The HBS Author's Spotlight SHOWCASES Molly Greene's Book: Swindle Town
Today our blog puts the Spotlight on Mystery Author Molly Greene. She is the author of the Gen Delacourt Mystery series.
Swindle Town
Gen Delacourt Mystery Book 5
Author: Molly Greene
AVAILABLE
Amazon
Gen Delacourt is plunged deep into San Francisco’s exclusive, high-end bar scene when she’s hired to find a rash of missing wine bottles. As the mystery unfolds, her search leads away from the wayward empties and into the moneyed lair of a hidden extortionist. Everyone she encounters is wearing a mask, and the players’ deception spells danger for Gen, and, finally, pits her between two women who want the same man. Can she save Shiloh James, childhood friend of the man she loves?
Excerpt from Swindle Town
Joseph Petrovich owned a ritzy, glitzy – but slightly blue collar – business. He sold high end used cars. Loads of them, actually. In fact, Petrovich Motors sold more previously-owned vehicles than any other independent resale business in the entire Bay Area.
Joe was a very rich man.
As soon as Gen saw Petrovich’s ten-foot-tall full-body photo on the side of the building he owned, she recognized his face. He was one of those guys who appeared in all his own television spots, and she muted the ads the minute they blared from the TV.
She turned into the lot and cut the engine near the office door. The place was huge and stylish, very much modeled after a new car dealership. It seemed a clever marketing ploy to her, maybe to make the rubes feel like they could get that new-car smell in a second-hand package.
Beside her, a row of BMWs stretched away across the lot. Every color, every model, and every single one glazed with polish rubbed to such a high shine that she had to squint against the blinding glint off the metal. They looked good. So good, in fact, she was distracted by the allure of a semi-new 520i.
She walked over to check it out. Charcoal gray. Gunmetal leather interior. Pretty. Stella would look real nice in that, hanging out the passenger window, wearing a pair of shades. Gen was chuckling at a visual of the dog when a salesman approached and slid his hand across the hood.
“She’s a beauty. Not even two years old.”
Gen grinned. “That she is.”
“Ready to trade up?”
She looked at him then, realizing he thought she was a customer. Of course he would. Here she was, staring at a car that was for sale. She hadn’t made up a story for being there, so she went with it.
“I might be.”
A flash of something akin to the thrill of the hunt passed across the salesman’s face. He was young, under thirty, wearing a dark green suit and a thin black tie. The suit pants were tapered to the ankle, very in-crowd. His black shoes were pointy, the perfect reflection of his nose and chin, and his hair was slicked back into a little ducktail in the rear. He looked like a cross between an actor in Grease and a suave leprechaun.
Sheesh.
She gave him her most innocent moue, trying to appear embarrassed, as if she didn’t have many brain cells that functioned correctly. “My dad’s always bought my cars,” she said. “But he’s on the opposite coast right now, so I’m on my own this time. I’ll have to depend on you to take good care of me.”
Ducktail’s face lit up for precisely one second before he replaced his devilish delight with an angelic smile. “Will you be trading yours in?” He hitched a thumb over his shoulder toward her ride.
She waffled a hand. “Maybe.”
He almost jumped in the air and clicked his heels together, he was so elated.
“I’d like to know how much you’ll give me for mine before I find another one.”
He frowned at that. “Don’t you think it’s better to shop first? It’d be a waste of time if you don’t see something you like.”
He probably wanted her to fall in love with another first, so she’d be willing to give hers away at a rock-bottom price in order to have it. Okay, she’d play. Gen caressed the 520i with a look that screamed of deep, deep longing.
“Maybe I already have.”
He tossed her a demented little grin and split for the office. “I’ll go get the keys and the paperwork.” He jogged away, not wanting to give her much time to think, and was back before you could say Saint Paddy’s Day.
She slid into the driver’s side and adjusted the leather seat and checked out all the digital displays. Her BMW was several years old, and this model was light years beyond it in terms of modern. For just a moment she wanted it.
That passed when she remembered her errand.
She swung the vehicle deftly out of the lot and onto the street. Ducktail was busy pointing out the features. The On-Star, the keyless entry, blah blah blah.
“So what’s Petrovich like?” she asked.
His face swiveled to her and his forehead wrinkled with confusion. She’d lost him.
“Petrovich,” she repeated. “Your boss. I see him on TV all the time. What’s he like?”
“He’s happy when we sell cars, and he’s unhappy when we don’t.”
The words came out with a rush of energy behind them, and the kid tried to gloss it over right away. “I mean, I’m his top salesman, so we’re tight.”
Gen almost laughed, but she didn’t want to diss him. She snapped a right at the next corner and the tires squealed just a hair. What a nice set of wheels. It would be a sharp car to drive around. She ditched that train of thought and got back on board with Petrovich.
“I’m almost convinced,” she said. “I think I’ll take it. I just want to tool around a little more, then we’ll head back and talk dollars.”
He wanted to give her a high five real bad, she could tell. She wondered how long he’d been working the lot, and how many sales he’d managed to make. Or lose.
For a moment she was sorry she’d have to let him down, but that was life. Disappoint was character building; Gen knew that for a fact. “I might have to talk to Petrovich himself, though. Daddy always said talk to the decision-maker.”
Ducktail grimaced, but he wasn’t too put out. “I can make that happen. He’s around.”
“Cool.” Gen flashed him a smile. “He work hard, your boss?”
“He puts in his time.”
“What does he do for kicks? I mean, he must have a lot of dough. Selling all those cars and all.”
“He’s got a lot of babes.” Ducktail relaxed into the seat. He must feel comfortable now, thinking the sale was a done deal. Gen hoped he wasn’t mentally spending his commission check.
