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.

Amanda Quick has become my go-to author for historical romance.  This book was amazing!  Mystery, romance and characters who are deep and multi-dimensional - I couldn't put this one down!  This is one of my top books of 2017 and I highly recommend it!

Irene Glasson has come to California to escape a dangerous killer. She reinvents herself from personal secretary into an up-and-coming journalist for a small time gossip paper. While she’s on the hunt for a story she finds herself embroiled in another murder mystery, but this time she’s got Oliver Ward on her side. They work as partners to catch a murderer, all the while a simmering attraction brews between them!

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed The Girl Who Knew Too Much. It’s the perfect summer read! An engaging mystery set in the 1930s on the California coast. Dramatic cliffs overlooking the blue-green ocean are the backdrop for the Burning Cove Hotel, a Spanish style beauty that caters to the rich and famous, including glamorous silver screen stars.

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Oliver Ward, a once famous magician and illusionist extraordinaire, is now the proprietor of this luxurious haven, and he has a strict policy excluding reporters and photographers. That doesn’t stop Irene Glasson, from getting her scoop, though. Unfortunately, her private invitation is marred by the murder of a woman and Irene is caught in the middle of a dangerous situation all over again.

I love the time period this mystery is set in: the 1930s is a time of art deco, dressing up for dinner, dancing and cocktails, and old Hollywood glamour.  Burning Cove Hotel with its elegant old world Spanish style may have looked like: 

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The setting was fantastic, but the mystery and romance are what kept me glued to the pages. Filled with thrills and danger, attraction and romance, The Girl Who Knew Too Much is a fast, addictive, fun mystery, and I loved it!

A copy was kindly provided by Berkley Books in exchange for an honest review.

This review is also posted at The Readers Den.

Ms. Quick delivers consistently book after book her vintage understated romance mixed in with a healthy dose of suspense and mystery. Her characters are engaging without the heart stopping excitement of extreme highs and lows. 

This story starts out with murder and a lone woman trying to stay ahead of the scene of the crime. Anna Harris nee Irene Glasson flees and stays of the grid until we find her once again at the scene of a crime in a California resort. As it turns out she has remade herself into a reporter and finds her most current source of information floating face down in a pool leading to her encounter with resort owner Oliver Ward. 

As she enters into a collaboration with Oliver to investigate the crime the author gives us insight into the high profile world of Hollywood in the 30s when studios operated almost like the mob with a wide license to protect the image of the studio and its stars.  We also discover Oliver's story of how he moved from the front of the stage to the back of the stage. 

The story that evolves will keep readers engaged.  I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Oliver and Irene as the various crimes come to an intersecting point.

This book had me in awe of the author. Talk about incredible writing! Amanda Quick literally takes the reader back in time to the 1930’s. Of all of the books I have read, this one truly transformed my entire surroundings into California, and the Hollywood scene, of the past. It was a remarkable experience.

Our heroine, Irene Glasson, is the rookie with a gossip paper. But her latest story about a dead actress connected to a famous actor has touched the wrong nerve with the wrong people.

One of the biggest factors that I enjoyed about this story is that while there are many twists and turns, I never felt confused or lost. In the past, I’ve somewhat stayed away from books considered in the historical genre because there is usually a language difference, on top of the names and locations maybe not being as familiar, thus making it harder for me to keep track of all of our players in the book. The fact that in this story, Irene Glasson isn’t even Irene Glasson, the above mentioned point is even more true for me.

I really enjoyed this story. It kept me on my toes the entire time. You aren’t really sure who is good and who is bad in this story. Someone you think is good can end up doing something entirely heinous and the bad ones are only worse.

If you enjoy historicals, or you enjoy Amanda Quick already, you will enjoy this story a lot. I have only read a few books from this particular author and I have always found myself transported back in time and I’ve loved it every single time.

I enjoyed The Girl Who Knew Too Much for its slow pace and light character building. Although I wish I'd gotten more out of our cast and the world itself which I had been hoping would have been more detailed and more explored was interesting, it just wasn't as exciting as I was anticipating.

The Girl Who Knew Too Much was still a decent story as one of those girlie type Dick Tracy kind of reads without the rhyme or reason his usually includes I would like more stories from this time period with more time and development.

I enjoyed how the story started with a death it kept me guess on who murdered her and why. I enjoy the interaction between the main couple also the references of that time in history.

Sweet, funny and a quick read. Drenched in old- Hollywood glamour and modern empowerment. More of this, please.

