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The Calculated #0.5
Calculated Extortion: A Calculated Series Prequel Novella
Before Scarlett helped Mike, Parker, and Alexis solve the cases in Calculated Deception and Calculated Contagion, she was a brand-new profiler at the FBI’s Chicago field office. When a high-profile charity is targeted by a cybercriminal, Scarlett is charged with leading a team of special agents to find the individual hiding behind the malicious code.
Mike Moretti is a FBI special agent accustomed to difficult cases. However, to find out who is bleeding the charity of funds, he’ll need to team up with the new profiler...even after he mistakes her for the office intern. As the cyberattacks become increasingly personal, Scarlett and her team must find the criminal hiding where the FBI least expects them.
Calculated Extortion is a Calculated Series prequel novella, which takes place before Calculated Deception.
Mike Moretti is a FBI special agent accustomed to difficult cases. However, to find out who is bleeding the charity of funds, he’ll need to team up with the new profiler...even after he mistakes her for the office intern. As the cyberattacks become increasingly personal, Scarlett and her team must find the criminal hiding where the FBI least expects them.
Calculated Extortion is a Calculated Series prequel novella, which takes place before Calculated Deception.
- GenresMysteryContemporary
93 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2017
112 people are currently reading
160 people want to read
About the author
K.T. Lee
14 books55 followersK.T. Lee is a writer, mom and engineer who grew up on a steady diet of books from a wide variety of genres. When K.T. began to write the kind of books she wanted to read, she mixed clever women and the sciences with elements from thrillers (and a dash of romance) to create The Calculated Series.
You can find me on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KTLeeWrites
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To sign up for my newsletter, please visit:
https://ktleeauthor.com
Thanks for reading!
K.T.
You can find me on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KTLeeWrites
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ktleeauthor
To sign up for my newsletter, please visit:
https://ktleeauthor.com
Thanks for reading!
K.T.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 3, 2022
Somebody is using ransomware to extort money from a large charity, a team of FBI agents get on the case.
An introductory novella for The Calculated series. Good enough to induce someone to make the plunge and buy the rest.
An introductory novella for The Calculated series. Good enough to induce someone to make the plunge and buy the rest.
April 16, 2019
I read this book (which by the way you can get now for FREE on Kindle) after joining the blog tour for Calculated Deception; you can read my review
here
. Since it is a prequel novella, I was able to finish it in one sitting.
The trio characters, Parker, Alexis and Mike, which I’ve first met on Calculated Deception, were obviously present in this story. This time there’s more focus on Mike as he met and worked with Dr. Scarlett Callahan who’s a profiler and was recently transferred to the Chicago FBI. But the funny thing was, he mistakenly considered her as an intern. Awkward? Nah! It was really hilarious and I’m thinking of including them on my meet-cute reads.
Anyway, the story started when the CEO of World Partners for Peace’s computer systems were hacked demanding a ransom to get the system back up and running again. The case was, it didn’t only happen once but a few times while the suspect sent threat messages to the CEO. So, the team has to figure out what’s the motive and most of all, who was doing it.
The story was short and easy to read. I know who the hacker was but, I was surprised with the reveal at the ending because the suspect didn’t know she was hacking the company’s computer system for real. And I for one thought she’s the real culprit. But apparently, she was innocent—one of those who hack for good (white hat hacker obviously).
Like any CSI: Cyber episodes I’ve watched before, the author was able to show through Jen’s character what a person is capable of in times of desperation. It wasn’t hard to sympathize with her because she just wanted to help Emma’s parents to pay their debts who were drowning in medical bills from the cancer treatment. Though she did it for the right reasons, good intentions with bad results are still bad. Still, I love how both Jen and Emma got their second chances in the end.
Overall, the story was short and easy to read. There was a unique chemistry and humor between Mike and Scarlett. They’re both driven, fun and professional. I also love the trio’s working tandem, which was entertaining and mostly brought humor within the story. If you love watching cyber-crime investigative, I recommend picking a copy of this book.
Full Review at Tale Out Loud | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The trio characters, Parker, Alexis and Mike, which I’ve first met on Calculated Deception, were obviously present in this story. This time there’s more focus on Mike as he met and worked with Dr. Scarlett Callahan who’s a profiler and was recently transferred to the Chicago FBI. But the funny thing was, he mistakenly considered her as an intern. Awkward? Nah! It was really hilarious and I’m thinking of including them on my meet-cute reads.
Anyway, the story started when the CEO of World Partners for Peace’s computer systems were hacked demanding a ransom to get the system back up and running again. The case was, it didn’t only happen once but a few times while the suspect sent threat messages to the CEO. So, the team has to figure out what’s the motive and most of all, who was doing it.
The story was short and easy to read. I know who the hacker was but, I was surprised with the reveal at the ending because the suspect didn’t know she was hacking the company’s computer system for real. And I for one thought she’s the real culprit. But apparently, she was innocent—one of those who hack for good (white hat hacker obviously).
Like any CSI: Cyber episodes I’ve watched before, the author was able to show through Jen’s character what a person is capable of in times of desperation. It wasn’t hard to sympathize with her because she just wanted to help Emma’s parents to pay their debts who were drowning in medical bills from the cancer treatment. Though she did it for the right reasons, good intentions with bad results are still bad. Still, I love how both Jen and Emma got their second chances in the end.
Overall, the story was short and easy to read. There was a unique chemistry and humor between Mike and Scarlett. They’re both driven, fun and professional. I also love the trio’s working tandem, which was entertaining and mostly brought humor within the story. If you love watching cyber-crime investigative, I recommend picking a copy of this book.
