Lie to Her

Early in Leigh’s well-paced sixth Bree Taggert mystery (after 2022’s Dead Against Her), former Philadelphia police detective Bree, now the sheriff of New York’s Randolph County, is called to a crime scene. Spencer LaForge lies dead on his patio, zip ties on his wrists and ankles, plastic wrap around his head. The autopsy reveals that the word liar was carved into his forehead. Soon after LaForge’s murder, Julius Northcote is killed in a similar fashion, the word cheater carved into his forehead. Looking for commonalities between the two victims takes time, something Bree, who’s looking after her murdered sister’s two children, doesn’t have. With the aid of her boyfriend, police consultant Matt Flynn, Bree eventually identifies a possible suspect. The stakes rise when Bree and Matt realize that there are more victims on the killer’s list, including her brother, Adam. Scenes from the killer’s viewpoint heighten the suspense as Leigh keeps the reader guessing what’s going to happen next. Tight prose matches the well-drawn protagonists. Fans of contemporary police procedurals will be satisfied. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Jan.)