Her Second Death

Bree Taggert #0.5

by Melinda Leigh

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 detective’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 victim’s ex-wife and learn the estranged couple’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 Bree’s own traumatizing childhood. To find the little girl, Bree will have to relive her own terrifying past.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Thriller, Fiction, Novella, Audiobook, Crime

47 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 7, 2021

About the author

#1 Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author Melinda Leigh is a fully recovered banker who learned that writing books is way more fun than analyzing financial statements. Melinda’s debut novel, SHE CAN RUN, was nominated for Best First Novel by the International Thriller Writers. Since then, she has garnered numerous writing accolades, including two RITA® Award nominations and an induction into the NJ Romance Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have sold more than 15 million copies across the world. Melinda loves martial arts, rescue dogs, and sea turtles.

WEBSITE: https://www.melindaleigh.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/melindaleighauthorpage/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/MelindaLeigh1

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melinda Leigh’s prequel novella to the Bree Taggert series is Her Second Death. Bree and her new partner, Detective Dana Romano respond to a call. A man has been shot in the head in his car. When the estranged wife is notified, they learn that the couple’s fiver-year-old daughter, Lena, was supposed to have been with him. The murder investigation quickly becomes a search for the missing child as well.

While Bree has been with the Philadelphia police force for 9 years in patrol and as a detective in burglaries and property crimes, this is only her second day as a homicide detective. She likes to explore theories, while her partner, Dana Romano, only wants evidence, not theories.

This was a good introduction to Bree, but the short length doesn’t give much time for character development. Despite this, readers understand how Bree’s childhood is affecting her life. This background also gives insight into how she uses it to help her solve cases. The mystery parts of the story are fast-paced and engaging. Themes include murder, lies, family relationships and their affect on children, new working partnerships, and communication.

Overall, this short mystery and introduction to Bree kept me entertained and was a solid police procedural. I’ve read the first two books in the series and have the next three on my reading schedule for this month.

I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date December 7, 2021.
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My 4.07 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.

[Jonetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philadelphia Detective Bree Taggert transferred to the Homicide Division two days ago and is paired with veteran Detective Dana Romano who may not be sociable but is a skilled, smart investigator. They’re called to her second death but this time it’s not a suicide. It’s definitely a homicide and the victim is James Tyson, murdered in his car. Things become much more complicated when they learn that his five-year old daughter Lena was supposed to have been with him.

I’ve already read the first book in this series so I was thrilled when I learned this prequel was coming! I wanted to learn more about her early partnership with Dana Romano and her start as a homicide detective. The case was interesting but the dynamics between the two detectives were even more compelling. I listened to the story and continue to enjoy the narrator’s performance and style. She nailed both characters and her pacing was perfect. This was short but accomplished a lot in that time, enough to whet my appetite for the moment and also be antsy to keep going. I’m going to love this series!

Posted on Blue Mood Café

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

[Lit with Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little short story. Much better written than the upcoming Melinda Leigh book "Lie To Her" (a DNF 😢). 85% plots, 10% thoughts, 5% closed caption writing. I would be interested in reading this a full length book.

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4★
“Just forty-eight hours into their partnership, Bree would agree that Romano was indeed a hard-ass. Bree felt like she was back in the academy, which was ridiculous.
. . .
Given a choice between smart and sociable, Bree would take the smart partner any day.”

I am new to Melinda Leigh and her character, Bree Taggert, but I can see Bree is popular with readers. I’m sure they'll enjoy Bree’s introduction to the job.

Romano and Taggert are called to the discovery of a dead body in a car with an empty child’s car seat in the back. It’s obvious a child was recently there. Everybody is shaken when a missing child is involved.

“. . . Bree understood childhood trauma. She could put herself in a frightened child’s place all too well. Normally, she tried not to think about it, but today she might have to.”

I enjoyed this enough that I might have to try the series now, not that I need another series to pull me in!

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the copy for review. After a couple of AZ Story misses, I’m glad to have found this one.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short story is a great look at the Bree Taggert series. It is hard to get into a story in a short format and make it a good story, but the author does it well. Officers Bree Taggert and Dana Romano have only been partners for a few days when a murder case is assigned to them, and the victim's child is missing from the car. They are able to work quickly to solve the case. Well done and recommended for those who enjoy police mysteries. I borrowed from Amazon Prime Reading.

["Avonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out all my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com

HER SECOND DEATH (Bree Taggert Book #0.5) by Melinda Leigh is a short story prequel to the Bree Taggert series. It is Bree’s second case in Philly’s homicide unit and this case has frightening parallels to her own childhood’s traumatic past.

I love Bree Taggert and the entire series! This is a short, but interesting peek into the beginning of Bree’s partnership with veteran homicide Detective Dana Romano and Bree’s past. The crime mystery plot is fast-paced and realistic. The child involved in this case leads Bree back through her childhood memories and demonstrates the way she handles them then vs. now.

An engaging crime/mystery introductory short story for those who may just be starting the Bree Taggert series and a quick case for those of us who love the series already.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detective Bree Taggert is new to the homicide division. She is called out on a homicide, along with her new partner, veteran Detective Dana Romano. A man, identified as James Tyson, was found shot to death in his car. Video from nearby buildings show a figure in a hoodie leaving the area in the early morning. When Bree notifies Tyson's ex-wife of his murder, they learn that his five-year-old autistic daughter was supposed to be with him that night. Now Bree and Dana are desperately searching for a missing child.

This is the prequel to the Bree Taggert series. It's a short story, only 41 pages. As Bree hunts for little Lena, we learn Bree's backstory and her traumatic childhood. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Christine Traister. My rating: 4 Stars.

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intro novella to a series. Sets up a partnership and intro to the main characters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I love when an author goes back in time and writes a prequel to a series. For me it enhances everything and bring to light different aspects of the characters than what I may have thought originally.

Her Second Death is a fast read that introduces us to the main characters and throws a murder right into our lap. The initial intro of these characters gives us a taste of their resourcefulness and knowledge of their job. But most importantly, we get a clue in on Bree and her special circumstances that help her solve crimes.

Interesting, engaging, and definitely a bit addicting. Leigh wastes no time getting to the raw, gritty crime and the “who dun it”. I can see why this cop fiction series is a popular choice! I will be looking for more of Leigh’s books for certain!

* copy received for review consideration
* full review - https://amidlifewife.com/her-second-d...

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her Second Death was a fantastic prequel to the Bree Taggert series following Bree on one of her first cases as a homicide detective.

Newly assigned to the homicide division, Bree Taggert is paired with veteran detective Dana Romano with one of their first cases being a man shot and killed in his parked car. When they break the news to the victim's estranged wife, they learn the couple's five-year-old daughter was with him that night. In a race to find the girl before it's too late, Bree will have to confront the memories of her past if she hopes to save the girl

I really enjoy the Bree Taggert series, so I was excited to learn a prequel was coming out following Bree and Dana on one of their first cases together. In the novels, Bree and Dana have a great relationship so I was happy to see how it all started for them. The pair work well together, communicating well with each other as they slowly learn to trust one another. The murder/missing child case was an interesting one as the missing kid added something to what could have been a fairly standard homicide case. Plus, it brings up memories of Bree's childhood and it was interesting to see how that affected her prior to where she was at in the novels. I enjoyed the case as it was fast paced and had a few unexpected surprises along the way.

Overall Her Second Death was an excellent addition to the series and I highly recommend it to readers of the series.

**I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

[Carvanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio book: Christina Traister

This narration was excellent. Ms. Traister managed to bring these characters to life, each in unique ways. It really helped to pull me into the story.





While this is a short novella, it was a nice introduction to the main character. I liked her as well as her partner. The mystery was believable and laid out in a way that kept me guessing as to what exactly had happened. I'm definitely moving on to the next one.

Heroine POV
Safe - no romance
Triggers missing child; drug use off page; domestic dispute off page

[Donne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dear friend has been recommending this series to me for years. However, it was GR friend, Pam, that finally had me adding this to my to-read list. I like getting recommendations from friends, especially ones that are familiar with my own reading preferences. This is definitely one of the benefits of GR, that and the phenomenal database of books and reviews.

The book summary pretty much lays out the entire story and was a good introduction to Bree Tagert with a very brief history of her childhood trauma. This is a KU book that’s only about an hour and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

[Amy J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the prequel to the Bree Taggert series by Leigh.

This short story centers around Detective Taggert's first case as a homicide detective. Although short, there is enough of a mystery to be interesting. The story shows how Taggert meets her work partner Dana, who plays a bigger role in the rest of the series.

Enjoyable background story for those that are interested in the rest of the series.