The Girl Who Knew Too Much is a new novel by Amanda Quick.  Ms. Quick takes us back to the 1930s.  Anna Harris is checking on her employer, Helen Spencer and discovers her dead in her bedroom.  On the wall written in blood is the word “run”.  Anna heads to her room and pulls out the box where she stored her savings.  Inside she finds a letter, a brown notebook and money that she did not put in the box.  The letter is from Helen advising her to disappear.  Four months later, Irene Glassen (aka Anna Harris) is on assignment in Burning Cove, California for The Whispers, a Hollywood gossip magazine.  Irene is at The Burning Cove Hotel in the pool area for a late-night meeting with Gloria Maitland.  Gloria told Irene that she had some juicy gossip on Nick Tremayne, an actor whose star is on the rise.  Unfortunately, someone arrived before Irene, and Gloria is now floating face down in the pool.  Irene hears someone else in the room and quickly escapes.  Oliver Ward, former magician who owns the hotel, agrees to work with Irene to get answers.  Oliver will tolerate many things, but murder is not one of them.  They pair up to solve the case, but Gloria is just one in a line of victims tied to Nick Tremayne.  Tremayne’s studio is not happy with Irene’s interest in their star and puts the pressure on to get her stopped.  Meanwhile, the man who killed Helen Spencer has been hunting for Anna for the last four months.  He wants the notebook back and will delightfully eliminate any one in his path.  Ward is intrigued with Irene from the moment he laid eyes on her and will protect her at all costs—if she will let him.  Will they make it through the week alive or will someone be writing their obituary?

The Girl Who Knew Too Much grabbed my attention right away.  This book is a departure from Amanda Quick’s normal historical paranormal novels.  I found The Girl Who Knew Too Much to be nicely written and engaging.  I thought the author did a good job at capturing the era and locale.  The mysteries are complex (especially the one involving the brown notebook).  I thought the Nick Tremayne storyline to be more intriguing and many readers will not be able to figure out the identity of the killer.  I did think that the author tried to cram too much into one book (there was just one thing after another).  I give The Girl Who Knew Too Much 4 out of 5 stars.  There is, of course, the requisite romance (every book I read seems to have a romantic entanglement) between the main characters (a burning attraction).  The story has a good ending and the author wrapped up all the various storylines (I especially loved a certain secretary’s ending).  There are a couple of slow sections, but they are quickly gotten through.  The Girl Who Knew Much is a good novel to read on a Saturday evening with a cool beverage.

Grade: DNF

I’ve always been a fan of Amanda Quick and her alter egos (Jayne ann Krentz and Jayne Castle) no matter what century we are in or what planet we’re on. This particular one caught my eye because it is set in the roaring 20s and hints at a diabolical and suspenseful mystery involving murder, lies, and revenge. The story opens with a murder when a young secretary, Anna, discovers her murdered employer’s body and flees cross-country with a suitcase full of money and a mysterious notebook. A few months later, the story reopens to another murder with Anna aka Irene as a hack gossip reporter discovering yet another body. Only this time it’s at a posh resort and it looks like the two murders may be connected. Exciting, yes?

No. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t back up the premise. I made it to 30% before I simply was unable to continue; I was bored. The story has no flavor or energy and the characters show almost no emotion.  They are like robots, doing and saying the right things but with no life to them. The story has a choppy flow and the dialogue comes across stiff and wooden.  No descriptors to help set up the world or amp up our suspense, intrigue, and anticipation.  Quite disappointing overall all considering what I know Ms. Quick capable of.

Mystery and romance work together in this historical fiction novel set in 1920s California. Irene Glasson knows danger, and she’s constantly looking over her shoulder. When she stumbles upon the body of a woman in a hotel spa, she knows there’s a story for her burgeoning journalist career and that the death was not an accident. Irene is extremely likable, a go-getter who is not afraid of the next challenge. She’s also very loyal – to past employers, to her friends, and to truth. The novel is light with just a few parts of suspense. Small chapters make for a quick read. I liked the personalities of the various characters (though sometimes I had to pause and think how each character connected to the story – there were many characters in the book), and I liked the setting of Burning Cove. Burning Cove seems calm and peaceful, but so many of its residents have secrets. I can see how this setting would translate well into further additions to the series.

This is the first Quick novel I’ve read, and it will not be the last.

How could you not love a book that opens with this line? "The abstract painting on the bedroom wall was new. It had been painted in fresh blood."

