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Death by Dreidel by Susie Black is a book worth reading, especially if you like hilarious cozy mystery #cozymystery #humorous #hilarious #holidaymystery #nnlbh

N. N. Light


Title: Death by Dreidel

 

Author: Susie Black

 

Genre: Cozy Mystery

 

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

 

Book Blurb:

 

Mermaid Swimwear President Holly Schlivnik attends an industry Hanukkah party to honor Rapido Swimwear CEO Leni Waxman as the Mount Cedars Hospital Woman of the Year. The guest of honor collapses and dies in the middle of the event. An autopsy confirms that Leni expired as a result of poisoning by coming in contact with a purposely contaminated dreidel. There is no shortage of suspects—Leni had no problem destroying anyone who threatened her top-dog swimwear industry position. When Holly’s business partner is wrongly arrested for Leni’s murder, the irreverent sales exec can’t mind her own beeswax. The wise-cracking snoop sticks her nose everywhere it doesn’t belong to flesh out the real killer. But the trail has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster and nothing turns out how Holly thinks it will as she takes on a ruthless killer hellbent on revenge.

 

Excerpt:

 

Leni made the rounds, glad-handing guests from table to table the same way as a campaigning politician pandering for votes. Queenie nudged me as Leni stopped at Allen Brown’s and Sharon Hancock’s table, two away from ours.

 

Leni leaned into Allen close enough to identify his brand of cologne. She smiled evilly and pointed to Sharon. “Allen, did you come to the party with her or is this just the poor luck of the seating arrangements?” Leni clucked her tongue. “Between the bad publicity of our lawsuit, we both know you’re going to lose and your line’s poor retail sales performance, Winner’s Circle accounts are deserting the line left and right.” Leni jutted her chin j’accuse style at Sharon. “Don’t you have enough problems already?”

 

Leni flashed her used car salesman smile and jabbed the talon-shaped, blood-red manicured nail of her index finger into the small of Allen’s chest. “The last thing on Earth you need is to add her to your list of troubles.” Allen’s jaw bunched when Leni smirked, “Since my business is so much bigger than yours, Winner’s Circle is not much of a competitor. So, let me give you some friendly advice. If you’re considering hiring her—don’t. Not only does she bring a ton of baggage—a slew of personal problems continuously interfering with her doing her job— but the sad fact is, she can’t sell her way out of a paper bag. Once I dumped her, our sales jumped twenty-two percent the first month her replacement took over the position.”

 

The din of conversation suddenly died and the room went silent as a tomb when Sharon screamed at the top of her lungs. “You miserable, lying bitch! You’re the one losing accounts by the dozen because of the crap line you designed. None of the buyers wanted it, so you intimidated them into writing orders. It’s bad enough you fired me, and now you’re trying to destroy my reputation.”

 

Leni threw her head back and laughed. “Nice try. You don’t need me to destroy your reputation.” Sharon’s face turned as purple as an overripe eggplant and the vein in the middle of her forehead pulsed with unbridled fury as Leni spat the words out like watermelon seeds. “Miss Flash, you’re doing a fine job of destroying it all on your own.”

 

We watched gape-mouthed as Sharon leaped out of her chair, clenched her fists, and lunged at Leni. Drops of spittle flew out from the corners of her mouth when Sharon bared her teeth like a rabid dog. “Think I’m gonna sit back and let you ruin me? In a pig’s eye.” Allen and Martin Decker, the CEO of Clothing Concepts, attempted to get between the two women, but they weren’t fast enough. Sharon shoved Leni hard enough to make her stumble backward.

 

As Sharon wound up baseball pitcher style preparing to slug Leni in the chops, two burly mart security guards appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Sharon from under the armpits. They sandwiched her between them and stiff-marched her towards the door in a perp walk. As they dragged her kicking and screaming through the ballroom doors, her shrieks reverberated around the packed room and bounced off the walls. Sharon’s anguished screech came from the depths of her soul.  “I’ll see you dead first!” 

 

In an attempt to regain both her shaken dignity and control of the evening, Leni declined the help Allen and Martin offered to escort her back to the head table. She flashed a hundred-thousand-watt smile to the crowd and continued to work the tables.

 

Gary pointed to Elena Sosa from Stretch America Textiles seated five tables from us and said, “If Leni values her health, she’ll pass on harassing Elena.”

 

            Mira asked, “Why? If Leni is gutsy enough to pick a public fight with Sharon who is at least six inches taller and twenty years younger, why shy away from going after a petite woman like Elena?”

 

            Gary asked, “You saw all those trophies in Elena’s office?”

 

            Mira nodded.

 

            “Any idea what she won them for?”

 

            Mira shook her head.

 

             “Those are trophies Elena won in martial arts competitions. She is one of only a handful of women holding a fourth-degree black belt in Krav Maga, the Israeli self-defense system. Believe me, if Leni hassles her, Elena wouldn’t hesitate to kick Leni’s ass.” Gary grinned. “If I ever got into a tight spot, Elena Sosa is the person I’d want protecting my back.”

 

            Queenie pointed to Leni, who exchanged glares with Elena but didn’t stop to chitchat. Instead, the evening’s guest of honor headed to our table. Lucky us.

 

I deadpanned. “It appears that Leni is familiar with the contents of Elena’s trophy case.” 

 

Queenie glanced at Gary and smirked. “Are you going to invite tonight’s guest of honor to join us for dessert?”

 

            Before Gary replied, Leni sauntered to Gary’s side. She smiled, but the smile never reached her eyes. She subconsciously grazed her fingers through her hair and then licked her lips like a cat preparing to devour a mouse. “Gary,” she purred, “Lovely of you to come to my party.” He flinched as she patted his cheek. “Enjoy yourself tonight, darling. It’s the last time you will all season.” Queenie clamped her fingers around Gary’s arm as Leni pointed to Elena. “Better lower your projections because by the time I get through with you, a few hundred yards of sample fabric from that tramp is all you’ll get.” Leni’s eyes bored into Ricky's. “There won’t be a supplier in the entire competitive swimwear industry willing to ship you a yard of production fabric.” Leni’s beautiful eyes turned dark as a moonless night. “No one muscles in on my business and survives…no one.” And without waiting for Gary’s response, Leni turned on her heels and marched back to the head table.

 

Buy Links:

 

This book will be on preorder soon. Follow the author on social media or her website for all the details.

 

Author Biography:

 

Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.

 

She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.

 

Looking for more? Contact Susie at:

 

Social Media Links:

 

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