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her Second Death is a quick read, and a great introduction into the Bree Taggert series. Bree is a new Detective with a new partner. They’re thrust into a murder case that quickly becomes a frantic search for the victim’s five-year-old daughter. I enjoy mysteries/police procedurals and Her Second Death captured my attention quickly. I’ve heard good things about the Bree Taggert series, and I can understand why. Bree seems like a dedicated investigator with a haunted past. This new case triggers flashbacks, and I’m very curious to hear the whole story.

The story is available through Kindle Unlimited “read and listen for free” if you belong to that program, a definite positive for me. I enjoyed Christina Traister’s narration and wouldn’t hesitate to listen to the rest of the series with her as the performer.

[Obsidian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story in the Bree Taggert series. Shows her initial partnership with Dana.

"Her Second Death" follows Bree after she partners up with Dana. Taking place in Philadelphia, we follow the two as they respond to a homicide call. A man is found dead in his car. But things quickly spiral when they realize the dead man's daughter who he had that night is now missing. The case brings Bree's own past in the forefront and messes with her a bit here and there.

I love Bree and it was great to see her and Dana in action like this. Now we just get Dana dealing with the kids and baking/cooking. To see her as a really good detective in Philadelphia was great.

I loved the overall murder mystery and the reveal of who did it. It just comes out of nowhere. But it does make sense.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goid character and story. Will definitely read first book of this series.

[Valleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to Amazon Original Stories, as well as to @NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Her Second Death.

I loved this short-story prequel to the Bree Taggert Series! It was a nerve-wracking step back in time to the beginning of Bree’s life as a homicide detective in Philadelphia and her work with her new partner, Detective Dana Romano. In Her Second Death, what begins as murder becomes a desperate search for a missing child in the blink of an eye! It's something that reminds Bree of her own terrifying past...

#HerSecondDeath #NetGalley

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story, prequel to the Bree Taggert series. There are four full length novels already published in this series, but I enjoyed going back to the beginning and seeing how Bree started in homicide as well as how she met Dana Romano, a friend/nanny/housemate in the series. This story starts out as a murder investigation, but turns into a missing child case, a child with autism. As Bree works on this case, she has memories of her own trauma from her childhood. Bree and Dana are called to a death, a man shot in the head in his car. When they inform the estranged wife of his death, she asks about their daughter. No one knows where she is and everyone, including the victims father, panic.

I just finished the second book in this series, so was happy to read this prequel to get some background on Bree. I enjoyed the case and the way Bree was thinking, as well as seeing the relationship between the partners. You don't often see two female detectives working together, but this partnership worked. For such a short story, Melinda Leigh packed a punch. A fully solved case, a great introduction to the characters and information about the main character to develop empathy and see her as a real person with baggage. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her Second Death is book 0.5 in the Bree Taggert series by Melinda Leigh. Bree Taggert's first case since transferring into homicide was the murder of a man in his home. However, when she and her partner Romano started investigating, they found out that his five-year-old daughter was missing. Bree Taggert and Romano had to rush to find her. The readers of Her Second Death will continue to follow Bree Taggert and Romano to find out what happens.

Her Second Death is a fantastic start to a new series by Melinda Leigh. I had no trouble engaging with the plot and characters of this book. I love Melinda Leigh's writing style and how she incorporates drama into her stories. I love Melinda Leigh's portrayal of her characters and how they intertwine throughout this book. Her Second Death is well written and researched by Melinda Leigh. I like Melinda Leigh's description of Her Second Death's settings, which allows me to imagine being part of the book's plot.

The readers of Her Second Death will understand that some cases for law enforcement officers bring out bad memories for them. Also, the readers of Her Second Death will learn about the role of the K-9 Unit in law enforcement investigations.

I recommend this book.

[boat_tiger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll give it 2 stars because I finished it, but that's not saying much since it's less than 50 pages long. There is no mystery here; it's ridiculously obvious from the start who the guilty party is. There's not even much of a story here; it's simply an introduction to the main character of the series, and not a particularly favorable introduction at that. As well as being completely uninteresting, it was a total waste of my time. I would really like those few hours back. I was not impressed, and I hope this is not indicative of the rest of the series, since I purchased the first book in the series before I read this one. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

[~:The N:~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fast-paced, but I wasn't fond of the writing style.
☆☆½

[Melany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! I'm not usually into detective POVs but this one kept me interested. I loved the dynamic of the two new partners figuring their cases out together while learning each other. I'm intrigued by the flashbacks of the FMC, so I think I'll have to continue on with this series! 4 stars, worthwhile and a quick read!

