Solid opening to a new, historical romance mystery from one of my favorite romance authors. Really enjoyed the 1930's Southern California setting, a fresh and unique take.

In 1930s Hollywood, movie stars and moguls go to the Burning Cove Hotel for a break.

Reporter Irene Glasson stumbles across a dead actress at the bottom of the hotel's pool. Is the actress dead because she knew a secret about movie star Nick Tremanyne? Or is there more to it. Powerful men are will to protect their prize start, but Oliver Ward, a once famous magician, wants to protect Burning Cove, with the help of Irene.

I'm a huge fan of Amanda Quick and this book is terrific. I love anything set in 1930's Hollywood--the drama, the intrigue, the glamour of the movie industry make a perfect setting in this compelling mystery.

Amanda Quick's combination of romance and Gothic suspense never fails to entertain. The combination of magician as the mysterious damaged hero and heroine as intrepid reporter works particularly well in this genre. Highly entertaining. I can't wait for the next in the series.

First Line - The abstract painting on the bedroom wall was new.

Summary - When Hollywood moguls and stars want privacy, they head to an idyllic small town on the coast, where the exclusive Burning Cove Hotel caters to their every need. It’s where reporter Irene Glasson finds herself staring down at a beautiful actress at the bottom of a pool…

The dead woman had a red-hot secret about up-and-coming leading man Nick Tremayne, a scoop that Irene couldn’t resist—especially since she’s just a rookie at a third-rate gossip rag. But now Irene’s investigation into the drowning threatens to tear down the wall of illusion that is so deftly built around the famous actor, and there are powerful men willing to do anything to protect their investment.

Seeking the truth, Irene finds herself drawn to a master of deception. Oliver Ward was once a world-famous magician—until he was mysteriously injured during his last performance. Now the owner of the Burning Cove Hotel, he can’t let scandal threaten his livelihood, even if it means trusting Irene, a woman who seems to have appeared in Los Angeles out of nowhere four months ago…

With Oliver’s help, Irene soon learns that the glamorous paradise of Burning Cove hides dark and dangerous secrets. And that the past—always just out of sight—could drag them both under…

Highlights - This was a quick and easy read. I didn't demand too much thought, and would make an excellent beach read.

Lowlights - I would put this in the "chicklit" category. It was very fluffy even though it was supposed to be a murder mystery.

I enjoyed Quick's exploration of 1930s California, where reporter Irene finds herself on the trail of a Hollywood scoop that's already led to murder. She soon teams up with former magician Oliver Ward on the trail of a playboy turned killer.

Another Great title from Amanda Quick. It had me at the edge of my seat. This is a real Page Turner!

I talked about this book at a presentation for librarians in Orlando in July and I can't say enough good things about it. A refreshingly unique time period for recent romances. I could see the magic props in his storage room, and was fascinated with the contents of the notebook. This is one of JAK's best, under any of her names.

It's been awhile since I've read an Amanda Quick novel; I couldn't get into her historical stories. However I quite enjoy her contemporary writings as Jayne Ann Krentz. When I read the book description I was quite intrigued.

The story is set in the 1930s, so right off the bat you have to remember no cell phones and no Google. There were actually two mysteries running through the entire plot and it was quite interesting to watch them intertwine. The characters were given enough backstories that you got the feel for each person but didn't feel like you were drowning in pointless information. The pace dragged in a couple spots but that sometimes happens when setting the scene or explaining something from history. Overall I quite enjoyed the novel and would be interested if the author somehow turned it into a series.

LOVED IT! Nice refreshing new book from an seasoned writer.

Amanda Quick has joined my "must read" authors list!!!! This is one of the best historical mysteries I've read recently. Quick's ability to engage the reader with both the mystery and the characters is impressive. Creating a mystery involving people working in the American film industry during the early days adds extra interest to the plot. Spunky Irene Glasson is especially appealing as she balances her nascent career as a journalist with threats from her past. Quick has complicated the plot with everything from gangsters to murder to espionage to magic without going so far with any of those elements to lose the narrative flow. I look forward to reading her next book!! Thanks to Berkeley and NetGalley for providing access to the electronic ARC of this delightful mystery.

This was a nice change for an Amanda Quick novel. It's still a romance/suspense/historical novel, but it's set in the 1930's. Enjoyable reading about how the Studio's ran Los Angeles back then. I've been reading her forever and will continue to do so.

Thank you so much for approving me for a copy of this book. I read to page 83, and had to stop. It seemed there were about two new characters introduced every chapter which were difficult to keep track of. And the story of three seemingly unrelated murders all discovered by the same person seemed a bit far fetched. Because I didn't finish the book, I won't be posting a review or rating. I very much appreciate the approval!

Amanda Quick may have abandoned Victorian England for 1930s Hollywood, but her ability to spin a gripping, suspenseful tale is still very much in evidence in her latest novel, The Girl Who Knew Too Much. The plot emphasizes mystery over romance without forsaking the latter. I thoroughly enjoyed it (and I think I detect hints of a potential sequel, yay!)

