Cross Her Heart

Bree Taggert, Book 1

By: Melinda Leigh

Narrated by: Christina Traister

A homicide detective’s violent family history repeats itself in #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh’s novel of murder, secrets, and retribution.

For more than twenty-five years, Philadelphia homicide detective Bree Taggert has tucked away the nightmarish childhood memories of her parents’ murder-suicide.... Until her younger sister, Erin, is killed in a crime that echoes that tragic night: innocent witnesses and a stormy marriage that ended in gunfire. There’s just one chilling difference. Erin’s husband, Justin, has vanished.

Bree knows how explosive the line between love and hate can be, yet the evidence against her troubled brother-in-law isn’t adding up. Teaming up with Justin’s old friend, former sheriff’s investigator and K-9 handler Matt Flynn, Bree vows to uncover the secrets of her sister’s life and death, as she promised Erin’s children. But as her investigation unfolds, the danger hits close to home. Once again, Bree’s family is caught in a death grip. And this time, it could be fatal for her.

©2020 by Melinda Leigh. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Another Strong Series Start from Melinda!

Overall opinion: 4.25 Stars

Starts out a bit slow but picks up quickly. Tangled Webs abound and a new series is born! The ending will keep you guessing although I found a few hints towards the beginning.

Brief Summary: No need to expand on the author's summary.

Narrator(s) - good

POV: multiple

Overall Pace: moderate

Instalove: no

H Rating: 8/10

h Rating: 7/10

Sad/happy/thrill/Angst/TSTL -mostly thrill

Heat Level: 2/10

Descriptive Sex: 0/10

OW/OM Drama: no

Sex with OW/OM: no

Cheating: no

Separation: no

Triggers:

Closure (HEA/HFN/Cliffhanger): HFN

Additional Thoughts?

Well Written and Fast Paced

This novel had everything I want from a suspense story. It clipped along at a great pace with a storyline that was tightly woven and entertaining. The characters were realistic and nicely dimensional, playing well against each other throughout the story. Bree Taggert, our heroine, is a bright star in this piece, and one I'll be hoping to cross paths with in further stories. She strives for a simple life, yet she's an unfortunately complex woman created by the events of her past over which she had no control.

I found this a wonderfully intriguing read, full of heart and hope in the midst of tragedy and the inhumanity of man. The author also managed to pull this story off without sweaty sex scenes and adult language on every other page. If memory serves, there may be a character or two who does use an occasional curse word, but it's rare in this story, not the norm. While I personally don't mind adult language in general, I really appreciate an author who can write a well-done story with interesting characters who don't need to swear. Well done. Great read.

Ready for a sequel

I've not read this author before but I will be checking out her other works. Good story, good characters, now we need a sequel.

Cross Her Heart

Good story. Lots of characters to keep the listener on their toes trying to solve the identity of the murderer. Enjoyed most of the narrator’s interpretations of characters, but not crazy about her work regarding Matt. I don’t know who makes the decisions on these interpretations, so I hesitate to point a finger at Ms. Traister. Perhaps someone advised her that this was the persona of Matt. I just didn’t care for it. It was just too monotone & no life in it. The character was a good person, but it got difficult to even listen to him. Loved Brie’s partner, kids were well represented and I did enjoy the overall story. Don’t let one thing keep you from reading this though. It’s worth every minute.

Narration could be better

Great story, unpredictable ending and good main character narration. But Matt’s narration was painful to listen to ☹️🥲