I really enjoyed The Girl Who Knew Too Much, a trip back in time by Amanda Quick. The main reason I enjoyed it is because of reporter Irene Glasson who isn't really Irene but Anna Harris, a private secretary to a woman she finds dead. There is a message beside Helen Spencer written in her own blood — "Run". So, not surprisingly, Anna runs and becomes Irene. Irene/Anna is brave, spunky, and clever but she isn't really a reporter, although she is determined to solve the mystery surrounding her employer's death using this artful guise.  The way she plays all the bad cards she is dealt in this book is highly entertaining but her biggest problem is, not only did her late employer wind up dead, but Helen also left Irene/Anna a mysterious note, a box full of money, and a notebook which is likely the reason she wound up dead. Are you properly confused? Don't be! All will be made clear as the story unfolds.

From the determined Irene/Anna and her magician-turned-innkeeper Oliver Ward to the evil father-son duo of Graham and Julian Enright, to the Hollywood caricature of the poor-boy-turned-superstar Nick Tremayne, the story is populated with a steady stream of characters who are at times humorous, often scary, and occasionally dead. The mystery will lie in who is responsible for the dead bodies:   One of them? All of them? Or a combination of them? As I said before, all will be made clear in the end.

The romance in the book, appropriately, takes a back seat to the mystery and Irene/Anna and her magician take their time discovering where their relationship will lead them. Personally, I thought the pace of their involvement suited the storyline very well since the setting is in the 1930's.  It's not as though romance in that era was much different than it is now — it just wouldn't have been quite as "in your face" as it is in romantic suspense set in the current time.

I highly recommend The Girl Who Knew Too Much. Readers will find the characters intriguing and the ending satisfying, and, if you liked the setting, just follow Route 66 to Burning Cove; there is a hint or two that other books may be c

This well-written tale will transport you to the seedier aspects of life on the fast track of making it to the top in Hollywood.

Burning Cove Hotel is a great setting for Irene’s stubborn need to learn the whole truth while even putting her own life in danger.  She also needs to give herself closure for the women who lost their lives.   She shifts from gossip columnist to stealth investigator in a blink of an eye, determined to know the reasons why her mentor is dead.  An accident as so many say or murder?

The skills a good secretary has – efficient, organized, intelligent and determined to finish a project, help Irene surface to the top of a sinking ship.  The same skills work well for Oliver Ward, owner of the Burning Cover Hotel and once world-renown magician.  Irene’s association with Oliver proves to be exactly what she needs (as she is to him) to solve her latest mystery, and the very person who will save her neck—and surprisingly her heart.

The energy, pace, intrigue and sleazy characters you meet will give you hours of entertainment and plenty of who dun’ it theories. Delve into the seedier side of Hollywood -- glamour can be only skin deep!

Anna Harris has a fantastic, well paying job, and is very happy with the way her life is going, when it all falls apart.  She finds her boss brutally murdered, leaving her some funds, a mysterious notebook, and a cryptic letter advising her to run and to trust no one.  In fear for her life, Anna leaves New York, heads for California, and changes her identity.  Now known as Irene Glasson, she works for a gossip magazine.  When she arrives at a scheduled meeting to interview a woman regarding some potentially scandalous news about an upcoming star, she finds the woman dead in the hotel swimming pool.  Finding two dead bodies - how lucky can one girl be?

Oliver Ward's hotel is a haven for celebrities, and is known for not allowing reporters on the premises.  A dead woman found on site is not good for publicity, and Oliver is not letting the reporter leave until he has questioned her thoroughly.  Eventually, Oliver and Irene agree to form a partnership, as they both intend to find out if this death was a murder or an accident.  Oliver has a fascinating history, as he is a former magician, whose career ended with a stunt gone wrong, leaving him with one badly injured leg that requires he now use a cane.  He has never publicly spoken about the incident, insisting that it was purely an accident.

Oliver and Irene are both interesting characters with obviously colorful pasts, which they don't discuss.  Oliver resents sympathy and curiosity and is tight lipped about his former career.  I liked that he took care of all his former employees and now has them working at his hotel complex.  He inspires loyalty and respect from his staff, which says a lot about his character.  Irene's choice to become a reporter surprised me, as I would think that she would choose a profession completely out of the public eye.  As the case progressed, and more incidents happen, she becomes more endangered than ever, yet she's as tenacious as a dog with a bone, refusing to let go.

