Tightrope (Burning Cove, California, #3)

by Amanda Quick

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 New York Times bestselling novel from 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.

• ISBN10: 0399585362
• ISBN13: 9780399585364
• Publish Date: 7 May 2019
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 18 September 2020
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Berkley Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

We meet Amalie Vaughn an ex-trapeze artist who has recently bought the hotel where Madame Zolanda met her timely demise. One of her guests is murdered. Not a good way to begin a business. It also brings Matthias Jones a consultant for Luther’s firm to investigate. Rumors link Luther to some unsavory friends and business practices. Matthias comes from an unusually family tree, and fans of the Arcane Society series will recognize it.

Amalie and Matthias were enjoyable characters. Their back and forth banter, mutual respect and acceptance provided a nice romance against the incredibly busy happens of Burning Cove. We see Luther and Raina from Vanishing Games and even get a little time with, Oliver and Irene, our first couple in the series.

Dr. Norman Pickwell is murdered on stage by an unlikely suspect, Amalie’s past is closer than she thinks and an aging film star all added to a suspenseful plot with plenty of action and an ending that completely took me by surprise.

While at times it felt like there was a lot going on, it did help to build suspense and kept me from guessing the person responsible for Pickwell’s murder. It was all rather clever. Bravo Quick (Krentz)! This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer