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Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Revisiting the Murder Mystery Romance: THE DUPLICITOUS DIVORCE (PG excerpt)



THE DUPLICITOUS DIVORCE--Book Three in the Minx Tobin Murder Mystery Series

Author: Susanne Marie Knight

Genre: Murder Mystery Romance

Price: $1.99 electronically

Buy Link:
Available electionically at:


Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DLI_r2QjYY to see a trailer of THE DUPLICITIOUS DIVORCE.

Blurb:
Minx’s involvement with an unhappy newlywed turns deadly... for the bride and for Minx.

DIVORCE... L.A. STYLE
Minx Tobin’s latest client, Magda Boswell, complains that her new husband wants her dead.  But maybe it’s the old husband Magda should worry about.  Or the first husband’s new wife.  Then again, Magda’s longstanding boyfriend isn’t too devoted, either.  Minx gets mixed up in convoluted marital problems that just might end up in death... for her.

Homicide lieutenant Gabe Harris can’t believe his good luck.  Not only does he win $20,000 but more important, he persuades Minx to take a chance on him.  But when Minx gets involved in another murder case, he finds the odds for her survival are not in her favor.

Scene Set-Up:
Minx unexpectedly runs into Homicide Lieutenant Gabe Harris while visiting Las Vegas. Their mutual attraction goes up a notch!

Excerpt:
Gabe pushed his chair away from the table, then stood. “I’ve got an early start tomorrow, so I’d better get going. I’ll walk you to your hotel room, Minx.”

“Oh.” Drat, had her disappointment sounded in her voice?

He helped her up from her chair. “When are you leaving Vegas?”

“Sadie and I drive back sometime tomorrow afternoon. What about you?”

“I fly out tomorrow night.”

When they entered the hotel, the cool air-conditioning bit at her. He must’ve noticed her shudder for he placed his arm around her nearly bare shoulders.

She sank back against him, grateful for his warmth and for the solid feel of him.

They both were quiet as they rode up to the seventh floor in the Century elevators.

All too soon they stood by her hotel room. Minx eyed the door and gulped down her nervousness. Should she invite him inside? What if Sadie was already in bed?

Minx glanced up at him with her invitation pasted on her lips.

He stretched his arm out to the doorframe, then leaned in close to her. “I’ll say good-night now, Minx, with one stipulation.” He was so close, they shared the same air.

“Stipulation?” she repeated. Her voice sounded husky to her ears.

“Mmm.” He trailed his lips over the shell of her ear.

Whoa. She almost died from the sheer pleasure of it.

“Yeah, and the stipulation is that you’ll go out with me as soon as possible.” He nibbled his way down the length of her neck. “Tomorrow’s out, but what about Monday night?”

Her knees buckled and her heart pounded. It took all her willpower to focus on the physical act of speaking.

“Um, Mon-Monday’s fine.”

“Good. I’ll call you.” Gabe brushed his lips against hers, then pulled away. “Now don’t forget.”

As if she could!

He turned around, walked down the corridor and into the waiting open elevator. Only when the elevator doors swished closed, did Minx move from her position.

Good God, that man was sex personified. Wiping sudden perspiration from her forehead, she slipped her card key into the door and stumbled into her room.

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Hope you enjoy!

Susanne Marie Knight

Read outside the box: award-winning Romance Writing With A Twist

Monday, June 5, 2017

The Re-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!


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 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:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGy7DzneQ2Y

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.

Awesome book!--R.C. WordPress

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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!