Scan barcode
acesarrows's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Another great outing from Amanda Quick!
Irene Glasson is a reporter, but also a woman who is on the run from her past, and has had to reinvent herself once already. Oliver Ward has also had to reinvent himself, from a world-famous magician to a hotelier. Both our intrepid heroes start slowly learning that about each other as they try to solve a murder that took place at Ward's hotel. Irene and Oliver are prickly characters, and the romance is slow moving because of that.
Set in glamorous 1930's Hollywood, I loved the talk of stars, movie studio fixers, the fashion, the cars, and the general sense of being in a different era. Books set in the 20's and 30's aren't as easy to find as those set in the Regency or the Victorian era, so it's a great read from that alone.
Irene and Oliver are interesting characters, although not as easy to like as previous Quick heroes and heroines. Both are complicated characters, and each are used to keeping secrets, so it takes some time to get to know each of them. The secondary characters were also great, although at the start there were so many of them it was hard to keep track of all the names. A solid mystery to solve, although a bit anti-climactic once it was over.
Perhaps not the greatest Amanda Quick out there, but a fun, zippy, read in a new, fascinating era.
Pairing this read with episodes of Poirot (set in the 1930's), or Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (set in the 1920's), or movies The Artist, or Hail Caesar! will give you a read feel for the aura, fashions and zeitgeist of the time.
With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc!
Another great outing from Amanda Quick!
Irene Glasson is a reporter, but also a woman who is on the run from her past, and has had to reinvent herself once already. Oliver Ward has also had to reinvent himself, from a world-famous magician to a hotelier. Both our intrepid heroes start slowly learning that about each other as they try to solve a murder that took place at Ward's hotel. Irene and Oliver are prickly characters, and the romance is slow moving because of that.
Set in glamorous 1930's Hollywood, I loved the talk of stars, movie studio fixers, the fashion, the cars, and the general sense of being in a different era. Books set in the 20's and 30's aren't as easy to find as those set in the Regency or the Victorian era, so it's a great read from that alone.
Irene and Oliver are interesting characters, although not as easy to like as previous Quick heroes and heroines. Both are complicated characters, and each are used to keeping secrets, so it takes some time to get to know each of them. The secondary characters were also great, although at the start there were so many of them it was hard to keep track of all the names. A solid mystery to solve, although a bit anti-climactic once it was over.
Perhaps not the greatest Amanda Quick out there, but a fun, zippy, read in a new, fascinating era.
Pairing this read with episodes of Poirot (set in the 1930's), or Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (set in the 1920's), or movies The Artist, or Hail Caesar! will give you a read feel for the aura, fashions and zeitgeist of the time.
With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc!
claugh's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ranreads20's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
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.
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.
bibs's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
It was very okay, not spectacular. I think I was waiting for something else but the multiple POVs kind of ruined it. I usually love historical fiction but I didn't care for this one. I liked the second-to-last chapter.
(Listened on audio)
(Listened on audio)
cjsamuel's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
rice83's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
nmarwah's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
rebelkiss's review against another edition
3.0
palette cleanser
It was ok. The writing was a bit juvenile. The word boss was used way too often in a short section. And then there were 3 endings…one of which I liked better than the final one
It was ok. The writing was a bit juvenile. The word boss was used way too often in a short section. And then there were 3 endings…one of which I liked better than the final one
silverhill's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Car accident
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
Minor: Classism, Suicide, Blood, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Outing