 3.6 rounded up ⭐⭐⭐⭐Stars!

This is #5 in the Bree Taggert series. I read and enjoyed the others in this series.
Back story if you didn’t read earlier books
Sheriff Bree Taggert has been dealing with the nightmare of the murder- suicide of her parents twenty-seven years ago. In [book: Cross Her Heart] the first in this series Bree’s sister Erin is killed. Bree teams up K-9 Handler Matt Flynn, a former sheriff’s investigator.

In this story Sheriff Taggert once again teams up with investigator Matt Flynn ~ Bree and Matt are now romantically connected.
Bree has taken on the responsibility of raising her sister’s children: sixteen year old Luke and preteen Kayla, so she and Matt are trying to be discreet about their relationship.

This story starts when Bree has been called to do a wellness check on Camilla Brown an elderly widow. When Bree arrived, she finds a double homicide Ms. Brown and her son former deputy Eugene Oscar whom Bree recently fired for corruption.

As Bree is trying to solve this, someone is out to get her and by sending treats and nasty messages indicating she is responsible for Eugene’s death.

Love these characters. However, when (to me) it slowed down a bit, I thought ‘wait a minute’! Then the nail-biting twists kicked in. I then say ~ I knew[author, Melinda Leigh] would not Disappoint.
I always love reading the author’s “Acknowledgements’. In this case, our author states, there were days she thought she couldn’t finish this book but thanks her support community for helping.
I thought aww those slow down part!! However, as I mentioned she came through with a great story!

I certainly look forward to the next ‘Bree/ Matt’ story or as this younger generation would say the next ‘Taggert/Finn’ adventure!

Want to thank NetGalley and Montlake for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 17, 2022.

Thank you to #NetGalley for my advance copy of #DeadAgainstHer by #MelindaLeigh
This outing for Sheriff Bree Taggert and her team. The book starts with a bang and just gets better as you read.
When a former deputy and his mother are found murdered Bree has her hands full working the case and doesn’t need the distraction that is coming her way.
I really think this is the best yet.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m a big fan of Melinda Leigh, and this one didn’t disappoint. I’ve loved all the Bree Taggert books and was pretty excited to have Morgan Dane make an appearance in this one. This is a great, easy read for anyone interested in a police procedural whodunnit. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing and hole your interest.

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.