Tightrope (Burning Cove #3)

FINAL DECISION: This one was great. I enjoyed the setting, the conflict and the suspense story which was well done with multiple stories coming together in unexpected ways. I also loved the hero and the heroine was a good match for him. I wanted a bit more romance, but this one was better balanced than I expected.

THE STORY: Trapeze artist Amalie Vaughn escapes a killer and ends up owning a hotel in Burning Cove. Then she finds out her hotel is infamous. When a inventor guest is murdered by his own robot, she fears that the confirmation of her hotel’s dubious history of death will destroy her second chance. When she meets Matthias Jones who is investigating the murder, the two form a partnership to solve the crime and thus save Amalie’s business.

OPINION: I really enjoyed this book. Both the suspense/mystery and romance worked for me here. I do wish there was more time spent on the romance, but I understand that Krentz/Quick has chosen to focus more on the suspense aspects rather than the romance in her more recent works. (One reason why I generally like her older works better.)

This book has so many interesting elements that I was entertained throughout. I am still really enjoying the unusual time period (1930s) and the California setting. These elements always make the stories feel fresh and interesting since there are new and intriguing elements involved. (Post WWI and the impending WWII events). I also enjoyed the foray into circuses, gangsters, and early Hollywood horror films.

I really enjoyed the appearance of Matthias and I’m so glad that Quick has returned to a bit of her paranormal elements. The Arcane series is one of my favorite by her and I was saddened when she abandoned those books.

Matthias and Amalie have a good partnership and there are some really nice moments between them. Their relationship feels like a combination of the formality of relationships with some loosening of restrictions. These elements felt true to the time period and I enjoyed their interactions.

After a bit of a miss in the prior book in this series, I really enjoyed this one.

WORTH MENTIONING: Fans of Krentz/Castle/Quick’s Arcane series will recognize the hero as a member of the Jones family.

CONNECTED BOOKS: TIGHTROPE is the third book in the Burning Cove series. This book can be read as a standalone although there are overlapping characters. The romance here is self-contained. There is a bit of an continuing story especially at the end of this book.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC from First to Read. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

I usually love Jayne Ann Krentz under all of her pseudonyms, but not this one. I couldn’t get into the characters. She just wasn’t trying with this book. I even deleted her upcoming book from my wish list. I had just reread one of her older books and loved it. The contrast is what made this book so disappointing. Oh, I’ll probably buy the new one when it’s published. She’s provided me with countless hours of reading pleasure. For that alone, I owe her another chance. I hate saying critical things, but books cost money. I’m sorry.

I was disappointed. The story had so. Many characters it was confusing. Each character had very little storyline. The bad guy came out of left field. It was like reading a game of clue. I am a big fan of all of Jayne Ann Krentz personas but I felt like I needed to reread the burning cove books just to place the characters. I have been waiting for her new book.

Amalie Vaughn has come to Burning Cove to open a bed and breakfast with her aunt. She got a terrific deal on a furnished mansion only to find out, after she bought, it that it had a bad reputation because a noted psychic had committed suicide there by jumping off the roof. She was a former trapeze artist who survived a murder attempt but rumor has it that she killed her attempted murderer as some part of a twisted love triangle.

Amalie has only one boarder now. Inventor Dr. Norman Pickwell is presenting his latest invention before a packed audience when his robot shoots him to death. This is certainly not going to help the reputation of Amalie’s new B & B. The death also attracts the attention of engineer Matthias Jones who thinks there is more to this than a robot gone amuck.

Matthias wants to discover whatever secret Dr. Pickwell was keeping and Amalie wants to save the reputation of the business she has invested her future in. As they investigate and find out about a secret cipher machine, a spy out for revenge, and a fading movie star who wants to get back into the spotlight, the two fall in love.

Matthias has a hard time accepting that Amalie can ever accept him. He has a psychic gift that lets him know when anyone is lying which tends to make most people uncomfortable. Amalie tells him, quite correctly, that his gift doesn’t even make the top ten of things that scEngaginare her. After all, she is used to performing on the high trapeze without a net and she escaped a man who wanted to murder her.

This was an entertaining story filled with quirky characters and situations. I enjoyed the story even though I had tapped the wrong person as the villain.

This was a quick and engaging read, full of action. There are several threads to the story, including murder, espionage and of course romance. The story starts with a murderer pursuing his latest victim and moves on to the holiday retreat of stars and mobsters where the action really picks up.
This is the third of the Burning Cove novels and follows the story of Amelie Vaughn and the unusual Matthias Jones.
It ties in the series of books devoted to the Jones men and women and their unusual abilities with the more normal historical romance of the previous two books in this series.
A well written book that weaves a good plot involving secret government agencies, rogue and undercover agents, and more ordinary folk together seamlessly and makes the romance feel quite real, despite the short time frames and unreality of the situation.
An enjoyable and fun read.

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