Monday, October 3, 2016

The Buzz on THE ILL-GOTTEN INSURANCE


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. Breaking news! THE BLOODSTAINED BISTRO in ebook form is now FREE at many internet sites including Amazon.com. Click on the link for Amazon.

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!


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 and have 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


Here is a popular book trailer for THE ILL-GOTTEN INSURANCE:


This book is part of the Intriguing Mysteries line.


Here are some fabulous reviews:

4 Hearts! Susanne Marie Knight pens another thriller in this series. The lives of the rich and famous overlap with those who work for a living. Character building and dialogue are great. The suspense as Minx confronts a killer is edge of your seat. For a woman whose intuition and people skills in a case are superb, Minx doesn't seem to do well communicating with Gabe. He's a macho man with a heart of gold but doesn't let Minx see much of his better side. Gabe's friend, Sgt. Antonio Atwell and his family are a priceless addition that really give the tale a boost. The author does a great job blending everyday people, some of whom are a bit creepy, with the suspects. Associates we meet at the fitness Emporium, especially the guys, will pique the memories of those forgettable dates we had before finding Mr. Right for many women. This is a fun series--The Romance Studio

The Ill-gotten Insurance, the second installment in the Minx Tobin Case books, will not only keep you turning the pages until you reach the end of the story, it will have you seeking out the first of Ms. Knight’s Minx Tobin Case books if you have not already read it. The author’s fluent writing style which brings her characters alive, warts and all. Her ability to capture the outrage of the rich implicated in the murder along side her depiction of the hero and heroine and their supporting cast creates plenty of friction as some of those characters are simply ‘way-out’ weird... Ms. Knight offers characters you will want to get to know even better, characters you are still rooting for at the conclusion of The Ill-gotten Insurance. The story is packed with a gallery full of suspects and enough twists and turns to satisfy any reader.--Long and Short Reviews.

I don't normally read mystery, but I'm enjoying your book, Susanne Marie Knight. I just started it a while ago and already I'm hooked.--J. L.

Minx and Gabe need to get together!!--C. K.

I can't wait to read these books!--T. D.

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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.

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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!