Oliver and Irene open up enough with each other to act on their attraction and begin an affair.  Little by little, they reveal more of themselves and grow closer.  There is a lot happening, as the original murderer in New York has tracked Anna/Irene down, and is moving in.  Meanwhile, the murderer in California is also making plans to end Irene's investigation by whatever means necessary.

THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH takes place in the 1930's, a very different time period than Amanda Quick's usual books.  I enjoyed this time period, although I do prefer Regency or Victorian.  The romance between Oliver and Irene was warm, intelligent, and full of mutual respect, but I missed the scorching heat that Amanda Quick can write when she chooses to.  The story moved along quickly, with never a dull moment, but the focus was definitely on the suspense, not the romance.  I enjoyed THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH a lot, and I particularly liked the twist at the end, which leaves the door open for future frolics in Burning Cove, California.

The Girl Who Knew Too Much is a romantic murder mystery set in the 1930’s.     There were two intertwining storylines surrounding Irene.   The first is her fleeing the murder of her boss and ending up in Hollywood with the second murder being finding her “source” dead in the pool at an inclusive hotel getaway for the big Hollywood stars.       These storylines could almost be separate stories if they did not involve one very savvy, smart, and strong willed woman, Irene.    

The mystery was not hard to solve as to who killed the actress in the pool, nor was there much guessing as to who would kill Irene’s boss.  The romance was a little more intriguing.     There wasn’t hot, steamy sparks flying between Irene and Oliver but there was an underlining pull between them.     I could see that things could progress but both Oliver and Irene had their own reasons for not being open to starting a relationship.       

This is a fun read that was quick.      I recommend picking up your own copy.

I was in for quite a surprise when I began Amanda Quick’s new novel, The Girl Who Knew Too Much. I settle in for a nice, comforting read about an eccentric spinster who befuddles the enigmatic hero as they fall in love while solving a mystery in 19th century England. Instead, I found myself in Southern California in the 1930s reading an Amanda Quick version of L.A. Confidential. Imagine my surprise! But then imagine my delight as I found myself engrossed with the setting.

Irene Glasson is a new reporter at a third-rate gossip paper on the trail of a hot story involving Hollywood’s newest rising star, Nick Tremayne and his murdered ex-lover. Irene actually found the body in the swimming pool at the Burning Cove Hotel, a getaway for the stars just south of LA.
 

The Burning Cove Hotel crowned a gently rising hillside above the rocky cliffs. At the foot of the cliffs, splashing waves churned up white froth on a pristine beach. The main building and the villas were all constructed in a fantasy version of what they called the Spanish colonial revival style of architecture. From what she had seen, the entire town – houses, hotels, shops, even the post office and the gas stations – had been built according to the same set of design rules. White stucco walls, red tile roofs, charming, shaded courtyards, and covered walkways were everywhere.

Burning Cove was a Hollywood movie set of a town, she thought. And just like a movie, you never really knew what was going on behind the scenes.

She decided that she hated the place.

The hotel is owned by Oliver Ward, a famous magician who was forced to retire when something went horribly wrong onstage, leaving him severely wounded. He is not too thrilled to have a gossip columnist poking her nose into his exclusive clientele’s exclusive business, but they join forces to solve the mystery.

Hollywood’s glamour and its people’s stories - both exciting and tragic - are central to the plot and do much to add to the atmosphere. Here Irene and Oliver discuss the case of future murder victim Daisy Jennings.


“By any chance, do you know Miss Jennings?”

“I know her,” he said. “She’s all right but she’s wasting her life chasing a dream.”

“She wants to be an actress?”

“Daisy Jennings spends her nights at the Paradise Club and sometimes in the lounge at my hotel because she hopes that if she sleeps with the right person, she’ll finally get that screen test, the one that will transform her into a movie star.”

“That’s so sad.”

“She’s hardly alone. Hollywood is filled with dreamers like her. Some of them find their way to Burning Cove because the stars and directors come here.”

Despite Irene’s initial dislike of Burning Cove and its superficiality, she warms up to it just as she warms up to Oliver. Even a jaded east coast villain who followed Irene to California cannot help but be seduced by the excitement that is Hollywood in the 1930s.


He’d settled in at the Beverley Hills Hotel. The hotel, with its Sunset Boulevard address, acres of groomed gardens, and palm trees, was a California dream made real.

Attractive, exciting people, including movie stars, populated the bar and reclined around the pool reading celebrity obsessed papers like Daily Variety and the Hollywood Reporter. Two days ago he’d spotted Carole Lombard and yesterday afternoon he was sure he’d seen Fred Astaire.

