Tightrope

Tightrope- Amanda Quick
Berkley Publishing
Release Date: May 7, 2019

Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Former trapeze artist Amalie Vaughn moved to Burning Cove to reinvent herself, but things are not going well. After spending her entire inheritance on a mansion with the intention of turning it into a bed-and-breakfast, she learns too late that the villa is said to be cursed. When the first guest, Dr. Norman Pickwell, is murdered by his robot invention during a sold-out demonstration, rumors circulate that the curse is real. 

In the chaotic aftermath of the spectacle, Amalie watches as a stranger from the audience disappears behind the curtain. When Matthias Jones reappears, he is slipping a gun into a concealed holster. It looks like the gossip that is swirling around him is true—Matthias evidently does have connections to the criminal underworld. 

Matthias is on the trail of a groundbreaking prototype cipher machine. He suspects that Pickwell stole the device and planned to sell it. But now Pickwell is dead and the machine has vanished. When Matthias’s investigation leads him to Amalie’s front door, the attraction between them is intense, but she knows it is also dangerous. Amalie and Matthias must decide if they can trust each other and the passion that binds them, because time is running out.

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Tightrope is the third book in Amanda Quick's new 1930s historical series (The Other Lady Vanishes, The Girl Who Knew Too Much), set in the glamorous small town of Burning Cove. Like many of Burning Cove's residents, Amalie is trying to reinvent herself.  She survived attempted murder by a serial killer and is ready for the quiet life of an innkeeper.  All she has to work with is her aunt Hazel and the steely determination to make her new venture successful.  When possible mobster Matthias Jones shows up to investigate the murder of her first (and only) guest, Amalie sees nothing but trouble unless the case gets solved quickly, so she makes sure to be part of the investigation.  Matthias (long-time readers of Quick will cheer to see a return of the Jones family) may be trained as an engineer but his particular talent is in knowing the truth when he hears it- making him ideal in discovering the truth behind the murder.  Sadly, being a human lie detector can make romantic relationships awkward to say the least.  He's shocked when Amalie doesn't seem bothered by his talent, and knows he needs to see where the attraction between them can lead.

Matthias is a great addition to the Jones family tree, and Quick's heroes in general.  He's intelligent, cynical, conspiracy-minded, a great liar, and knows a good thing when he sees one.  I thought it was sweet that he also shows a bit more vulnerability than others, or maybe Amalie just sees that vulnerability more.  Amalie is a quietly strong and brave woman willing to start over as many times as she needs to and to fight for what is hers.  She and Matthias are a great fit, even if it takes them a little while to figure it out.  I also enjoyed seeing more of reputed mob boss Luther Pell in Tightrope. As a secondary character he's been growing throughout the series and gets to have some truly shining moments here- as well as turning some of the reader's preconceived ideas on their heads!

The plot is a complicated mix of spies, government secrets, revenge, and greed that Quick weaves together into a seamless and intricate whole with even more than her usual storytelling talent.  Snappy dialogue, sharp wits, and quirky characters may be Quick's stock in trade, but Tightrope felt to me like  Quick is becoming even more comfortable in her new era of 1930s golden-age glamor. Tightly written and delightfully complex, Tightrope will thrill Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz fans and the beautiful art deco cover will hopefully entice a new group of readers to the wonderful world of Burning Cove.