Veena’s review of Tightrope by Amanda Quick
Romantic Suspense published by Berkley 07 May 19
There’s a lot going on in this newest murder mystery from Ms. Quick. Amalie turns the tables on her would be killer on the trapeze and retires to run a Bed and Breakfast in Burning Cove only to have her only paying guest fall victim to a robot inspired shooting. As various characters turn up the author maintains a good sense of mystery between events from the aborted murder in the circus top and the new murder in Burning Cove. Of course a touch of romance and rumors of the mob add a nice touch of spice to the story.
Mathias Jones for all the local rumors of mob connections shows up at the B&B duly authorized by the local police force to look for clues in the latest bizarre murder in Burning Cove. As it turns out Amalie is trained to study her audience and Mathias is psychic both factors that will hold both in good stead as the story progresses. What is the connection of Amalie’s latest paying guest to the events in Burning Cove other than a desire to exploit the ghoulish murder piggy backed on the suicide of the previous owner of Amalie’s property.
While the story plays out and the body count mounts Amalie and Mathias join forces to investigate the happenings behind the murder. Can the level of trust and their individual skills and talents help them to foil a murderer? Through Mathias Jones, the author gives readers the back story of how the Jones family from her much beloved multi-book series established a beach head in Burning Cove.
The author introduced the character of the other circus performer who comes to Burning Cove to extract revenge against Amalie leveraging her old circus connection to create an in. Yet even as all the other puzzle pieces fall into place this one seems to go no where leaving me puzzled what the author’s intentions were here.
All in all a typical romantic suspense tale by the author.
Grade: B
Summary:
An unconventional woman and a man shrouded in mystery walk a tightrope of desire as they race against a killer to find a top secret invention in this novel from New York Times bestselling author Amanda Quick.
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.
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
