A Cutthroat Business (Savannah Martin Mystery 1) [Kindle Edition]

Jenna Bennett (Author)

Book Description

Everyone has warned new-minted realtor Savannah Martin that real estate is a cutthroat business. But Savannah doesn't think she's supposed to take the warning literally ... until an early morning phone call sends her to an empty house on the 'bad' side of town, where she finds herself standing over the butchered body of a competitor, face to face with the boy her mother always warned her about.

Rafe Collier is six feet three inches of testosterone and trouble; tall, dark, and dangerous, with a murky past and no future--not the kind of guy a perfect Southern Belle should want to tangle with. In any way. But wherever Savannah turns, there he is, and making no bones about what he wants from her.

Now Savannah must figure out who killed real estate queen Brenda Puckett, make a success of her new career, and avoid getting killed--or kissed--by Rafe, all before the money in her savings account runs out and she has to go back to selling make-up at the mall.


*** Contains an excerpt from HOT PROPERTY, Savannah Martin mystery #2  


ALSO IN THIS SERIES:

A Cutthroat Business - Savannah Martin mystery #1 (May 2011)
Hot Property - Savannah Martin Mystery #2 (June 2011)
Contract Pending - Savannah Martin Mystery #3 (July 2011)
Close to Home - Savannah Martin Mystery #4 (October 2011)
A Done Deal - Savannah Martin Mystery #5 (December 2011)
Contingent on Approval - Savannah Martin Christmas Novella (November 2012)

ALSO FROM THIS AUTHOR:

Fatal Fixer-Upper - DIY #1 (November 2008) - written as Jennie Bentley
Spackled and Spooked - DIY #2 (August 2009) - written as Jennie Bentley
Plaster and Poison - DIY #3 (March 2010) - written as Jennie Bentley
Mortar and Murder - DIY #4 (January 2011) - written as Jennie Bentley
Flipped Out - DIY #5 (October 2011) - written as Jennie Bentley
Wall to Wall Dead - DIY #6 (September 2012) - written as Jennie Bentley

Tall, Dark and Divine, Bagging a Greek God #1 - (July 2012)

Act of Redemption, ACT #1 - (October 2012)

Fortune's Hero, Soldiers of Fortune #1 - (November 2012)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"VERDICT: The hilarious dialog and the tension between Savannah and Rafe will delight fans of chick-lit mysteries and romantic suspense." --Jo Ann Vicarel, Library Journal

"... mixes up a frothy girl drink of houses, hunks and whodunit narrated in a breezy first person ... If you love an umbrella in your drink ... grab A Cutthroat Business for a quick beach read." --Lyda Phillips, Nashville Scene

"... equal parts charming and sexy, with a side of suspense. Hero and heroine, Savannah Martin and Rafe Collier, are a pairing of perfection." --Paige Crutcher, examiner.com

"...hooks you in the first page and doesn't let go until the last! ... There's something for every reader: tricky plot twists, rich description, and some villainous characters you'll love to hate." --Lynda Coker, Between the Pages

"Move over Stephanie Plum, there is a sassy, sexy sleuth in town! If you enjoy your cozy mysteries with a good shot of romance, and a love triangle with a sexy bad boy and a Southern gentleman in the mix, then you will love this book. The laughs are louder, the romance is sexier and there is a great murder mystery to top it off." --Bella McGuire, Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Jennie Bentley/Jenna Bennett writes the Do It Yourself home renovation mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime and the Cutthroat Business mysteries for her own gratification. She also writes a variety of romance for Entangled Publishing as well as for self-publication, from contemporary to futuristic and from paranormal to suspense. For more information, please visit her website or Amazon Author page.

Product Details

• File Size: 473 KB
• Print Length: 266 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004ZCIG64
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,624 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #58 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Romance > Multicultural & Interracial

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Move over Stephanie Plum, there is a sassy, sexy sleuth in town! December 9, 2011

By Bella Mcguire

Format:Kindle Edition

I discovered A CUTTHROAT BUSINESS after I found the short story THE BODDY IN THE SNOWBANK by Jenna Bennett, and I wanted to read more of her books.

A CUTTHROAT BUSINESS is a mystery involving Savannah Martin, a Southern Belle turned realtor, who gets mixed up with a bad boy, by the way of sexy Rafe Collier, and trips over a murdered colleague. What follows is fun and adventure as Savannah tries to solve the murder, before the murderer strikes again!

Before I start I have to tell my readers, that I have a long love/hate relationship with eBooks. I've had two eReaders and both of them were failed experiments. I just don't do well with the eReading phenomena. I like to hold a book and turn the page and yes *gasp* I like to crack the spine. I've all but given up the idea of reading full-length eBooks. However, after reading THE BODDY IN THE SNOWBANK, I connected with the author, Jenna Bennett, on Twitter and she convinced me that A CUTTHROAT BUSINESS was that good, and I just had to read it.

So I abandoned my beautiful paper books and I picked up the iPad and downloaded A CUTTHROAT BUSINESS from Smashwords.

Guess what I discovered? Jenna Bennett was absolutely right!!! A CUTTHROAT BUSINESS grabbed my attention from the very first page. There were so many laugh-out-loud moments, that at one time I almost coughed a mouthful of lemon gelato up all over the screen!! The sexual tension between good girl, Savannah, and bad boy, Rafe, had my toes curling repeatedly. After the first chapter, I was so immersed in the story and didn't even notice that I wasn't reading a paper book.

I simply adored Savannah. Of all the amateur sleuths I've read recently, she has climbed up to the top of my list and completely knocked Stephanie Plum from the #1 spot. She has all of Stephanie Plum's sass and need for adventure, but with southern charm and she's not silly at all. With her southern ways you would expect her to maybe be a little silly, but she's not. She's sweet and assertive and oh so wonderful...
"Top of the morning to you, Savannah!"
I smiled back, or more accurately, showed teeth. "Hi, Tim."
"You look smashing today. Have a good weekend?" His bright baby blue eyes were malicious.
"Great," I said dryly, knowing full well that I looked like death warmed over. "Stumbling over a bloody corpse, especially one I know, is definitely my idea of a good time. There's nothing quite like a whole lot of blood to give a girl some color in her cheeks."
I really enjoyed the mystery. It kept me guessing right up to the end, and it was full of lots of realtor knowledge. By the end I actually felt like I'd learnt something about realtors and their dealings every day. This made the story feel very well researched, and as all the pieces of the puzzle fell in place together it left me feeling like I'd read a well put-together story.

I give A CUTTHROAT BUSINESS five stars. If you enjoy your cozy mysteries with a good shot of romance, and a love triangle with a sexy bad boy and a Southern gentleman in the mix, then you will love this book. A CUTTHROAT BUSINESS is very reminiscent of the Stephanie Plum books, but the laughs are louder, the romance is sexier and there is a great murder mystery to top it off.

Don't hesitate to add A CUTTHROAT BUSINESS to your holiday reading. Readers, you won't be disappointed!

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Read June 16, 2011

By K.M. Rix

Format:Kindle Edition

Jenna Bennett's A Cutthroat Business is a fanstastic mystery starring Nashville, Tennessee real estate agent and Southern Belle, Savannah Martin.
A Cutthroat Business is a fun and sassy read filled with suspense and a touch of romance. When Savannah finds her co-worker, Brenda Puckett, one of the most successful real estate agents in Nashville, with her throat cut, Savannah sets out to find the killer. Along the way, Savannah develops a friendship with Brenda's daughter and reconnects with people she went to high school with - namely Rafe Collier - handsome, mysterious, and small town bad boy. I enjoyed this first in a series and highly recommend it. I will definitely be reading the next one in the series and the one after that, and the one after that, and the one after that....

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I HAVE to read the next one now! April 1, 2012

By Dana Brantley-Sieders

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Admittedly, I have a thing for Nashville-based stories.

I live here and I love this city. I also love its authors, Jenna Bennett included. Having read and thoroughly enjoyed her DIY series, I was delighted to pick up the first in her Savannah Martin series.

Southern Belle (in all of her fabulously over-the-top splendor) divorcee and struggling realtor Savannah Martin thinks she's nailed her first potential sale when she takes the call to show the Potsdam property. The fact that listing actually belongs to her nemesis doesn't hurt. What she finds when she arrives for the showing, however, is her nemesis dead on the floor and an old high school acquaintance from the wrong side of the tracks. Rafe Collier is tall, dark, and dangerous - kinda like the heroes in those romance novels she reads on the sly.

Digging a little deeper into the mystery surrounding superstar realtor Brenda Puckett's death leads Savannah into the darker side of the real estate business, her old home town, and into more than a few run-ins with Rafe - much to her family's chagrin.

The story is chock full of mystery, plot twists, and a healthy dose down home Southern goodness and humor we follow unlikely sleuth Savannah Martin on the hunt for whodunit.

My only complaint: Jenna is as big a tease as Savannah when it comes to romance! Now I HAVE to go get the next book to find out if/when bad boy Rafe manages to corrupt good little Southern Belle Savannah!

*Disclaimer - I know and adore Jenna Bennett. But, I assure you, she didn't ask me to read and review. I did it all on my own! I'm glad I did, too!*