Irene (formerly Anna) is a typical Quick heroine: quick-witted, self-reliant, curious, loyal, and determined beyond the point of stubbornness, traits that stand her in good stead in her new career as a reporter. She’s also wary, distrustful, and suspicious of everyone–with good reason. Like Irene, Oliver has reinvented himself, in career and purpose if not in name. He also leans toward suspicion and distrust, and is very good at both reading people and misdirection. Once past their initial distrust and Irene’s prickly independence, they make a good pairing.

I did have to stretch my credulity in order to buy the idea that a woman who had been involved in one murder would end up involved in several others (under a new identity) — and that the second set of murders was unconnected to the first. But after a prologue involving the first murder, Quick swiftly swept me into the second set, not allowing the first to impinge again until I had bought into the second series. The first killer is known to the reader (but not to Irene) from the prologue on, but the villains in the second series of deaths are a mystery, along with the motive(s) for the killings. There are lots of twists and turns and some skillful misdirections; I honestly didn’t see the ending coming.

All of this works only because Quick (aka Jayne Anne Krentz) is such a good storyteller. Her dialogue sparkles with wry humor, irony, and occasional laugh lines. Her stories are fast-paced without becoming breathless, timing each new clue or revelation perfectly yet keeping you in suspense until nearly the end. It’s a formula that works, and works well, as her many bestsellers under three names attest.

I admit that I had reservations going into The Girl Who Knew Too Much. I’ve been reading Quick for at least a decade, and I’d become comfortable with her slightly quirky view of 19th-century England. But she pulls off the switch to 1930s California very well–though I did spot at least one anachronism. (While homeowners did sometimes take in paying guests during the Depression, I don’t think the B&B as such existed in America until after World War II, and certainly not by that name.) That said, the book feels closer to her contemporary romantic suspense (written as Jayne Ann Krentz) than to the Amanda Quick line of historical romance and historical romantic suspense. Since I’m a fan of all three of her incarnations, I really enjoyed it. . . and if my suspicions are right about a sequel, I’ll be first in line at the library!

First book in a new series.. 1930s Hollywood has all the glitz you would expect. Characters are interesting and developed. Style is easily readable. Looking forward to the next books.

If you find Amanda Quick's historical world and Jayne Ann Krentz's contemporaries amazing then this blended offering will be your next favorite. THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH deals with the glamorous Hollywood of the 1930s-40s, and sometimes the people there are deadly and cutthroat. Hollywood big-wigs, actors and actresses like to escape to Burning Cove Hotel, in a small town on the coast, to find privacy, but someone wants to keep a secret a secret and is willing to kill THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH.

Small town reporter Irene Glasson finds herself caught in the middle of a real story when she finds an actress in the bottom of a pool. Looking to raise herself above the rookie status in a less than stellar newspaper, Irene dives into an investigation. This brings danger and intrigue to her door in the form of Oliver Ward.

Oliver Ward is a world renowned magician until a injury sidelines him and puts him in the hotel business. He doesn't want a scandal to ruin his peaceful and quiet world, but something about the tenacious Irene draws him into her web. While seeking the mystery of the actress' death he finds that Irene has a secret or two of her own, and he will do whatever he must to protect her.

THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is a fascinating look into the bygone days of the glamorous era of Hollywood. Days when glitz and glamour were expected and Hollywood moguls owned their stars and changed them to sell movies. Did someone change a star and make a killer? Author Amanda Quick (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) weaves an amazing double story in this book. We have the deceased actress and the secrets someone hoped she would take to her grave and on the other side we also have Irene and her secrets. Well perhaps you might say there were three secrets because Oliver has his past and an unexpected, due to a dislike of reporters, interest in Irene. It is all worked out in this thrill ride from the past as expected, though the twists and turns will keep you glued to the pages.

If you loved the old movies with their glamour and drama then you will certainly love this offering by a best selling author who seems to know how to write any genre and please her readers.

Annetta Sweetko, reviewer for Fresh Fiction

The complete review may be found on Fresh Fiction at: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=62779

I could not finish. I tried to skim some, but I could not get into it.

Amanda Quick delivers an exciting stand alone thriller with the Girl Who Knew too Much. 1930's California is the refuge of Irene Glasson who has fled the scene of a murder carrying a mysterious notebook. As a reporter she becomes entangled in the murder of a Hollywood diva while assassins trail her to get back the notebook. Sexy retired magician, hotelier Oliver Ward joins up with Irene to solve the mystery. Romance and intrigue follow. Excellent read !!!!

I have to say as a long-term fan of this author, this was Amanda Quick at her finest.



Irene Glasson is a resourceful, proactive, decisive lady who escaped a disturbing past and reinvented herself as a celebrity journalist in Hollywood. When her source for a breakthrough article winds up dead she is determined to dig deeper to find the killer.


Oliver Ward is a retired magician and the owner of the boutique hotel where the murder took place. Concerned by what happened and intrigued by Irene whose eyes are full of secrets, he can not resist the challenge of getting closer to her and insists on helping in her investigation.


Both characters have a lot of chemistry, the setting is atmospheric and the plot is engaging and fast-paced. While I wanted a bit more depth to the hero and heroine and a less convenient ending, this is a classic formula which works really well for the author, and I am definitely invested into this series by now.


Recommended. Light and entertaining read.