Bree Taggert’s life changed at the age of eight when her father murdered her mother and then killed himself. Torn away from her younger siblings to be raised alone by an aunt, Bree grew up to become a Philadelphia homicide detective. While still not very close to her siblings, when Bree’s younger sister, Erin, leaves a message to say she’s in trouble, Bree drops everything to return to the town that haunts her memories only to discover that Erin is dead and her husband, Justin, has disappeared. The similarities between this and the past make her wonder if history is repeating itself.
Matt Flynn is a former sheriff’s investigator and K-9 handler. He’s also Justin’s best friend. While he’s the one who discovered Erin’s body in Justin’s apartment, he’s convinced his friend could not have done this. Justin may have been battling addiction but he was determined to prove to Erin he could get clean for her. Teaming up with Bree, Matt is determined to find another suspect to Erin’s murder, especially since it looks like the sheriff’s office is only focused on Justin. Time is not on Matt and Bree’s side though, and if they don’t figure out what was going on in Erin’s life soon, Bree could be the next one dead.
CROSS HER HEART starts off with a heart pounding murder but, unfortunately, it fizzled for me after that. Part of the problem was that though CROSS HER HEART is billed as a romantic suspense, there isn’t any romance to be found. I kept waiting for something to happen between Bree and Matt, even just a glimmer of some interest, but nothing materialized. Bree seemed to have a better connection with her retiring partner than she did with Matt. There was one kiss eventually but it honestly was too little too late by then.
As for the mystery/suspense side of things, I felt that got a bit lost with everything else that was going on. Between Erin’s kids, Erin’s ex, Bree’s fear of dogs, Matt’s past, and the barely fleshed out Taggert brother, there was just too much going on and too many attempts to create red herrings. When the killer is revealed, it seems so out of left field, you’re left wondering if you missed something in the book. So while CROSS HER HEART is a very well written book, I was unable to get lost in the pages. I did enjoy the character of Bree enough though that I will pick up the next book in the series, SEE HER DIE.
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.
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