Book Review: Right Behind Her by Melinda Leigh

Right Behind Her
Author: Melinda Leigh
Series: Bree Taggert (Book 4)
Publication: Montlake (September 14, 2021)

Description: The discovery of human remains unearths another nightmare from Sheriff Bree Taggert’s past in a bone-chilling thriller by #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.

Twenty-seven years ago, Sheriff Bree Taggert’s father killed her mother, then himself. Now Bree and her younger brother, Adam, find human bones on the grounds of their abandoned family farm. The remains are those of a man and a woman, both murdered in the same horrible way.

When the investigation determines the murders occurred thirty years ago, Bree’s dead father becomes a suspect, forcing Bree to revisit the brutal night she’s spent most of her life trying to forget. The only other suspect is an unlikely squatter on the Taggert farm who claims to know secrets about Bree’s past. When he mysteriously disappears and Bree’s niece is kidnapped, the cold case heats up.

Bree has stoked the rage of a murderer who’ll do anything to keep his identity—and motives—a secret. To protect everyone she loves, Bree must confront a killer.

My Thoughts: Adam has finally convinced Bree to visit their childhood home which he now owns. Adam wants to remember things that happened there when he was a baby. Bree was eight-years-old and remembers all too well the night her father killed her mother and then himself while she hid with her younger sister and infant Adam under the porch. She has been trying to block those memories for twenty-seven years.

As they explore the property, they discover that a man has been living in the loft of the abandoned barn. He attacks them and runs leaving Bree to catch him. They discover that he is the brother of a local big shot - one who has strong influence on the sheriff's department budget. Arresting him doesn't make Bree's efforts to get money for the sheriff's department more likely.

Things get worse when bones are discovered near where her father kept his dogs. The bones lead to a murder investigation thirty years old and Bree and Adam's deceased father is one of the suspects. As Bree and her boyfriend Matt investigate, old and long-buried secrets resurface and a killer tries to keep them buried. 

This story was packed with action and had great characters. I like watching Bree learn to deal with her childhood trauma and build relationships with her niece and nephew and with Matt. Overcoming her abusive childhood in order to make a better life for herself and for the children in her care is a goal she's working on. 

Fans of this series, of which this is the fourth book, will enjoy the action, mystery, and the strong characters. New readers will enjoy getting to know Bree, Matt, and her family. 

Quote:

He turned to her. The yearning in his hazel eyes brought unshed tears to hers. As hard as Adam was trying to recall their childhood, Bree was working just as hard to forget it. 

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.