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    The B-Team: The Case of the Angry First Wife
    The B-Team: The Case of the Angry First Wife
    The B-Team: The Case of the Angry First Wife
    Ebook79 pages58 minutes

    The B-Team: The Case of the Angry First Wife

    By Melodie Campbell

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Del's great-aunt, Kitty, has retired from a life of crime and embarked on a new venture, the B-Team. Although Del works at an animal shelter by day, by night she, her great-aunt and their cohorts, Dino and Ritz, use their criminal skills to right wrongs. In this fun book, the modern-day Robin Hoods set out to return a necklace to its rightful owner but along the way discover they've been duped by an imposter who also wants to get her hands on the necklace. The problem is, criminals can't go to the police, even if they are on the side of the good. Del comes up with a new plan, and the B-Team saves the day. Not without a few detours along the way.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOrca Book Publishers
    Release dateFeb 6, 2018
    ISBN9781459818095
    The B-Team: The Case of the Angry First Wife
    Author

    Melodie Campbell

    Melodie Campbell is the winner of many awards for crime writing, including the Derringer and the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for The Goddaughter's Revenge. She has over 200 publications, including 100 comedy credits, 60 short stories, 17 novels and the Goddaughter series in the Rapid Reads line. Her work has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Star Magazine, Canadian Living, the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail and many more. She has been called the "Queen of Comedy" by the Toronto Star. Melodie lives in Burlington, Ontario.

    Read more from Melodie Campbell

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    Reviews for The B-Team

    4/5

    26 ratings12 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I didn't know this was a "Rapid Read" until after I was finished. It was more like longish story in an Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.Expecting a book, I was ultimately unsatisfied with the lack of character development, and the predictable plot.
    • 3/5
      A fast read about an entertaining caper with hilarious characters. I'll definitely look for more in this series when I need escapism and I'll be checking out the author's other novel series.
    • 4/5
      Light little mystery novella. Interesting characters -- would like to get to know them better. Humorous without doing put-downs of the characters, I like that.
    • 3/5
      Del and her brother Dino have grown up in and around the family business. What that business is exactly is never spelled out, but it's not strictly legal, judging by their skill set. Lately their aunt Kitty has decided to use their talents to help in the cause of justice, which is not to say it's legal, and agrees to take on a case recovering a ex-wife's diamond necklace. Things do not go as planned. Del is an appealing character and I liked Aunt Kitty. The rest are sort of just outlines, but this book is extremely brief, little more than a short story. I would have enjoyed it more if three or four of these exploits were gathered together. As it is, it was a quick fun read that made me smile, but nothing deeper than that. Thanks for the chance to read this one.
    • 5/5
      Really quick easy read. More like a short story than a novel. Likable characters, fast paced action, This book flows of your tongue and its over before you know it. Look forward to more from this series.
    • 4/5
      Del and her extended family live on the shady side of the law. Her great-aunt Kitty has semi-reformed in her old age, dedicating herself to vigilante justice. Inspired by the 1980s TV series The A-Team, Kitty has recruited Del and other relatives to form the B-Team. Their current mission is to help a woman who left a cheating husband by stealing her diamond necklace from her former home and her husband's new girlfriend. Things don't go exactly as planned...This book is part of the publisher's Rapid Reads series of short, high-interest reads for an adult audience of ESL learners, reluctant or low literacy readers, or any reader looking for an engaging story that can be read in one sitting. Award-winning author Campbell offers a cast of well-drawn characters and a humorous, action-filled plot that will appeal to a wide audience.This review is based on an electronic advanced reading copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
    • 4/5
      The B-team, as advertised, is indeed a rapid read. It took about an hour for me to read this book. This is another winner from this author. Snappy dialogue, fast paced plot, likeable characters, and justice to be served. All of these are wrapped up in a neat package and add up to a fun, easy to read story. This book is just like a great slice of pizza: a bit cheesy, kind of messy, but filling and satisfying. I recommend this book and this author.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this very quick and funny mystery. I liked the bite of the dialogue most of all. Snark-central and fast-paced. The main character is a wee bit shady but with a heart of gold as seems the rest of her extended family. She creates fundraisers for an animal shelter in her hometown! She is also a thief, sort of Robin Hood-esque. I liked this and I look forward to reading more from this author.
    • 5/5
      Melodie Campbell's new book, The B-Team: The Case Of The Angry First Wife is a joy to read. She's brought back some of the characters from her Gina Gallo series. The book is a fast read and made me smile all the way through it.The book, like the Gina Gallo series (as noted on the back cover) is really capers more than mysteries but don't let that stop you from reading this book.
    • 5/5
      Received this as an ARC copy from Library Thing and love it. This one has Del, a young woman, who works with her Aunt on writing wrongs. Generally wrongs that were done to the someone elderly. This one however involves a first wife who is wanting back a diamond necklace given to her by her grandmother. Del and her side kick Ritz get the necklace back. But all is not as it first appeared with the ex-wife. Fun read although really short. Though the writing style felt familiar and I have one of her other books and loved it as well. If you like Evanovich or anything else that's fun with a strong feminine lead then this would be good for you.
    • 3/5
      Melodie Campbell (author of the Gina Gallo series) has a hit in The B Team. We are again in Hamilton, Ontario, CA where the Gall family and assorted relative are all alive and well. Some in the Holy Cannoli Retirement home. Great-Aunt Kitty has a new scheme which involves Del, her pal Ritz and a new addition in Mac, a long-lost high school crush. They form the B Team, not the A Team because they were Vietnam Vets and these are the Mob. They plan to help beleaguered women with their issues. Case One: recover a necklance from an ex-husband's new wife. How bad could it be? Well, just sit back and watch.......Having read all the Gina Gallo books, and fell off the couch laughing with every one, this is a calmer group So far.....But a great short story which won't take up mough time but you will love it.
    • 5/5
      I would say that Melodie Campbell's writing style is akin to Janet Evanovich .........funny, interesting, fast moving and quirky characters. I hope there is a follow up to this book, it would make a fantastic series. The B-Team is much like TV's A Team with a humorous twist. I won't spoil it. GREAT READ!!

