Book Review: Tightrope by Amanda Quick

Tightrope
Author: Amanda Quick
Series: Burning Cove, California (Book 3)
Publication: Berkley (May 7, 2019)

Description: An unconventional woman and a man shrouded in mystery walk a tightrope of desire as they race against a killer to find a top secret invention before it’s too late.

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.

My Thoughts: 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 scare 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.

Favorite Quote:

"Welcome to the real world, Jones. It's a little scary out here. Sometimes you have to take a chance, grab the bar, and have faith that the catcher can be trusted."

He hauled her toward him.

"Catch me, Amalie," he whispered. 

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.