INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"Quick conjures up a celluloid world that will be catnip to fans of that era evoking the sensation it was plucked straight from the Warner Bros. vault."--Entertainment Weekly
The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Knew Too Much sweeps readers back to 1930s California--where the most dazzling of illusions can't hide the darkest secrets...
After escaping from a private sanitarium, Adelaide Blake arrives in Burning Cove, California, desperate to start over.
Working at an herbal tea shop puts her on the radar of those who frequent the seaside resort town: Hollywood movers and shakers always in need of hangover cures and tonics. One such customer is Jake Truett, a recently widowed businessman in town for a therapeutic rest. But unbeknownst to Adelaide, his exhaustion is just a cover.
In Burning Cove, no one is who they seem. Behind facades of glamour and power hide drug dealers, gangsters, and grifters. Into this make-believe world comes psychic to the stars Madame Zolanda. Adelaide and Jake know better than to fall for her kind of con. But when the medium becomes a victim of her own dire prediction and is killed, they'll be drawn into a murky world of duplicity and misdirection.
Neither Adelaide or Jake can predict that in the shadowy underground they'll find connections to the woman Adelaide used to be--and uncover the specter of a killer who's been real all along...
The story begins as Adelaide Blake escapes a private sanitarium. Her time there was dark and Quick shared a chilling story while shedding light on experimental drugs and the practice of sending unwanted family members off to mental hospitals. Both threads were chilling and led to murder, blackmail, and betrayal.
Adelaide, the daughter of botanists, is working at a local herbal tea shop. The owner has allowed her to create special blends of tea that calm your nerves or energize you. They've become quite popular with the movers and shakers, particularly the Hollywood crowd. However, Adelaide doesn't want to draw attention to herself. Jake Truett, a retired businessman on an extended stay to calm his nerves takes an interest in her and fate has them investigating a possible murder. A romance develops between them as their snooping places them in danger.
I enjoyed the updates about characters from the first story while Quick quickly immersed us into this suspenseful tale. The romance which started as friendship was an enjoyable one as both Jack and Adelaide slowly confessed secrets and tied threads together. Both rely on new and old acquaintances to gather info and protect themselves. A lot was going on in this story, with plenty of twists, villains, and suspects. However, Quick tied it all together and kept me engaged. While I guessed early on the mastermind behind the threat, Quick added some twists that surprised me and I enjoy when that happens. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Reading updates
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Started reading
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31 March, 2018:
Finished reading
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31 March, 2018:
Reviewed