Calculated Loss

Madeline Carter #3

by Linda L. Richards

It's been years since former stockbroker Madeline Carter bothered thinking about her gastronomically gifted ex-husband, Chef Braydon Gauthier. Between quitting her soul-sucking career and discovering what life is like during daylight hours she's been kind of busy. But when Madeline learns Braydon took his own life, she drops everything and hightails it to the funeral.

It doesn't take long to realize Braydon's death is more murder than suicide. Madeline knows her ex would never have prepared himself a poison-laced dinner of duck à l'orange—let alone pair it with a big, beefy Shiraz. The culinary star would have eaten fast food first.

So who's responsible? Madeline definitely has her suspicions, but one thing's in the pressure-cooker world of high cuisine and higher stakes, a reputation is worth killing for.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Ebooks

409 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Linda L. Richards is the award-winning author of fifteen books. The founder and publisher of January Magazine and a contributing editor to the crime fiction blog The Rap Sheet, she is best known for her strong female protagonists in the thriller genre. Richards is from Vancouver, Canada and currently makes her home in Phoenix, Arizona. Her latest book, ENDINGS, was published by Oceanview Publishing in 2021. A PW starred review said that this “harrowing tale of love, loss, and the value of life is not to be missed.” A sequel, EXIT STRATEGY, was published May 2022 and DEAD WEST, the third novel in the series, will be published September 2023. Linda’s 2021 novel, ENDINGS, was recently optioned by a major studio for series production.

Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get interested in this book. I kept on reading and it turned out to be better than average What more can I say?

[Michelle G. Torres · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started really good but I felt like at the end the writer was in a hurry to finish and just be done with book

[Nancy]

It's been years since former stockbroker Madeline Carter bothered thinking about her gastronomically gifted ex-husband, Chef Braydon Gauthier. Between quitting her soul-sucking career and discovering what life is like during daylight hours she's been kind of busy. But when Madeline learns Braydon took his own life, she drops everything and hightails it to the funeral. It doesn't take long to realize Braydon's death is more murder than suicide. Madeline knows her ex would never have prepared himself a poison-laced dinner of duck à l'orange--let alone pair it with a big, beefy Shiraz. The culinary star would have eaten fast food first.

So who's responsible? Madeline definitely has her suspicions, but one thing's clear: in the pressure-cooker world of high cuisine and higher stakes, a reputation is worth killing for. The murderer is his present wife and his best friend.

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madeline Carter a former stock broker hasn't thought about her ex-husband Chef Breydon Gouthier in years.Since quitting her soul sucking career and discovering life during daylight hours she's been busy. But when she learns he committed suicide she rushes to the funereal. It doesn't take long for her to realize his death was more murder than suicide. She knows he would never prepare himself a poison laced Duck-a l orange- let alone pair it with a beefy shiraz. He would rather eat fast food first. It is up to Madeline to find out who murdered him? She has her suspicions but one thing is clear in the world of high cuisine a reputation is worth killing for.I look forward to reading more books by Linda Richards.

[Vicki · Rating 1 out of 5]

It may have been a good book, but the number of nonrestrictive clauses the author used was so overwhelming, I started counting them instead of focusing on the plot.

"I wasn't just calculating my pin-striped suit, or my careful chignon, but a whole lifestyle." "He saw me, I think, notice the light in those eyes..." "It's just that, for a while, I thought we balanced each other."

Drove me freakin' nuts.

[Alice Sabo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read. The characters are interesting. Despite being a cozy, there is a goodly amount of tension. I was guessing as to the killer, pretty much up to the end. And I actually learned a little about the stock market. Amazing. The descriptions of Vancouver make me want to visit. Sounds like a very nice city.

[Diana Donnelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

If a book hasn't reached me after 50 pages I just do not struggle to finish. I enjoyed the story and am a fan of mysteries. It wasn't the best mystery I have ever read but it certainly wasn't the worst either. Overall I think the author did a fine job.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, mildly interesting read. Decent plot but not much development of either characters or details. Too many run on sentences and a few too many homonym mistakes (sight vs site, for example) made it a somewhat annoying read at times.

[Anne N.]

Good mystery. Good details.

[Will Everything · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I've read all in this series and have not been disappointed