Mad Money

Rating:
Summary: A delightful surprise
Review: I recieved Mad Money as a gift and found it to be an utter surprise. I don't know what I expected, but what I found was a tightly rendered and well executed mystery story with lots of dark elements and a solid core of humor. I was especially delighted with Madeline Carter as an amateur detective. There are many fictional non-professional detectives these days and Madeline is more believable than most. As a professional woman in my mid 30s, I found I could relate to Madeline completely. Though I wouldn't have thought the stock market would interest me in the least, the author handles this aspect in a way that interested and intrigued me.

Mad Money is the first in a series. Like other reviewers of this book, the second Madeline Carter book can't come quickly enough!



Rating:
Summary: an enjoyable financial contemporary romantic suspense
Review: In Manhattan, a failed investor who rejected his broker's advice, enters the offices of Merriweather Bailey and kills thirty-five years old Jackson Shoenberger. Jackson's best friend, fellow broker, Madeline Carter witnessed the murder. Madeline takes a leave of absence and at Jackson's funeral, Madeline offers her condolences to her friend's wife and children, but blames herself unfairly for his death as her decision on a promotion opportunity influenced his.

Unable to cope, Madeline quits her job; her former boss Sal gets her a place to stay in Malibu, California at a friend's home. The friend turns out to be Hollywood director Tyler Beckett, his young wife, and his teenage daughter. To earn money, Madeline becomes a successful day trader until she meets former boyfriend Ernest Billings, who gives her insider information that he has been named as CEO of Langton Regional Group. Though questionable and perhaps illegal, Madeline invests in LRG and inadvertently persuades her mom to do so too only to see the price of the stock collapse and Ernest vanishes. As she searches for Ernest and the money she meets Steve Rundel, but her fiscal fiasco seems to keep the duo apart though they are attracted to one another.

MAD MONEY is an enjoyable financial contemporary romantic suspense starring a beleaguered heroine struggling with grief while trying to start over. The tale has several subplots besides the Billings deal that are well written such as a teen runaway, but take the reader away from the prime theme of Madeline's drowning in her professional life while flopping in her personal life. Readers will enjoy this madcap fiscal adventure starring a likeable cast especially the protagonist.

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: Mad Money
Review: Taking on a too great load of guilt over the shooting of her friend and co worker, stock trader Madeline Carter pulls up stakes and moves from New York to LA, seeking peace and new start. What she finds is anything but that. Her new home is lovely, and she makes friends quickly with a young woman and her family. However, when she acts on a stock tip from an old flame, it turns out to be a bad move; the stock plummets when the flame disappears and Madeline is a suspect in his disappearance. Solving the case to clear her name brings her the chance for romance and the threat of danger, made more complex by a her new friend running away- or is it an abduction?

*** Multi layered and complex, this novel offers comedy, drama, and a rather unusual setting for a romance novel. If you are tired of the same old thing, then this will be what you are looking for. ***

Rating:
Summary: Financial Intrigue and Murder
Review: When taking advice, always consider the source. This is an adage New York broker Madeline Carter should have followed before investing her money in stock based on a tip from her ex-boyfriend Ernest Carmichael Billings. The lure of an inside tip lured Madeline into overlooking ethics, and when the stock starts to nosedive as a result of Ernest's disappearance Madeline has no choice but to investigate in order to save her, and her family's, investment.

When a crazed shooter murders Madeline's friend Jackson in the middle of their office Madeline abandons New York for Los Angeles, where she ends up renting a room from the famous director Tyler Beckett. While Tyler hopes that Madeline will mentor his daughter Jennifer and keep her out of the Hollywood life, Madeline finds that she enjoys accompanying the young woman on visits to clubs. It's at one of these that she meets her old ex, and her involvement results in her becoming a suspect in his disappearance as she infiltrates the Langton Regional Group offices building and their parties. Along the way she meets an attractive but young LRG employee, gets tailed by a private eye, and discovers yet another kidnapping. And the move to California seemed to be so relaxing.

Richards excels at making the financial complexities of the stock market both understandable and exciting, with a plot that speeds right along to a very realistic and satisfying ending. The writing is sharp with a strong element of humor, making this a very enjoyable and fast read. The descriptions of California, from the wealthy mansions to the clubs and the cars are detailed and dead-on. Richards has created one of the most likeable, fully developed, and original characters this year, and we can hope that Madeline Carter will be making more appearances.