Reviews

Lie to Her by Melinda Leigh is the sixth book in the Bree Taggert romantic suspense/police procedural series. Bree has been sheriff in her home county in upstate New York for almost a year. The book is set in fictional Grey’s Hollow in Randolph County. Sheriff Bree Taggert and criminal investigator Matt Flynn respond to a call when a man is found murdered in his backyard with his hands and feet bound and plastic wrap around his face. Soon, the killer strikes again. Both victims use internet dating sites and have left behind a string of angry and hurt women. Every interviewee seems to be lying or hiding something or refusing to talk.

Bree is smart, skilled, honorable, and determined. She joined law enforcement to help people and that is what she intends to do. She has trouble delegating at times because it’s out of her control. She is also relentless, patient, and ruthlessly polite in political showdowns with the city commissioners. Bree shows a lot of growth in this story and her character was more dynamic. Matt is a former sheriff’s deputy injured in the line of duty. He was going to start a K-9 training program, but his sister Cady is using the kennels for rescued dogs. Matt is a great investigator and loves dogs, including his retired K-9, Brody. Cady has common sense, teaches kickboxing and self-defense classes, and has good people skills. Her role is reduced in this novel, but Chief Deputy Todd Harvey gets a larger role. His self-confidence is building.
The storyline is engaging, suspenseful, and includes some very tense scenes. The first chapter is from the killer’s perspective and is chilling. It pulled me into the tale quickly and kept me rapidly turning the pages all the way to its shocking conclusion. There are occasional other chapters from this antagonist’s perspective. Besides the investigation, readers get insight into Bree’s family dynamics and how that is changing. The author has weaved another installment involving family, relationships, balancing work and family, a slow-burn romance, murder, lies, trust, jealousy, betrayal, and much more.

Overall, this book has twists, tension, violence, and relatable main characters. If you are expecting a solid series that will have mysteries, suspense, crime, action, and eventually some romance, then this is a series that I recommend. Besides this one, I’ve read the five other books and the prequel in the series. I plan to read books seven and eight this month and am looking forward to reading book nine which will be published in early July.

I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date January 17, 2023.

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4.0

Another amazing Bree Taggert novel full of mystery, dating profiles and reptiles. Sheriff Bree Taggert and criminal investigator Matt Flynn get called to a scene with a man's head covered in plastic wrap and a word carved into his forehead.

The killer is quickly escalating and another body is found, with the same connection to a dating website. They have to move quick since one of the snakes are venomous and seems to be missing.

With each body they find more and more potential suspects and the more lies that are told, leading them in multiple directions. When someone Bree loves becomes a target the race is on to find him in time.

I love how much this family has developed with Bree taking in her sisters children after she was killed and how much they have become close with Matt being part of that family as well. The horses play a big part in this story and I loved how she rescued two horses as well.

The story moved along so well and kept me guessing. Also a joy reading this series.