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Bad Company: From the Casefiles of Detective "Mal" Malone
In book one of the Detective Malone series, follow local PI Mal through the suburbs of Chicago, slinging back coffee, and avoiding the local mafia. Mystery readers of Janet Evanovich and Stephanie Bond will love this fast-paced, humorous, and lighthearted romp. Unable to conform to the police academy, Detective “Mal” Malone steps out on her own to open her own private investigator agency in Chicago. Juggling caseloads, a missing persons case puts her in the cross-hairs of the local mafia. She has the training, but only limited resources to get the job done. Stumbling upon a crime she can’t ignore, even if it doesn’t fund her ten-cup-a-day coffee addiction, a handsome fire captain stands between her and a solid lead. Unlikely new friendships offer her much-needed information, but to protect them, she has to find evidence to throw the book at a local gangster. If Mal can’t crack the case soon, she’ll not only fail at keeping her friends safe, but she could soon become the target herself.
- GenresMystery
307 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 25, 2022
85 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 6, 2020
This book is written as a case from the archives of the main character Detective Mal Malone and her work as a Private Investigator (P.I.). I must admit to finding it strange that as she did not complete her stint in the Police Academy that her title is given as Detective. Maybe someone will explain that to me later, it certainly isn’t usual for the UK. She runs her own business, happy that she doesn’t have to follow someone else’s rules and regulations, nor have a boss she needs to listen to! But funding her own business in Chicago isn’t cheap and work hasn’t been very busy lately.
Thankfully she gets a new job, to trace the whereabouts of a man’s wife who disappeared whilst on her lunch break almost ten days beforehand. The police haven’t been able to find her and the husband is getting desperate. He is certain that someone has taken her, she wouldn’t have just disappeared on her own. This soon gets her mixed up with parts of the local mafia and illegal betting shops. Then onto a case of a doctor who may be doping racehorses. A fire nearby also gets her attention and a possible date! A hunky looking captain of the local firehouse, called Rhodes, helps her to apprehend a drug seeking addict from an ambulance at the scene of the fire. She meets him shortly after and is invites for her favourite beverage, coffee, which she can’t live without.
She still has a few contacts at the local police station, especially her best friend, Jen, who she meets every week when she can, but avoids her ex, Rodriguez, at all costs, after he cheated on her. Her trust issues are hard to break, but Rhodes seems to be a great match, so long as she doesn’t put him off too much. The fire she met him at, is not the only one that has happened in the area. She hasn’t been hired to look into the arson attacks, but can’t help herself and soon finds herself in some danger as she tries to figure out who is responsible, but more importantly, why they have targeted community buildings to set on fire.
She has her hands full and is certainly a great character to follow, as you read this interesting and intriguing storyline. It adds in lots of complexity and new friendships. Old flames and new. The sadness of a lost child and the revenge of one abandoned by those who should have helped. Great fun and such a quick read, due to the non-stop action and characters. I loved it and hope there will be many more to follow. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Thankfully she gets a new job, to trace the whereabouts of a man’s wife who disappeared whilst on her lunch break almost ten days beforehand. The police haven’t been able to find her and the husband is getting desperate. He is certain that someone has taken her, she wouldn’t have just disappeared on her own. This soon gets her mixed up with parts of the local mafia and illegal betting shops. Then onto a case of a doctor who may be doping racehorses. A fire nearby also gets her attention and a possible date! A hunky looking captain of the local firehouse, called Rhodes, helps her to apprehend a drug seeking addict from an ambulance at the scene of the fire. She meets him shortly after and is invites for her favourite beverage, coffee, which she can’t live without.
She still has a few contacts at the local police station, especially her best friend, Jen, who she meets every week when she can, but avoids her ex, Rodriguez, at all costs, after he cheated on her. Her trust issues are hard to break, but Rhodes seems to be a great match, so long as she doesn’t put him off too much. The fire she met him at, is not the only one that has happened in the area. She hasn’t been hired to look into the arson attacks, but can’t help herself and soon finds herself in some danger as she tries to figure out who is responsible, but more importantly, why they have targeted community buildings to set on fire.
She has her hands full and is certainly a great character to follow, as you read this interesting and intriguing storyline. It adds in lots of complexity and new friendships. Old flames and new. The sadness of a lost child and the revenge of one abandoned by those who should have helped. Great fun and such a quick read, due to the non-stop action and characters. I loved it and hope there will be many more to follow. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
May 9, 2020
Mal's story was really entertaining, It made me turn one page after another. She felt real, strong and sensitive, witty and hard working.
This book narrates the story of Mal, a female private investigator in Chicago. It has suspense, romance and some plot twists. Definitely what I would expect in a book of this genre. Highly recommended.
This book narrates the story of Mal, a female private investigator in Chicago. It has suspense, romance and some plot twists. Definitely what I would expect in a book of this genre. Highly recommended.
November 20, 2020
Bad Company, being written from the perspective of a P.I.’s case files, is a hard-boiled private-eye story, but I wouldn’t call it noir. That’s what makes it unique really, since you can have your eggs without the Double Indemnity aftertaste if you so choose.
Our first person heroine has a lot on her plate, and the story balances well while leading us on a thorough, twisted chain of coffee-soaked circumstances to develop it all. There’s action, romance (for better or for worse), regret, sorrow, and a hot fire of vengeance. It keeps you moving too, which is important for a first person story so as not to bog the reader down in too much stream of consciousness from our narrator.