    Book preview

    The B-Team - Melodie Campbell

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

    ONE

    We had been summoned. There was no other way to put it.

    Why does she want us? asked my twin brother, Dino, sitting next to me in the passenger seat of the Mustang.

    No idea. It was baffling. She’d never done this before. And somehow it made me uneasy.

    You nervous? Dino wriggled in his seat. I am.

    Ditto. Our great-aunt is a legend in the industrial city of Hamilton, aka The Hammer. You know the expression cat burglar? Suffice it to say her nickname in the family is Kitty.

    Of course, those infamous burglaries were all long before. Kitty retired a few years ago after breaking an ankle in a bad fall while leaving a second-story window. Now she divides her time between her little house in the forest and the Holy Cannoli Retirement Home, visiting my elderly relatives who reside there. Many of them are dotty. Not Kitty. Her brain cells are in for the long haul.

    Could we have done something wrong? By wrong, I didn’t mean breaking-the-law wrong. Natch. I snuck a glance at Dino.

    There was an unfamiliar frown on his otherwise angel-perfect face. Surely we’d be facing Mom instead.

    I shivered.

    Nearly there. I pulled into the parking lot behind La Paloma, the upscale bistro owned by our uncle Vito. It serves as the family meeting place. But we try not to make that public. So we walked in the front door this time, just like normal restaurant patrons. It was uncommonly quiet inside.

    Dino took off his sunglasses the way that detective in CSI Miami does. I let my eyes adjust to the dark. The place was empty except for Kitty. She was seated by herself at a table near the back, drinking an espresso.

    Of course there was a white tablecloth on the table. This was a class joint.

    Kitty grinned and waved us over. "Ciao, Del. Dino."

    I leaned down for my usual two-cheek kisses. Her face was a road map of wrinkles, the skin soft and powdery. Her once-dark hair had advanced from gray to pure white. But the brown eyes were as sharp as ever.

    We slid into chairs opposite her. She got right to the point. "You two know what I mean when I say The A-Team?"

    Dino squinted. That TV show from the eighties? The one about the Vietnam vets who became vigilantes?

    That’s the one. She leaned forward. Her dark eyes gleamed. They’re a bunch of old guys now. Retired. So I’m starting a new one.

    New TV show? I asked, perplexed. Surely she knew the A-Team wasn’t real.

    Nope. Vigilante group. I talked to your mom. We need one, with all the senior scams these days. She leaned back in the chair and looked off into the distance with a spooky smile. I’m thinking of calling it…the B-Team. And Del, we want you to run it.

    My brother groaned.

    That was five months ago. A whole lot has happened since then.

    There are four of us vigilantes now. Me, Dino, Kitty and Ritz. Hard to describe my old pal from high school. Her real name is Rita, but we call her Ritz, after the crackers. Big hint there. Remember Murdock from The A-Team? Back in the politically incorrect days of the eighties, he would have been what we called certified crazy. Ritz is not far off that.

    We operate from an empty house in Hamilton. Kitty has a small supply of them. She calls this her two-story pension plan. Clever idea to park her laundered earnings in real estate. Mom helped her with financial planning. When Kitty needs money to fund our operations, she simply sells another house.

    I remember very clearly how this particular job got started. It was a Saturday afternoon, which explained why I could be there. I have a different job during the week. Kitty and Ritz covered the office Monday to Friday. Ritz had wandered in earlier, looking for company. When the phone rang she grabbed it and answered in her characteristic gruff manner.

    B-Team. Make it snappy. We’re busy.

    I grimaced. Yes, you had to be tough, being female in this game. That’s Ritz. Pure rawhide.

    As she said on the phone, we’re the B-Team. We deal in justice, not the law. Sometimes the law lets you down. We try to rectify that.

    Ritz turned to me. It’s Kitty. She wants to talk to you.

    I grabbed the receiver from her hand before she shoved it in my face. Ritz is a tad abrupt.

    Yup, I said into the phone.

    Still on for tonight? Kitty’s voice was businesslike. She knew I wasn’t happy about this job.

    Yeah. Sure. I wasn’t the type to back out.

    Del, are you sure about Ritz? This is a tricky one.

    I looked over at the person in question. Ritz was cleaning her fingernails with the corner of

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