Dead Against Her by Melinda Leigh @MelindaLeigh1 #ChristinaTraister @BrilliancePub

the setup…
Grey’s Hollow Sheriff Bree Taggert is asked to do a welfare check on a widow living at an isolated farm. When she enters the house with the woman’s neighbor, Bree finds a gruesome sight. Not only has the woman been murdered but her son was also a victim. Bree’s second surprise was the identity of that man…Eugene Oscar, her former deputy sheriff who she had forced out.

the heart of the story…
Bree inherited a department that was formerly led by an extremely corrupt sheriff who ended up taking his life rather than face his consequences. He left behind a host of enablers that Bree continues to sift through and out. Her investigation of Oscar’s murder, along with his mother, immersed her deeply into that corrupt nest of conspiracy theorists, survivalists and others who were on the other side of law enforcement. Things got really nasty after she’s attacked using deep fake images that threaten her reputation. It got even scarier when her chief deputy was abducted, seeming as if she’s being assaulted from every angle. As insidious as it all was, it was equally fascinating to see the depths to which these groups will sink and the difficulty in combating their tactics.

the narration…
Traister was at her finest in this one as there were so many nasty characters hiding behind conventional veneers who she handled well. I especially enjoyed her storytelling skills as there were so many angles.

the bottom line…
There was a lot of ugliness here and I liked how Bree met the challenges while figuring out who and what was most important to her. It guided her decision making, keeping her from succumbing to the futility of fighting invisible attackers who make false accusations that stick. The fact that this mirrors real life was chilling. I was riveted by the story and liked how the investigation flowed, including the appearance of characters from past connected series. It’s not all wrapped neatly with a bow, which made it all the more authentic. Still loving this series.

Book Info

• Release Date: May 17, 2022
• Series: Bree Taggert #5
• Narrator: Christina Traister
• Audio Length: 9 hours, 31 minutes
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio

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(Thanks to Brilliance Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)