[Kaity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio:
5 stars for Christina Traister (if you download the kindle unlimited book you get the audio with it)

Book: 3 stars

For a book less than 45 pages, it was a good intro to the character and seeing a quick case. I am impressed and I really enjoyed the writing. It is told in 3rd person POV.

I am excited to jump in to book 1!

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Bree Taggert series, can't wait to read the next novel. So of course I wanted to read this novella. Here we have a look at the relationship between Bree and Dana when they just became partners. In the present they are best friends but here it is only a beginning of them. Dana now is a soft caring woman but here though she is one badass cop. It was a bit hard to read about Bree. During the series she changed, became more open and vulnerable, but here she is still struggling with her past. The case was interesting, I mean I knew it would be, Melinda Leigh is a great author. My only complaint is that this novella is a bit too short, I would have preferred it to be 50 pages longer.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Samantha (Millennial Life Crisis Bookshelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this prequel to get to know the characters before the first book! This book takes us to when Bree was newly partnered with Dana, working on their second case together, and how she as the newbie gets along and learns from the veteran of the force while also learning to work through her past trauma from her childhood and parents’ deaths. Short but sweet, this gives us insight into how Dana was prior to relocating to town with Bree and retiring, as well as getting to know Bree not as confident as she seems to be in the regular series. The plot of this book focuses on a murder where we find out that the murderer victim’s child was potentially in the car, and it becomes a race to not only find the killer, but also find the missing child. I didn’t see the ending coming, and even though it was a short read I loved it!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[Shelley Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently finished a Bree Taggart novella prequel, Her Second Death, by Melinda Leigh. I started this series this summer and already love it! It’s definitely my kind of crime fiction series…intelligent, logical crime-solving, likable characters with an over-arching, ongoing storyline, and a wellI-written, not overly graphic plot with more emphasis on the sleuthing and the why, than the gritty details of the crime itself. If there’s a lesson learned, or insights gleaned, then all the better. And I love when you see characters evolve and grow over time, because that’s real life and makes the character more dimensional.

I was delighted to find this short story that included some back-story for Bree tucked nicely into a short mystery. As with all of Melinda Leigh’s stories, Her Second Death is well-written, clear, interesting and compelling. I look forward to carrying on with this series in the near future.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While quick, this one did a good job of setting up a new series, introducing us to the characters and getting us quickly invested in the story. I hated that there was a missing girl, hated more what we found at the end and what this little girl witnessed.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

REALLY short story about Bree and her mentor/partner in homicide when she worked in Philly. The entire series of books are really good.

[jennyreadit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introducing Detective Bree Taggart

New to homicide, Detective Bree Taggart and her new partner, veteran Detective Dana Romano, start a murder investigation that turns into a search for a missing autistic five year old. A short story prequel which quickly establishes that Bree’s abusive background, as well as witnessing her father murder her mother then commit suicide flashbacks, will either hurt or help her new homicide detective job.

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A crisp prequel!

3/5🌟.

TW: Childhood trauma, Domestic violence, Mental illness and Substance abuse.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

After meeting Bree and Dana in the first book of the Bree Taggert series when they are older and Dana is retired, I was tickled to see that Melinda Leigh wrote a short story from the early days of their partnership on the Philadelphia Police. Definitely a piece that fans will get excited for.

Her Second Death is a prequel that can be read in chronological order or order of series release dates. It is versatile and can introduce new readers to the series or be appreciated by repeat series fans.

Dana is the hard, lead detective and Bree, though nine years as a patrol officer, is a rookie detective. They are a new team and they have a murder turn into the hunt for a missing little girl. Bree is somewhat gutsy and Dana a steady eddie, but they have good chemistry as working partners. I enjoyed seeing them work the case and Bree catching the clue that blows the case wide open. I liked seeing Dana in action before she is retired and very domestic in the series books and I liked seeing how Bree was as the junior officer.

There was that strong blend of personal story with police work the author is good at writing and some bracing moments to make this short-story a well-rounded engaging read. Definitely a recommend to mystery and romantic suspense fans!

I rec'd an eARC for free from marketing to be read in exchange for an honest review.