Catch Her Death

I found Melinda Leigh's Bree Taggert series when I listened to the first book (Cross Her Heart) earlier this year. I jumped ahead a few books when I was given an advanced copy of this seventh book in the crime series, and I had no trouble falling back into Sheriff Taggert's small town life. 

Leigh wastes no time setting up Bree's latest crime to solve - a murder that hits too close to home when her best friend and former police partner Dana is accused of murdering her date. Bree has also been the target of sinister threats and suspects a local crime family who has a bone to pick with her. 

What makes this series stand out is the balance between the crimes and tension of this police procedural with the growing relationships of family, friends and even some (albeit totally obvious) new romantic connections. I love that Bree gets her strength from these relationships. 

There is a lot going on with different plots that sometimes made it feel a bit muddled, but Leigh has written an engaging story with good tension, a hearty dose of revenge, and a great cast of characters (including a K-9 unit that kicks butt). 

I eagerly look forward to catching up on the backlist books I missed in this series and strongly recommend this series for fans of Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite series.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Montlake Publishing for the complimentary digital copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Melinda Leigh

Genre: Thriller, Police Procedural

Series: #7 in the Bree Taggert series

Publisher: Montlake

First Published: September 12, 2023

Book Description from GoodReads: Sheriff Bree Taggert and those she loves become the target of a family’s deadly revenge in a chilling novel of suspense by #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.

After Sheriff Bree Taggert’s takedown of cold-blooded murderer Travis Ekin, his family vows revenge. Travis’s mother and brothers are every bit as violent, and Bree is in their crosshairs.

To complicate matters, Bree’s best friend, Dana Romano, walks into her date’s home and finds him shot in the chest. Dana tangles with an unidentified intruder, but he escapes through the back door. The crime scene is in another police department’s jurisdiction, and the lead investigator focuses on Dana as the prime suspect.

While Bree and investigator Matt Flynn work off the books to clear Dana, Bree’s family receives deadly threats. A second dead body and a shocking piece of evidence link the two cases. Bree and Matt must find the killer fast—before either case takes another deadly turn.