THE
ILL-GOTTEN INSURANCE is case number two in my popular Minx Tobin Murder Mystery Series. For those
of you not familiar with this series, click on the
link for my
Author Notes on THE BLOODSTAINED BISTRO, case number one.
Minx
is a fitness instructor newly relocated to Los Angeles, California, who has a
knack for solving puzzles--puzzles concerning dead bodies. For fun, romance,
and... unexpected corpses, follow her adventures in this murder mystery series!
As
with every book in the series, the title reveals a lot about the story. You
might wonder, “How can life insurance be ill-gotten?” In this case, if the
“deceased” isn’t really deceased, then.... Well, you get the picture!
Artist’s rendering of a possible cover
DEAD AGAIN
An odd string of coincidences leads Minx Tobin to an old friend, Bill
Gutierrez. Only Bill died five years ago. Before Minx has a chance to question
the man, he turns up dead... again, with a slip of paper in his pocket with her
name on it. Whether she likes it or not, Minx is involved in another murder.
Will the Case of the Ill-gotten Insurance turn out to be deadly for her as
well?
Los Angeles homicide lieutenant Gabe Harris regrets that the fitness
trainer who piqued his interest is a murder suspect once again. But at least he
has a legitimate reason to see Minx. Maybe he can even convince her to go out
with him. And maybe he can prevent L.A.’s newest murderer from adding Minx to
his... or her fatality list.
Desert
Breeze Publishing has published all six (to date) Minx Tobin novels. This
series has received great reviews including 4.5 stars from Sensual Reads and 5
stars from Single Titles Reviews. The books are available both electronically
and in print.
Minx’s dead friend turns up alive... but not for
long. Will the life insurance have to be paid twice?
Amazon.com
Ebook Amazon.com Print
When I started this series, I had no idea Minx would have a background in art. She surprised me! Many moons ago, as she says, she took drawing classes in high school. I did as well, attending New York’s High School of Music and Art. Nor did I know that there is actually a type of gun called the .22 short, Beretta Minx. That certainly came in handy, and naturally the gun figures in the mystery.
Here’s
a scene where Antonio Atwell, Gabe’s trusty sergeant, has a bit of fun with his
lieutenant.
A crime scene investigator walked over with a pencil
threaded through the trigger guard of a semiautomatic pistol. “Lieutenant
Harris, we discovered this Beretta under the flat screened TV.”
As Gabe eyed the weapon, Antonio remained strangely
quiet. Gabe darted a quick glance at his sergeant, then returned his attention
to the pistol. “Small caliber, .22, easily fits into a woman’s purse, but is
still deadly effective.”
He dismissed the investigator, then fixed his sights
on his sergeant. Someone of Antonio’s advanced age of sixty two shouldn’t be
smirking at his superior officer. “Okay, what the hell am I missing here,
Sergeant?”
“What was the manufacturer’s name for that
semiautomatic again, Lieutenant?”
“Geez it, you want me to examine the damn thing? This
a test? It was a Beretta--”
“Full name?”
Gabe frowned. The name was important? He narrowed his
gaze in the pistol’s direction. “.22 short, Beretta Minx.”
Minx! Hell’s bells, he hadn’t thought of that woman,
that fitness instructor, since, well, since last week. Truth be told, he
thought about her a lot, considering he actually hadn’t seen her in two months
from the time of the arrest in the Neal Loehman murder case.
Not that he was serious about Minx Tobin, or
anything. They’d never dated, unless that aborted Mexican dinner where she
walked out on him could’ve been called a date. Hell, she’d never even called
him by his first name.
And
here’s another inside scoop: the widely popular 80s movie, Ghostbusters, plays
a role in the Minx Tobin Murder Mystery Series. In fact, Minx’s name is based
on a line from the movie. There’s a scene near the end where Bill Murray’s
character watches the aerobatics of the "god" Zoser, and then says
"Nimble little minx." My family just loves that line! Also, a reference
in the movie to “Tobin’s Spirit Guide” is responsible for Minx’s last name. So
there you have it! In addition, the dedication in THE ILL-GOTTEN INSURANCE is
to our beloved ghostbusters: Bill, Dan, Harry, and Ernest.
I hope you enjoy Minx and Gabe’s adventures. There are lots more surprises in store for them as
the series progresses. Case Number Three is THE DUPLICITOUS DIVORCE.
Happy reading,
Susanne Marie Knight
Read outside the box: award-winning Romance Writing
With A Twist!