From a constructive standpoint, I can say that I wasn’t surprised to find out that this is the author’s first foray. There are some unrefined bits in the dialogue, structure, and descriptiveness that sometimes prevented me from forming a good image of what was going on in my head. Rather than crippling, however, I see it as an opportunity for the author’s development over time. Readers, there be promise in these urban waters! (yarrrr and all that)
I’m not sure it counts as a fair criticism because it’s quite possible the culprit is unintentionally technical in nature, but my copy of this book was very poorly formatted. Page numbers and the author’s name constantly popping up in the middle of the page, word wrap drastically different on some pages than others, awkward breaks, no indentation to mark paragraphs, too much space between lines, so forth. I don’t own a kindle and I was only able to obtain a copy of this book in Amazon’s proprietary ‘mobi’ format (which I’m told is in itself twice outdated, first in favor of .az3, and later .kfx), so that might have been the reason why, although a quick .epub swap didn’t help. I didn’t factor this into my rating, but I felt it should be noted.
If P.I. drama is your thing, I say give this one a chance.
Our first person heroine has a lot on her plate, and the story balances well while leading us on a thorough, twisted chain of coffee-soaked circumstances to develop it all. There’s action, romance (for better or for worse), regret, sorrow, and a hot fire of vengeance. It keeps you moving too, which is important for a first person story so as not to bog the reader down in too much stream of consciousness from our narrator.
From a constructive standpoint, I can say that I wasn’t surprised to find out that this is the author’s first foray. There are some unrefined bits in the dialogue, structure, and descriptiveness that sometimes prevented me from forming a good image of what was going on in my head. Rather than crippling, however, I see it as an opportunity for the author’s development over time. Readers, there be promise in these urban waters! (yarrrr and all that)
I’m not sure it counts as a fair criticism because it’s quite possible the culprit is unintentionally technical in nature, but my copy of this book was very poorly formatted. Page numbers and the author’s name constantly popping up in the middle of the page, word wrap drastically different on some pages than others, awkward breaks, no indentation to mark paragraphs, too much space between lines, so forth. I don’t own a kindle and I was only able to obtain a copy of this book in Amazon’s proprietary ‘mobi’ format (which I’m told is in itself twice outdated, first in favor of .az3, and later .kfx), so that might have been the reason why, although a quick .epub swap didn’t help. I didn’t factor this into my rating, but I felt it should be noted.
If P.I. drama is your thing, I say give this one a chance.
November 2, 2020
Our heroine dropped out of the academy and became a PI, not exactly an easy career choice. But as good as she is, she still needs a little help from some friends.
This is a detective mystery story with a female lead. The story is well written and easy to read, but that doesn't mean it is simple by any means. Our heroine has a lot going on and the plot takes several twists and turns all of which keep you on your toes. At the same time, it also made for a very engaging read with plenty of action and a good dose of humor. I really liked the characters, particularly our heroine, and hope to see more of them in the future. Overall, a highly entertaining read.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from Hidden Gems for review pursposes.
This is a detective mystery story with a female lead. The story is well written and easy to read, but that doesn't mean it is simple by any means. Our heroine has a lot going on and the plot takes several twists and turns all of which keep you on your toes. At the same time, it also made for a very engaging read with plenty of action and a good dose of humor. I really liked the characters, particularly our heroine, and hope to see more of them in the future. Overall, a highly entertaining read.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from Hidden Gems for review pursposes.
September 14, 2020
Mel Malone is a private investigator working for herself. She takes a case about a woman who is missing and the police are unable to find any clues. Mel finds her and rescues her, finding out there are mobsters involved. This leads to another case and.while looking into it, stumbles upon a series of fires being set. Great book, can't wait for the next one. I received this book for free for my review.
September 22, 2020
This is a fun book to read. It has quirky and interesting characters, and a protagonist who feels the same way about coffee I do. The style of writing makes for easy, quick reading, and the words are great for storytelling. I enjoyed the personal interactions and banter. The plot was not all that suspenseful but it provided a great stage for the players. I will look forward to more of Mal's adventures.
April 5, 2020
Very satisfying debut novel. The characters are interesting and fairly well fleshed out. Some of the dialogue is a little clunky and the timeline was off. BUT, none of that distracts too much from the fact that it has a zippy plot and is a quick read (in a good way). Can’t wait to see what else Mal gets into in the future!
May 31, 2022
Engaging characters. The main character is good at what she does, but she is also vulnerable. The people surrounding her continue to develop and their relationship to the main character grows over time. The story is multi-dimensional and fast. The tension is real and the bad guys are too. Some terrific twists. I like detective stories written in first person and I highly recommend this one.
September 26, 2020
I like the characters, the setting and the way the romance was portrayed. It has a steady pace however I did not find it suspenseful or captivating, it lost my attention at points but I did finish it. Overall it was a good story.
October 19, 2020
The story is entertaining and I liked the characters., but feel that the scene transitions could be done better. I hope the hinted at sequel is more polished.
December 7, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. It's always nice to see a detective novel where the detective is a woman. Mal kicked butt doing it, too. I will probably read more of her adventures.
January 2, 2025
Very fun romp in Chi-town. The characters are sweet and the story captivating. A great cozy thriller.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews