Cross Her Heart by Melinda Leigh ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"Bree was shaking so hard.  She could barely hold the phone to her ear.  'Mommy and Daddy are fighting.'
A slap sounded down the hall, and Bree flinched.  "Would you send the police."'  (loc 77)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

March 2020; Montlake; 978-1542006941
audio, ebook, print (319 pages); thriller

Melinda Leigh is a new author for me and I don't know why I haven't found her before now.  This book was a roller coaster ride that I couldn't put down until the end.  I'm happy to see that this is book 1 of a new series because Bree Taggret is a character that I want to read about again.  She's a kickass homicide investigator who has a lot of empathy for everyone around her.

Bree Taggert is a Philadelphia homicide detective working on a case when she receives a text from her sister asking for help.  Bree, her sister Erin and her brother Adam all had a violent upbringing because they knew that their Dad beat their mother until it all ended with a murder-suicide that changed their lives forever.  Bree drives 5 hours to her sister - which is also the town she grew up that is full of bad memories.  When she arrives, she finds out that her sister is dead.  The police are convinced that the murderer is Erin's husband Justin and Bree agrees until she meets Matt, Justin's best friend, a former police officer, who is convinced that Justin is innocent.  The problem is that Justin has disappeared and they need to find him to solve this crime.
Bree and Matt decide to wok together to try to find Justin but they soon become aware that there is someone out there who wants to keep Bree from finding out the answers and his secrets put Bree into great danger.

I loved the characters in Cross her Heart especially Bree.  The plot slowly unravels and will keep you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out who killed Erin.  I am thrilled that this is the first book in a new series and look forward to spending more time with these characters.

"A gunshot blasted.  Bree jumped...Even without seeing what happened, she knew that nothing would ever be OK again." (loc 141)

Buy Cross her Heart at Amazon

Note:  Book 2 in this series See Her Die will be published on September 15, 2020.

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling. She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter.

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