The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) is a new time period for one of my favorite writers. Hollywood 1930s, where everything that glitters isn’t glamour. As with all of her books, no matter where or when they are set: Regency London, the present, future or outer of space, the reader gets a true sense of the time period and the atmosphere. Quick brings us into the characters’ world.
Her characters come alive, existing for a time in a world so real and full of texture that you forget these aren’t people you know. Ms. Quick doesn’t bog the reader down with too much information but gives just enough that we can get a picture in our heads of who they are.
In The Girl Who Knew Too Much reporter Irene Glasson has a bad habit of finding dead bodies lying around. The first, her friend and employer, told her to run. She did, right in the path of another killer.
When Irene arrives at the Burning Cove Hotel she becomes entangled with former magician and owner, Oliver Ward. Together they try to learn who is killing the women in Irene’s new life. When the past and present collide, the couple may not have a future. Caught between two killers, the couple must trap one before either can succeed in getting rid of Irene and discover what her employer gave her that’s worth killing for.
This fast-paced romantic suspense has everything I love about a Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick novel: action, romance, drama, and characters that make you fall in love. Her strong, imperfect characters are believable and react to their circumstances with intelligence. The women, whether they are heroes or villains are shown to be multi-dimensional. Like their male counterparts, these characters have flaws but they also have redeeming qualities that make them vulnerable and real.
I hope this isn’t the last of the Amanda Quick Hollywood glamour series. I’d love to see more of Burning Cove and the people that work with Oliver at his hotel. We need Willie’s story and Luther’s story. I can’t wait to read more.