Full Review at Tale Out Loud | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
May 13, 2018
"Uncomplicated & entertaining"
Solid start to a series. Easy to read. ideal companion for a holiday flight or an afternoon on the beach.
Solid start to a series. Easy to read. ideal companion for a holiday flight or an afternoon on the beach.
January 3, 2018
Interesting plot, lots of twists, keeps you guessing to the very end. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
September 28, 2018
Calculated Extortion by K.T. Lee
I understand this was a novella, and prequel, but it was extremely childlike almost childish in its approach.
Quote: “It was buried through some fancy footwork but we unwound it pretty far.” Quite a juvenile expression.
There was hardly any character development and the plot was overly simplistic and at the same time too complicated, as far as computer speak was concerned anyway. Don’t understand? Neither did I.
Descriptions and imagery were minimal to say the least. It appeared to have been written for 14-year-olds. I couldn’t find anything to suggest that to be the case, so assumed it was just a new or a very young author’s first attempt. Don’t think I will bother reading the rest of the series. Sorry.
I understand this was a novella, and prequel, but it was extremely childlike almost childish in its approach.
Quote: “It was buried through some fancy footwork but we unwound it pretty far.” Quite a juvenile expression.
There was hardly any character development and the plot was overly simplistic and at the same time too complicated, as far as computer speak was concerned anyway. Don’t understand? Neither did I.
Descriptions and imagery were minimal to say the least. It appeared to have been written for 14-year-olds. I couldn’t find anything to suggest that to be the case, so assumed it was just a new or a very young author’s first attempt. Don’t think I will bother reading the rest of the series. Sorry.
December 21, 2020
FBI Action Adventure
This is the first book in an FBI/CIA action-adventure series. The stories are about a PG rating in my mind. In this story, a young female FBI profiler takes a new team to solve an extortion crime. The plot is well done with good character development and a satisfying ending. This book and the rest of the series have a great balance of women in authority positions as well as leaders in their STEM fields. This book and the rest of the series are not tense thrillers but have plenty of technology to keep the reader happy. I received this book for free from the author and this is my honest opinion.
This is the first book in an FBI/CIA action-adventure series. The stories are about a PG rating in my mind. In this story, a young female FBI profiler takes a new team to solve an extortion crime. The plot is well done with good character development and a satisfying ending. This book and the rest of the series have a great balance of women in authority positions as well as leaders in their STEM fields. This book and the rest of the series are not tense thrillers but have plenty of technology to keep the reader happy. I received this book for free from the author and this is my honest opinion.
December 23, 2021
Calculated Extortion is a great novella that sets the pace and bar for the Calculated Series. K.T Lee has a great way of celebrating collaboration, valuing and integrating the strength of every character into a unique plot. The writing is simplistic yet compelling as the case is analytical and technical. I appreciate the female characters as solid leads who excel in their field. The moments of humour and quick banter made it an entertaining read. Though I have not read the books in the correct order, this made me love the Calculated Series even more! A 4 star read!
I received a free copy from the author, and this honest review is left voluntarily.
I received a free copy from the author, and this honest review is left voluntarily.
March 14, 2022
K.T.Lee is a fabulous writer of slow burn romance cozeys inside a cozey mystery full of vibrant and some familiar characters and in this mystery you would be hard set to find a forward character that didn’t have a compassionate part to their personality. The mystery is very well written the plot well drawn and the ending of this mystery well documented. Acquire " Calculated Extortion " today it's a great little read full of intriguing entertainment. 😀 Kat
December 2, 2019
Meeting the elements of a team whose developing personal connections make them a good working team.
Never play poker against this profiler - very much a losing proposition.
Colleagues and teams suffer damage and losses along the way.
This is an intriguing beginning to a long game.
Global security and personal connections may well be at stake
Never play poker against this profiler - very much a losing proposition.
Colleagues and teams suffer damage and losses along the way.
This is an intriguing beginning to a long game.
Global security and personal connections may well be at stake
April 1, 2018
Loved the story, but too short!
This was a great short story. Loved the plot, but wanted more. Would have gave this five stars if there was more to this (this one was less than 100 pages).
This was a great short story. Loved the plot, but wanted more. Would have gave this five stars if there was more to this (this one was less than 100 pages).
May 16, 2018
I bought this because the series looked interesting but I wasn't sure so I thought I'd try the novella. I enjoyed this. Strong women characters and men who treat them respectfully. Even a mistake (born of sexism and ageism) in the status of one character is treated with humour and grace. The mystery that drives the plot is interesting and non-conventional. I will definitely be looking at the rest of this series.
March 29, 2018
Really enjoyed this book, looking forward to more in the series.....
July 29, 2018
Fast read
Interesting story line. Plot pulled me and kept me interested. Surprise twist at the end, did see that coming. Well done.
Interesting story line. Plot pulled me and kept me interested. Surprise twist at the end, did see that coming. Well done.
August 17, 2018
Good
this book is one where you see F.B.I. n
agent's are working on finding things that are hard to track.
this book is one where you see F.B.I. n
agent's are working on finding things that are hard to track.
September 28, 2019
Great story! I contains mystery, excitement and some laughs along the way. I thought it was cute and worth reading and enjoying.
December 3, 2018
I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review. This book kept you wondering who the thief was till the end. And a happy ending that it had. Great book and fun fast read. I'm sure the next book will be just as good.
April 21, 2018
Enjoyed the series. A quick read. Looking forward to more in the series and getting to know more about the different characters.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews