Also by this author: Close Up (Burning Cove #4)
Published by Berkley Books on May 9th 2017
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
ISBN: 0399174478
ASIN: B01KGZVR32
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Amanda Quick, the bestselling author of ’Til Death Do Us Part, transports readers to 1930s California, where glamour and seduction spawn a multitude of sins…
When Hollywood moguls and stars want privacy, they head to an idyllic small town on the coast, where the exclusive Burning Cove Hotel caters to their every need. It’s where reporter Irene Glasson finds herself staring down at a beautiful actress at the bottom of a pool…
The dead woman had a red-hot secret about up-and-coming leading man Nick Tremayne, a scoop that Irene couldn’t resist—especially since she’s just a rookie at a third-rate gossip rag. But now Irene’s investigation into the drowning threatens to tear down the wall of illusion that is so deftly built around the famous actor, and there are powerful men willing to do anything to protect their investment.
Seeking the truth, Irene finds herself drawn to a master of deception. Oliver Ward was once a world-famous magician—until he was mysteriously injured during his last performance. Now the owner of the Burning Cove Hotel, he can’t let scandal threaten his livelihood, even if it means trusting Irene, a woman who seems to have appeared in Los Angeles out of nowhere four months ago…
With Oliver’s help, Irene soon learns that the glamorous paradise of Burning Cove hides dark and dangerous secrets. And that the past—always just out of sight—could drag them both under…
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#Magic #Murder #Spies @JayneAnnKrentz @BerkleyRomance
~Robbie’s Review~
How could you not love a book that opens with this line?
The abstract painting on the bedroom wall was new. It had been painted in fresh blood.
I really enjoyed The Girl Who Knew Too Much, a trip back in time by Amanda Quick. The main reason I enjoyed it is because of reporter Irene Glasson who isn’t really Irene but Anna Harris, a private secretary to a woman she finds dead. There is a message beside Helen Spencer written in her own blood — “Run”. So, not surprisingly, Anna runs and becomes Irene. Irene/Anna is brave, spunky, and clever but she isn’t really a reporter, although she is determined to solve the mystery surrounding her employer’s death using this artful guise. The way she plays all the bad cards she is dealt in this book is highly entertaining but her biggest problem is, not only did her late employer wind up dead, but Helen also left Irene/Anna a mysterious note, a box full of money, and a notebook which is likely the reason she wound up dead. Are you properly confused? Don’t be! All will be made clear as the story unfolds.
From the determined Irene/Anna and her magician-turned-innkeeper Oliver Ward to the evil father-son duo of Graham and Julian Enright, to the Hollywood caricature of the poor-boy-turned-superstar Nick Tremayne, the story is populated with a steady stream of characters who are at times humorous, often scary, and occasionally dead. The mystery will lie in who is responsible for the dead bodies: One of them? All of them? Or a combination of them? As I said before, all will be made clear in the end.
The romance in the book, appropriately, takes a back seat to the mystery and Irene/Anna and her magician take their time discovering where their relationship will lead them. Personally, I thought the pace of their involvement suited the storyline very well since the setting is in the 1930’s. It’s not as though romance in that era was much different than it is now — it just wouldn’t have been quite as “in your face” as it is in romantic suspense set in the current time.
I highly recommend The Girl Who Knew Too Much. Readers will find the characters intriguing and the ending satisfying, and, if you liked the setting, just follow Route 66 to Burning Cove; there is a hint or two that other books may be coming.
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