Tightrope (Burning Cove, California, 3) Mass Market Paperback – February 25, 2020

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.

Amelie Vaughn was a trapeze artist, until a deadly attack lead her to end that career and begin a new one as the owner of a Bed and Breakfast in Burning Cove.When her first guest is murdered, Amelie finds herself helping Matthias Jones, a man with a mysterious and murky past, as together they need to find out the truth, and catch a killer before it’s too late.With a name like Matthias Jones, there can be no surprise that this book is filled with Easter Eggs for fans of the author, because yes, Matthias is one of ‘those’ Jones’, along with the requisite talent that tends to accompany the name.We also see a few characters who featured in previous books in this series (mostly Luther Pell again, as well as Irene Ward), but this book is also a fun tribute to the Universal horror movie series- lots of mentions of famous horror stars/roles, as well as a tribute in the first name of a side character!As with most Quick/Krentz novels, there is plenty of action, and romance; and as with the rest of this 1930’s era series, there is a dual mystery plot line. Everything is wrapped up carefully by the end of the story, with just a little bit of a book hook to entice people to read the subsequent books in the series.Another fun historical romantic suspense- especially for Arcane fans!

Romance, action and mystery. What more would you ask for on a rainy day after business is done and TV reruns just won't do. The entire series is enjoyable, this one held a special place because Idid not correctly guess the villain.

Ah! Thank you, Amanda (aka Jayne) for bringing back the Jones family. I am so glad this series is going in this direction. I have been missing the Jones family so badly.Amalie (pronounced Emily on the audio book) was a circus artist who specializes in the trapeze act. Someone tried to kill her. She saved herself but ended up causing the murderer to fall to his death. This caused the circus she worked for to go out of business. She and her aunt Hazel sink their savings into the Burning Cove Inn, a mansion which they intend to run as a sort of B and B. Hazel will cook, Amalie will do everything else.Their first customer ends up dying after being shot on stage by his robot, Futuro. Before he paid. This attracts the attention of several people to Amalie's inn. Luther Pell and Matthias Jones are working on some secret case involving the murderer man. A mummy masked man shows up in the story. Then there is the giggling man who was the partner of the man who tried to kill Amalie at the circus. Plus Willa, another circus person who lost her job when the circus closed. All sorts of people are showing up, with a weird interest in Amalie and her inn since Irene Ward wrote an article about the robot killing her (Amalie) guest and put the name of her inn in the newspaper. Her inn is getting too much negative attention. Matthias Jones moved in (as a paying guest, thank goodness) to work on his case and to protect Amalie. Vincent Hyde, a has been movie star who is trying to restart his career in Hollywood, moves in for the publicity of being associated with a now infamous inn.There is a lot of action in this novel which I enjoy in my suspense novels. Everything, well almost everythimg , gets tied up in the end. The novel has a HEA which all Jayne's romantic suspense novels have and which is a personal preference of mine.

Amanda Quick' s books are well written and entertaining. Her characters are smart and interesting, as is her dialogue and her feel for the era she sets her stories in. I feel completely invested in the story without a jarring sense of displacement. She and her alter egos (Jayne Anne Krentz and Jayne Castle) are must-get-the-next-book and must-reread authors for me.

It was a good read. Could have been a bit more faster and tighter at the end. But an enjoyable read. A tad bit expensive

Not one of Ms. Krentz' best books, I felt as though it had been written with one eye on her deadline.The story was quite interesting but I felt that a lot of the main characters backstory had been left out.All in all a pleasant read for a rainy afternoon.

Really enjoyed this latest Amanda Quick novel set in the 30s. Burning Cove is getting more interesting with each book.

I read the book twice. The book was so exiting,the first time i raced through the pages to see how it ended,but i had skipped over the finer details and clues. Then i read it more slowly,took note of names and admired how the author had developed the plot,giving hints to thr reader to do some critical thinking.