Blog Tour: Her Second Death by Melinda Leigh

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading in Blog Tour, Giveaway / 5 Comments

Today I am excited to share an excerpt from Melinda Leigh’s Her Second Death along with a Question and Answer.

 

Blog Tour: Her Second Death by Melinda LeighTitle: Her Second Death
Author(s): Melinda Leigh
Series: Bree Taggert #0.5
Published by Amazon Original Stories on December 7, 2021
Pages: 47
Genre(s): Mystery, Romantic Suspense, Suspense
Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon|Audible

In this short-story prequel to the Bree Taggert series by #1 Amazon Charts and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh, a murder investigation yields parallels to the Philly detectiveโ€™s own frightening past.

When a man is shot in the head, Bree Taggert and her new partner, veteran detective Dana Romano, respond to the call. They break the news to the victimโ€™s ex-wife and learn the estranged coupleโ€™s five-year-old daughter was supposed to have been with him. What starts as a murder investigation quickly morphs into a desperate search for a missing child. The case stirs memories of Breeโ€™s own traumatizing childhood. To find the little girl, Bree will have to relive her own terrifying past.

 

 

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Interview with Author Melinda Leigh

Detective Bree Taggert is one of your most popular characters. What is it about her that makes readers come back for more of her story?ย 

Bree is strong and smart, but sheโ€™s also flawed and vulnerable. She begins the series as an excellent homicide detective but personally empty. A horrific childhood tragedy distanced Bree from her family and made her a loner. Her sisterโ€™s murder triggers the desire to change that. Bree takes on her sisterโ€™s caseโ€”and her sisterโ€™s kids. Bree sees her own childhood reflected in her niece and nephew and is determined not to let them grow up as damaged as she is. In order to do that, she needs to make herself vulnerable. In accepting responsibility for the children, she starts her own road to healing.ย 

I believe readers want to root for her. They want to see her overcome her violent backstory. She often does what is right, not what is easy or comfortable. In each book, she not only solves a murder, she also makes a small step toward healing, with readers cheering her on.

You have published five books in this series so far, but in Her Second Death you write a prequel story. What made you want to show Bree on one of her first homicide cases?ย 

I wanted to show the evolution of Breeโ€™s professional life before she begins her personal journey. She is a complex character, and Iโ€™ve enjoyed exploring all aspects of her development.

In Her Second Death, Bree is assigned to investigate a violent crime. Tell readers a bit about the case and how she and her new partner Dana Romano work to find the killer.ย 

Bree begins the story as a brand-new homicide detective. She and partner investigate the crime in the usual fashion, but Bree brings her own past to the table. She provides unique insight that helps her solve the case.

Bree finds a personal connection to this crime almost immediately. What effect does her own early family tragedy have on her handling a missing child case?ย 

The case immediately strikes a familiarโ€”and disturbing–cord in Bree. But she canโ€™t allow her personal discomfort to interfere with the investigation. Sheโ€™ll have to relive her past to solve the case.

What is next for Bree?

The next Bree Taggert novel, Dead Against Her, will be released in May. In it, Bree will need to face a more recent demon, the murder of a former deputy with whom she has a personal disagreement. When she took over the job of sheriff, Bree inherited some misogynist deputies from the previous, corrupt sheriff. In Dead Against Her, this conflict comes to an explosive and violent head.

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Her Second Death Excerpt

The medical examiner pulled out of the Fordโ€™s interior. โ€œNo rigor yet. Livor mortis isnโ€™t fixed yet either. Cold would slow decomp, but heโ€™s relatively fresh. Died very early this morning.โ€ He closed his eyes and his jowly face screwed up as he did the mental math. โ€œSix to eight hours ago, roughly between midnight and two a.m.โ€

Which matched the times on the surveillance video. โ€œDetective Romano?โ€ Reilly called. โ€œCSU is here.โ€

As soon as the ME removed the body, the crime scene unit would take over.

โ€œDo we have a next of kin for the victim?โ€ Romano asked.

Reilly nodded. โ€œHeโ€™s married to Kelly Tyson.โ€

โ€œLetโ€™s go notify Mrs. Tyson.โ€ Romano turned back toward their vehicle. Once behind the wheel, she rubbed her palms together, then pulled a pair of leather gloves from her pocket and tugged them on.

In the passenger seat, Bree blew on her freezing hands. Romano peeled away from the curb.

โ€œWasnโ€™t a robbery.โ€ Bree rolled the facts around in her head. โ€œThey left cash in Tysonโ€™s wallet. Also, they didnโ€™t take the car. Drug deal gone sour?โ€

โ€œWe have no idea what happened, other than a guy got shot.โ€

โ€œYou donโ€™t like any of those theories?โ€ Bree asked.

Romano shot her a direct look. โ€œI like evidence, not theories.โ€

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About Melinda Leigh

#1 Amazon Charts and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh is a fully recovered banker. Melindaโ€™s debut novel, She Can Run, was nominated for Best First Novel by the International Thriller Writers. Sheโ€™s garnered numerous writing awards, including two RITA nominations. Her other novels include She Can Tell, She Can Scream, She Can Hide, and She Can Kill in the She Can series; Midnight Exposure, Midnight Sacrifice, Midnight Betrayal, and Midnight Obsession in the Midnight novels; Hour of Need, Minutes to Kill, and Seconds to Live in the Scarlet Falls series; Say Youโ€™re Sorry, Her Last Goodbye, Bones Donโ€™t Lie, What Iโ€™ve Done, Secrets Never Die, and Save Your Breath in the Morgan Dane series; and the Bree Taggert novels, Cross Her Heart, See Her Die, Drown Her Sorrows, and Right Behind Her. She holds a second-degree black belt in Kenpo karate, has taught womenโ€™s self-defense, and lives in a messy house with her family and a small herd of rescue pets

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