The “Bree Taggert” series by Melinda Leigh has a lot to recommend it. The main character, Bree Taggert, is the sheriff in a rural upstate New York county. She left her job as a Philly homicide cop to move into her sister’s home and raise her sister’s kids when her sister was killed. She accidentally ended up as sheriff, and she’s got a lot on her plate.

The series up to now has provided lots of backstory on Bree’s life and her romance with Matt Flynn, who contracts with the sheriff’s office, where he previously worked. There’s a backstory there, but Leigh is a master at filling in the backstory as part of the narrative. It’s not forced, and it works well to bring new readers up-to-date on the characters and to remind repeat readers of the history of the characters.

The novel begins as Bree arrests a member of the sleazy, drug-dealing Ekin family for murder. She is threatened by the mother and the brother, and subsequently, she finds herself being stalked. In the meantime, her former partner and best friend, Dana, who lives with them now that she’s retired, finds herself at the center of a murder investigation.

While visiting someone she’s just started dating, Dana arrives at the house and interrupts a shooter shortly after he shot the man she was there to have dinner with. She grapples with the gunman and is injured, but he escapes. He wore a mask and gloves, so there is little evidence at the scene of the crime. While investigating her stalker, Bree and Matt run into the scene of a drug deal. There they get to see how the new county K9 functions in action as the dog locates evidence of crimes.

One of the many things to like about this series is the fact that there are dogs who play vital roles in the story. Here, Greta, a rescue dog who was too much dog for her family, finds a new life as a police dog. In fact, Leigh uses her deep knowledge of dogs to share important facts with readers. “FYI, a wagging tail signals excitement. It’s not an indication of friendliness,” Matt tells her when she mistakes Greta’s wagging tail for just that. To clarify, it depends on the wag. Some wags do indicate friendly dogs, but other wags mean a dog is excited or anxious or aroused. Reading dog body language isn’t for the uninformed.

There are also horses – rescue horses. And there’s even a rescue dog named Ladybug, who is the fictional equivalent of Leigh’s real rescue dog, Ladybug. Both are terrible watchdogs but great in the cuddling department. Sadly, Leigh just lost the real life Ladybug. Ladybug was an adult rescue dog she adopted and loved dearly. She will be remembered not only by Leigh and her family, but by readers, as she is immortalized in this series.

Dogs (and horses) aside, Leigh takes a series of seemingly unconnected events and creates a brilliant mystery with pieces that all fall into place beautifully. And along the way, we get first row seats to see the progression of the relationships of those in the story. It’s a lot of fun, and there are some very touching scenes in addition to a lot of suspense. It’s a great ride.

This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.