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A Mel Addison Mystery #1
Questionable Ethics
The daughter of a cop growing up in a small town with three brothers . . . nobody was surprised Mel was a bit--untamed. She left all that when she married and moved to the big city. But after a traffic accident claimed the lives of her husband and child, Mel returned home for the emotional support of her family and a familiar place to get through the grief. Her first day on the job answering phones at her brother's office as a favor gets her a gun in the face. Welcome home! That's the start of an unusual crime spree and only Mel has the info, the luck, and the spunk to tie the separate pieces together and uncover the truth behind the murders and mayhem. She may have come home looking for peace and time to heal, but if adventure and mystery come knocking--well, Mel Addison is ready and willing to play. The crimes may be the easy part, though. There's a new cop in town with an eye for Mel and her own heart can't seem to decide what to do.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2008
13 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Angela Abderhalden
5 books11 followersThings change fast in life! I own a small publishing business with Jason Wilcox. Seventh Wave Books is always on the look out for new authors. Me? Well, I now live in Arkansas and both of my kids are in college. So we (hubby is still with me) only have our rascally beagle, Kaya, at home now. Mel Addison Mystery Series out so far- Questionable Ethics, Unintentional Victim and Inevitable Reaction. I have a romance out, Desperate Situations. Lastly, I published Not Another Gold Star, a coming of age story set in WWII based very, very loosely on family history. (The pictures on the back cover are the four real brothers.) Like the company or me on Facebook. Check out Seventh Wave Books at seventhwavebooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 24, 2008
This is the first mystery in a series by a local author here in Boise, Idaho, Angela Abderhalden. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this book and how much I enjoyed it. The main character, Mel Addison, has recently moved back home to Quincy, Illinois, after the sudden deaths of her husband and young son. Her brother hires her to answer phones for his investigation firm. One thing leads to another before Mel finds herself involed with old friends from high school to a new detective on the police force to murder, all while she is still trying to deal with the overwhelming grief and loss she has recently suffered.
I liked the plot and the characters as well as local Quincy references. There were times when reading about her son where I found myself tearing up, just thinking about what Mel was going through and how I would feel if that happened to me. There are also plenty of "issues" left to be resolved, not with the story line of this particular book, but with the characters themselves. I am looking forward to the next book in this series and more Mel.....and Max!
I liked the plot and the characters as well as local Quincy references. There were times when reading about her son where I found myself tearing up, just thinking about what Mel was going through and how I would feel if that happened to me. There are also plenty of "issues" left to be resolved, not with the story line of this particular book, but with the characters themselves. I am looking forward to the next book in this series and more Mel.....and Max!
May 1, 2022
Melissa Addison following the deaths of her husband and son in an auto accident returns to her hometown of Quincy, Illinois, to heal and get on with her life. She helps out her brother, Rich at Security Investigations, a private detective agency as a receptionist when she becomes involved in the mystery of four deaths. Mel is constantly throwing a huge pity-party, going on and on ad infinitum, on how she is so hurt by the deaths of her husband and son. I was exhausted by the number of times a character would tell her she had to grieve and let it out. This made it difficult to want to continue reading and complete the story. There was much I didn’t like about the story, but the mystery did continue to develop and maintain momentum enough that it kept me going. I am going to read the next book in this series, hopefully the pity-party will be over or at least toned down.
June 19, 2014
Questionable Ethics is a light mystery, offset by the darker undercurrent of loss and mourning.
I enjoyed the setting, with Mel back in her hometown. The family interaction was believable, adding elements of both drama and humor. The plot kept my interest, though at times I felt Mel was a bit too much of a superhero. She was able to work the case better than the experienced PIs and the cops. But she's a fun character and I didn't mind stretching credibility a bit to follow her along.
My major issues with this book could easily be solved with a good editor. The characters did an absurd amount of smiling and winking. Right behind that was the constant hand and shoulder patting. I had visions of people walking around doing nothing more than smiling, winking, smirking, grinning, and patting each other's hands. This took away from the emotions, rather than adding to them. Characters began feeling more like caricatures than people. By midway, I was ready to give up on the book. I'm glad I stuck with it because there is much to like here, providing you can get past all those gleaming teeth.
I enjoyed the setting, with Mel back in her hometown. The family interaction was believable, adding elements of both drama and humor. The plot kept my interest, though at times I felt Mel was a bit too much of a superhero. She was able to work the case better than the experienced PIs and the cops. But she's a fun character and I didn't mind stretching credibility a bit to follow her along.
My major issues with this book could easily be solved with a good editor. The characters did an absurd amount of smiling and winking. Right behind that was the constant hand and shoulder patting. I had visions of people walking around doing nothing more than smiling, winking, smirking, grinning, and patting each other's hands. This took away from the emotions, rather than adding to them. Characters began feeling more like caricatures than people. By midway, I was ready to give up on the book. I'm glad I stuck with it because there is much to like here, providing you can get past all those gleaming teeth.
January 6, 2016
I have found a new series to love. If you are a fan of Lilianna Hart's mysteries you really need to check out the Mel Addison series by Angela Abderhalden. The first book, Questionable Ethics, grabs me from the beginning and held me all the way.
Mel has just moved home after losing her husband and son in an accident six months previously. She is not ready to decide on a career but she needs something to keep her mind busy so she works as a temporary receptionist for her brothers, PI firm and fills in at the bar her dad owns. Her first day as receptionist is more than she bargained for when a man holds a gun on her demanding that she contact her brother who of course is not answering his phone. It turns out that he is a confidential informant for her brother and is terrified for his life. Before long, Mel finds herself pulled into a murder investigation, not officially of course because PI's can't be associated with open police investigations. Can we say deniability. Enough humor to balance a serious mystery with a touch of maybe romance. Iove the characters and appreciated the well plotted mystery.
Mel has just moved home after losing her husband and son in an accident six months previously. She is not ready to decide on a career but she needs something to keep her mind busy so she works as a temporary receptionist for her brothers, PI firm and fills in at the bar her dad owns. Her first day as receptionist is more than she bargained for when a man holds a gun on her demanding that she contact her brother who of course is not answering his phone. It turns out that he is a confidential informant for her brother and is terrified for his life. Before long, Mel finds herself pulled into a murder investigation, not officially of course because PI's can't be associated with open police investigations. Can we say deniability. Enough humor to balance a serious mystery with a touch of maybe romance. Iove the characters and appreciated the well plotted mystery.
May 22, 2013
I enjoyed this book. Mel Addison is a strong female character, and while she has some baggage, she doesn't have a huge chip on her shoulder that so many other strong female leads seem to have. I like the family interplay (I also come from a family of 1 sister and 3 brothers) and her feeling for her hometown of Quincy. The story is well-paced and the characters well-drawn.
I have had some problems with the Kindle editions (this book and the second one - Unintentional Victim) closing at spots in the book. I've just been adding 20 to the location count and re-opening which works, but is annoying to have to do.
I have had some problems with the Kindle editions (this book and the second one - Unintentional Victim) closing at spots in the book. I've just been adding 20 to the location count and re-opening which works, but is annoying to have to do.
September 12, 2008
(publisher/cover designer/typesetter) - The author's debut, QE is a fantastic new cozy mystery with a really wonderful main character, Mel Addision. Mel find herself back in her small hometown after the death of her husband and son. Suddenly she is swept up (not entirely reluctantly) in a murder investigation that gets increasingly complex and dangerous. At the same time, she has to deal with her grief and an attractive man who wants to be more than a friend. The second book in the series is coming out in December 2008.
September 25, 2012
A good mystery. Enjoyable but it didn't blow me away or impress me tremendously, but it isn't that I have anything negative to say about it. I quite liked the main character and her struggles to adjust and cope with her grief.
The main character is somewhere between an amateur sleuth and a PI and has cops in the family. So it isn't quite the usual amateur sleuth cozy but she isn't experienced enough to be a PI. That is not very common for the main character.
The main character is somewhere between an amateur sleuth and a PI and has cops in the family. So it isn't quite the usual amateur sleuth cozy but she isn't experienced enough to be a PI. That is not very common for the main character.
January 22, 2015
An Okay Book
I thought that it was a little confusing. There were so many subplots, it was a little too much. There was so much going on, it was hard to keep up with. I guess I don't like too many subplots in a mystery as much as I don't like a predictable mystery. It's just not my thing. The main plot was decent, and the characters were well thought out also.
I thought that it was a little confusing. There were so many subplots, it was a little too much. There was so much going on, it was hard to keep up with. I guess I don't like too many subplots in a mystery as much as I don't like a predictable mystery. It's just not my thing. The main plot was decent, and the characters were well thought out also.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews