Right Behind Her

Leigh’s gripping fourth Bree Taggart mystery (after Drown Her Sorrows) brings Bree back to where all her troubles began. For the first time in 27 years, Bree visits her childhood home, the farm in Upstate New York where her father shot and killed her mother then took his own life, at the request of her 28-year-old brother, Adam. Adam owns the farm, which has been abandoned ever since the crime. In a muddy area exposed by recent heavy rains, they come across a human skull and other bones. These turn out to belong to two murder victims dating back some 30 years. As the sheriff of Grey’s Hollow, N.Y., Bree is obliged to look into the cold case, though in so doing she risks discovering her father was the murderer and otherwise bringing up painful and possibly dangerous memories. She and Matt Flynn, a civilian criminal consultant, uncover a complicated web of political corruption as they contend with police determined to hamper their investigation. The kidnapping of Bree’s eight-year-old niece raises the stakes, and the romantic attraction between Bree and Matt adds spice to the fast-paced plot. Readers will cheer Bree every step of the way. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Sept.)