So, while The Girl Who Knew Too Much was not at all what I was expecting when I began reading it, Amanda Quick did such a nice job of immersing me into her setting and time that I, too, was happily seduced.

This looks to be the first book in a new series, and while I hope Quick doesn’t forever abandon 19th century England, I am happy to explore this fascinating new setting with her.

Review: THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH by Amanda Quick http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-8IS
Publication Date: May 9, 2017
Genre: Historical Romance/ Mystery
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Cori
Rated 4.5 Stars

I loved this book! Amanda Quick is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz. She writes historical romance novels under the Amanda Quick name and romantic suspense novels under the Jayne Ann Krentz name. THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is an incredible combination of both genres. It’s a murder mystery set in 1930s Hollywood. I felt like I was swept up in the story and couldn’t put this book down. The romance was a little  light but the story was great. I love Amanda Quick/ Jayne Ann Krentz’s writing style and the plot of this book would be a great movie. I really loved it and highly recommend it for readers looking for a good murder mystery with a love story.

*Review copy provided by Penguin in exchange for an honest review.

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Secrets and murder pair excellently with '30s Hollywood glam in The Girl Who Knew Too Much. I’m a longtime Amanda Quick fan, and the setting of this story is what drew me in first. I loved seeing her delve into the world of 1930s Hollywood; the mix of glamour and dirty, dangerous secrets was incredibly appealing. Add in the setting of a gorgeous hotel marred by murder, a former magician hero whose career-ending injury hasn’t robbed him of all his tricks, and a reporter heroine with a few things to hide of her own, and I was hooked.

Irene knows as much about creating a new persona as any silver screen star. She had to run fast and far from a past that even now threatens to shake her world. I liked Irene. She’s a smart reporter with an eye for detail, she’s loyal to those who deserve it, and she’s good at thinking on her feet. She may have come to Burning Cove Hotel to get the scoop on an up-and-coming star, but when she finds a dead body in the hotel spa, her agenda quickly changes. Her partner in crime-solving is none other than the hotelier himself, Oliver Ward. Oliver was once a famous magician (and I may or may not have geeked out over the tricks of his trade), but during one of his performances something went horribly wrong, seriously injuring Oliver and ending his career. He’s made a new life for himself as the owner of the Burning Cove Hotel, and he has no intention of letting a murderer hide on his property. He and Irene make a great team. They click, to put it simply, and they have an easy chemistry that makes their slide into love appealing to read about.

The Girl Who Knew Too Much has a bit of a slow burn mystery, mostly because there are a lot of players in the game and a number of secrets. It takes time to get to know everyone, but the various characters and personalities added a lot to the world. And things definitely heat up when the mystery deepens and the danger becomes more prominent. While I can’t say much without spoiling the story, I will say that I loved seeing how Ms. Quick put all those puzzle pieces she laid out together. The world of 1930s Hollywood, the shine and the grime of the entertainment industry, made The Girl Who Knew Too Much incredibly interesting and I hope Ms. Quick returns to this era again.

The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick is a fun Historical Mystery/Romance. The story line and writing style are reminiscent of a mid-20th century film noir. I loved that the slow-burning romance took a backseat to the mystery.

The scandal, grit and illusion behind the Hollywood setting is fantastic. From the aspiring starlets to the handsome-yet-dim-witted leading men to the ruthless studio executives, The Girl Who Knew Too Much is filled with the seedier aspects of Hollywood. There is a secondary story line involving east coast thugs, seriously evil family tycoons, and their fixers. How those Easterners are involved with the main character Irene Glasson, and how the story lines are woven together does require a bit of suspension of disbelief, but this is a work of fiction. The added danger is the extra push needed for main characters Irene and Oliver Ward to become further involved.

Both Irene and Oliver are damaged by their pasts, and they have both reinvented themselves in their current roles. These haunted souls try desperately to remain whole by living solitary lives. While their relationship does present a second-chance at love, The Girl Who Knew Too Much is not primarily about this love story. In fact, the love story is almost an after thought, and it really works that way. Guy meets girl. Girl is in danger. Guy tries to protect girl while she solved the mystery. They just can’t help but eventually fall in love. The best part is that their love is based in respect as well as attraction. 

The Girl Who Knew Too Much is a fun, light-weight read. This isn’t a fast-paced thriller, in fact, the pace drags a bit at times which did impact my rating. Overall, it is an entertaining story that is good old-fashioned fun.

3.5 stars