Berkley Publishing Presents: Tightrope

Title:  Tightrope
Series:  (Burning Cove #3)
Author:  Amanda Quick
Length:  320 pages
Publisher:  Berkley
Rating:  5 Stars

From the Author's website: An unconventional woman and a man shrouded in mystery walk a tightrope of desire as they race against a killer to find a machine that could change the world.

Former trapeze artist Amalie Vaughn moved to Burning Cove to reinvent herself, but things are not going well. After spending her entire inheritance on a mansion with the intention of turning it into a bed-and-breakfast, she learns too late that the villa is said to be cursed. When the first guest, Dr. Norman Pickwell, is murdered by his robot invention during a sold-out demonstration, rumors circulate that the curse is real.

In the chaotic aftermath of the spectacle, Amalie watches as a stranger from the audience disappears behind the curtain. When Matthias Jones reappears, he is slipping a gun into a concealed holster. It looks like the gossip that is swirling around him is true—Matthias evidently does have connections to the criminal underworld.

Matthias is on the trail of a groundbreaking prototype cipher machine. He suspects that Pickwell stole the device and planned to sell it. But now Pickwell is dead and the machine has vanished. When Matthias’s investigation leads him to Amalie’s front door, the attraction between them is intense, but she knows it is also dangerous. Amalie and Matthias must decide if they can trust each other and the passion that binds them, because time is running out.

An Excerpt From Tightrope

Put your stuff here“There is no need to fear robots,” Dr. Pickwell declared. It was clear that the suggestion that robots would displace workers annoyed him. He raised his voice to be heard above the murmurs of the crowd. “I urge you to consider that these machines could take the place of soldiers. Wars of the future will be fought with robots, not human beings. Think of the lives that will be saved.” “You’re mad,” someone else shouted. “You want to create robots that can kill? What if these machines of yours decide to turn on their creators and try to destroy us?” “Don’t be ridiculous,” Pickwell snapped. “Robots are nothing more than mechanical devices. Fundamentally, they are no different than the cars we drive or the radios that we use to get our news.” “Futuro looks mighty dangerous to me,” the man in the front row called. “Nonsense,” Pickwell said. “Allow me to demonstrate how useful Futuro can be. Futuro, what is the forecast for tomorrow?” The robot answered in a scratchy, hollow voice. “There will be fog in the morning but by noon the day will turn warm and sunny. No rain is expected.” Pickwell faced his audience. “Think about how useful it would be to have Futuro in your home at your beck and call. It won’t be long before there will be robots that can cook and clean and do the laundry.” But the crowd was no longer paying any attention to Pickwell, because Futuro had once again lurched into motion. “What’s that thing doing?” Hazel whispered. “I have no idea,” Amalie said. They watched along with everyone else as the robot opened the suitcase that it had just placed on the bench. Pickwell finally realized that he had lost the attention of the crowd. He turned away from the podium to see what was going on at the bench. Futuro reached into the suitcase and took out a gun. There was a collective gasp from the audience. “No,” Pickwell shouted. “Futuro, I command you to put down the gun.” The robot pulled the trigger. Twice. The shots boomed throughout the theater. Pickwell jerked under the impact of the bullets. He opened his mouth to cry out but he could not speak. He collapsed onto his back. Futuro calmly clanked offstage, disappearing behind the curtain. Stunned, Amalie stared at the unmoving figure on the stage. It was a trick, she thought. It had to be some sort of bizarre charade designed to shock the audience. Most of the crowd evidently believed the same thing. The majority of the people in the seats did not move. They appeared stunned. But not everyone was frozen in shock. Amalie glimpsed motion out of the corner of her eye. When she turned to look, she saw that Luther Pell and the stranger who had accompanied him to the theater had left their seats and were making their way to the stage steps. They were moving fast, almost as if they had been anticipating trouble. When they reached the stage they were joined by Oliver Ward, who had managed to move with surprising speed, considering that he had a noticeable limp and was obliged to use a cane. His wife, Irene, was not far behind. She had a notebook in one hand. Luther Pell and the stranger vanished behind the curtain. Ward crouched beside Pickwell and unfastened the inventor’s tuxedo jacket to expose a blood-soaked white shirt. The theater manager evidently had been watching the demonstration from the last row. He rushed down the center aisle toward the stage. “Is there a doctor in the house?” he shouted. Amalie saw a middle-aged man in the center section make his way quickly down the aisle. “I’m a doctor,” he said in a loud voice. “Call an ambulance.” The manager disappeared through a side door, presumably in search of a telephone. Onstage, Ward was using both hands to try to staunch the bleeding. The doctor arrived and quickly took charge. Luther Pell reappeared from behind the curtains. He looked at Oliver Ward and shook his head. Ward looked grim. The stranger finally emerged from behind the curtain. He was in the act of reaching inside his white evening jacket. Amalie caught a glimpse of something metallic just before the elegantly tailored coat fell neatly back into place. It took her a couple of seconds to comprehend what she had just seen. Then understanding struck. Like any self-respecting mobster, Luther Pell’s friend from out of town had come to the theater armed with a gun.

My Thoughts
The old adage, "It's always the quiet ones that you have to watch."  Has never held truer than in the case of Burning Cove, California.  As this once idyllic heaven for the rich and often infamous.   Once again becomes the perfect backdrop for intrigue, secrets, plots, and murder.

All good things must end. And in the case of this awesome series, this is one series that this reviewer will hate to see go.
The grandeur and enchantment that was 1930's Hollywood.  The evil that lurks in the minds of the rich and powerful.  Or those that want to be rich and powerful.  The stellar storytelling genius that is Amanda Quick. All working in concert to provide readers with a truly unforgettable reading experience.

While this new story draws readers into the dark and shadowy world of murder by robot.  There are a great many things that either remain the same.  (i. e. The heroine trying to escape a past determined to catch up to her.)
This time in the form of former trapeze artist Amalie Vaughn.
A woman haunted by the murder of the man who tried to kill her.  And the person who saw it all.
As well as backstories and continuations that serve to answer questions posed in previous books in the series.

This is an awesome interrelated series that lovers of mystery, the lore of Old Hollywood, plot-twists galore, and things that go bump in the night.

About Amanda

AMANDA QUICK is a pen name of Jayne Ann Krentz. The author of over 40 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense, often with a psychic and paranormal twist, in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.

She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.

Ms. Krentz is married and lives with her husband, Frank, in Seattle, Washington.Pseudonyms: Jayne Ann Krentz, Amanda Quick, Stephanie James, Jayne Bentley, Jayne Taylor, Amanda Glass.

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