“Oh yeah?” she said. “Anybody special?”
“He doesn’t bring them around here, if that’s what you’re asking. But I saw him out one night with a real nice redhead. They were on their way into a flashy place in the city. I can’t remember the name.”
“The Hourglass?”
“Yeah, that’s it.” He swung his eyes to her. “How’d you know?”
“Just a guess. I hear it’s quite the club. Members only. High-class wine.”
“Hunh.”
He leaned against the headrest, and Gen could almost see the wheels turn as he recalled his elaborate hair. He edged forward again.
Mustn’t flatten the do.
“She was a good-looking wench,” he continued, but then his brain probably circled around to what was on the line and he was all business again. “Shall we head back and get into the finances?”
Gen gave him a thumbs up. “Let’s do it.”
“How’s your credit?”
“A-plus.”
“You got a job?”
“Oh yeah.”
“All right, all right, all right. Let’s go meet the boss.”
Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Suspense
Website: Molly Greene: Writer - Blogger & Author, Gen Delacourt Mysteries
Twitter: @mollygreene
E-Mail: authormollygreene (at) gmail (dot) com
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Amazon Author Profile
Author Description: Hi readers! I'm a blogger and author of both fiction and non-fiction. My titles include Blog It! The author's guide to building a successful online brand (blogs based on WordPress), and the Gen Delacourt Mystery Series: Mark of the Loon, The Last Fairytale, Paint Me Gone, A Thousand Tombs, Swindle Town, Lock the Cellar Door, and Midnight at Half Moon Bay (out soon).
I currently live in the mountains outside San Diego, California, the city where I was born and raised - but I LOVE Northern California so much that I use various Bay Area locations as the setting for my fiction series. Meanwhile, I write about my life and self-publishing topics at www.molly-greene.com. Stop by and say hello!
Each Gen Delacourt Mystery works well as a standalone story…
Author's Book List
Lock the Cellar Door
- Gen Delacourt Mystery Book 6Detective Gen Delacourt’s life is perfect … until a ceiling collapses on her fiancé during an earthquake. The resulting head injury leaves him tormented and remote, with little recollection of their relationship. All he remembers is the image of a woman in a window and the desperate sound of her sobbing. Frantic and alone, Gen turns to fellow private investigator Devlin Boyle for help. Together they unearth the mystery of Mack’s presence in the mansion, why he is now terrified of the dark, and who was weeping. Will Mack recover?
Order the Book From:
Amazon
A Thousand Tombs
- Gen Delacourt Mystery Book 4Private Investigator Gen Delacourt and brand-new boyfriend Mack Hackett are about to walk into a restaurant when a teenage boy barrels down the sidewalk and into their lives. Luca Torello is circumspect about who he was running from and why, but the story slowly comes out. It involves an ancient coin, a pawn shop, and a group of Italians caught up in an intrigue as old as life itself. As Gen struggles to make sense of who is telling the truth, her budding relationship with Mack goes off the rails, her trust and loyalty are questioned, and she is thrown into the midst of a mystery that began with the dawn of time.
Order the Book From:
Amazon
Paint Me Gone
- Gen Delacourt Mystery Book 3Private Investigator Genevieve Delacourt is hired to find a missing sibling, but it proves to be a convoluted task. The search is complicated by two things: the woman was thought to have committed suicide over twenty years before, and she was the only suspect in a stranger’s murder before she disappeared.
Gen’s client, Sophie Keene, revives the case when an unsigned painting that depicts her sister in unmistakable detail finds its way into Sophie’s hands. The painting holds the key to the missing woman’s story, and as Gen unravels the mystery, the threads of her own complicated romantic life fray out of control.
In need of help, Gen turns to old friend and one-time romantic interest SFPD Detective Mackenzie Hackett and his insider access to the cold case file, and is forced to fully confront her feelings for the man after their unresolved past.
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Amazon
The Last Fairytale
- Gen Delacourt Mystery Book 2Bree Butler shelved her dream of becoming an investigative journalist long ago. But when she finds a young biotech executive dead on his office floor, she begins to think she might have another shot at it – even though she’s a suspect in the homicide investigation. Bree and her old college friend, Detective Gen Delacourt (who we first met in Mark of the Loon), begin a danger-filled quest to unravel the puzzle. The deeper they dig, the more truth about their own personal lives is revealed along with the dead man’s. They’ll both begin again after this is solved … if Bree makes it out alive.
Order the Book From:
Amazon
Mark of the Loon
- Gen Delacourt Mystery Book 1Madison Boone is keen to buy a fabulous stone cottage in the country and she nixes her budding relationship with Coleman Welles to do it. But once the renovation begins, the property’s long-buried secret threatens to derail everything. Can her friends help solve the mystery?
Want to know more? ...
What happens when a single workaholic falls in love with an old stone cottage in Northern California? In Mark of the Loon, Madison renovates and sells property in addition to her busy real estate sales career. Her work-centric lifestyle leaves little time for anything beyond business and her three wise, hilarious friends. When Madison buys the Blackburne’s former house, a series of mysterious events both endanger her and lead her to love – and a permanent home. Mark of the Loon is the skillful combination of history, mystery, and romance in a novel that explores choices, taking risks, dealing with loss, deep, satisfying, unconditional friendships – and introduces Genevieve Delacourt as an impressive amateur sleuth!
Order the Book From:
Amazon
Blog It! The author's guide to building a successful online brand
The complete manual of blogging strategies and best practices covering who, what, when, where, how, and why and designed to help any author build a thriving, successful, dynamic online presence without sacrificing writing time or losing their minds!
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Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO
Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
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eBook Author’s Corner
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Check out the index of other Spotlight authors. Spotlight Index.
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