“Run for your life. Get as far away as possible and disappear. Your only hope is to become someone else. You must not trust anyone-not the police, not the FBI. Above all, never trust a lover.”

Hello Everyone,

It’s been awhile since I did a review. Life got busy. To top things off, it took me four days to read this book.  I became very popular while trying to read. My phone kept ringing, my granddaughter wanted my attention, etc. But I finally found quiet time to read in the wee hours of the morning; that is when I wasn’t completely exhausted. That book is The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick.

As I have said ad nauseum, I am a huge Jayne Ann Krentz fan. Amanda Quick is the pseudonym for her historical romances. But this book doesn’t take place in the standard Regency England period which marks an Amanda Quick book; this book takes place in 1930’s Hollywood, CA in the good ol’ US of A; where powerful men are willing to do anything to protect the illusion.

“…the road to the future started in Chicago. Route 66 would take her all the way to California.”

The Girl Who Knew Too Much tells the story of a young private secretary on the run after the grisly murder of her boss.  She ends up in California after reinventing herself as Irene Glasson, rookie reporter for small gossip rag Whispers. Trouble again finds Irene when she is unable to resist a scoop. Now she is investigating the death of a beautiful actress, who had an explosive secret about up and coming leading man Nick Tremayne; an actress whom Irene sees at the bottom of the pool at the Burning Cove Hotel.

Enter Oliver Ward, one-time world famous magician, now the proprietor of the exclusive Burning Cove Hotel. Hollywood moguls and stars go to Burning Cove Hotel for privacy; where discretion is guaranteed.

When Oliver was mysteriously injured during his last performance, he also reinvented himself in the lucrative hospitality business. When scandal threatens his livelihood, he has to put his trust in a woman who appeared out of nowhere four months ago. While investigating the murder, aware of the danger not quite in the past, the two fall in love.

“Oliver laughed. He sounded like the happiest man on earth…and for the first time…she knew she could plan a future filled with love and a family of her own.”

Irene is an intelligent woman, used to living by her wits. She is courageous and loyal, which she shows with her late boss and with Oliver. She is a woman who was betrayed by a former lover, but her inner strength allows her to move on from that and become someone else to save her life. She is compassionate and tenacious, much to Oliver’s dismay. She is a woman longing for and deserving of love and a place to belong.

Oliver on the other hand is surrounded by people who care for and are protective of him. When his career as a magician ended badly, he could have moved on alone, but instead he brought his staff with him when he bought the hotel. Oliver also demonstrates compassion and loyalty for the people he feels responsible for, and why they feel the same; the dichotomy of being a loner while surrounded by staff and his only relative, his uncle. When Irene comes along, he feels the rush of excitement that has been missing for a long time.

I was intrigued with how Ms. Quick incorporated Oliver’s talent for illusion and reading his audience, coupled with Irene’s ability to think on her feet, to extricate the two from the life and death situations they find themselves in. Although it wasn’t too hard to figure out who the killer is, Ms. Quick employed her own bit of sleight of hand with the misdirection of evidence and motive. What I thought was; wasn’t. And just when I thought everything was over and tied with a neat bow, she slipped in a twist that I didn’t see coming, but should have been expecting. It wasn’t an action packed read, but methodical; like I was actually investigating along with Irene and Oliver. Ms. Quick did not leave out any clues found by the protagonists to be revealed at the end. Instead she lets you know what they find out when it happens.

So, although it took me longer than usual to read this, The Girl Who Knew Too Much was worth all the angst. I hated for it to end and I can’t wait to read Promise Not to Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz, which will be released on January 2, 2018. ‘Til then…

Happy Reading,

The Book Diva