Set in the 1930s, this novel starts off with Anna Harris stumbling across the brutally murdered body of her employer, Helen at her home in the country where Helen had written the word "run" in blood on the wall. Anna goes to her room to pack her things and finds a notebook and a note with it saying that if Anna was reading this Helen had trusted the wrong man and that Anna was to not trust the FBI or anyone with this notebook, but that it might be used as a bargaining chip at some later date to help her. She leaves her the keys to the Packard and some cash to go along with what Anna had been saving.
Something she hears at an autocamp gives her the idea to go to Los Angles to start a new life like so many others have. She could get lost in the shuffle. She changes her name to Irene Glasson and takes Route 66 west. This stumps the man who has been looking for her, Julian Enright from the law firm of Enright and Enright who are an old firm who do shady work. Julian is the cleanup man and the head of the firm's son. He also takes way too much enjoyment from his work. He has not given up on finding Anna. It's just a matter of time.
Four months later Irene has been hired by the scandal rag Whispers and she is hot on a story about the actor Nick Tremayne. Gloria Maitland who is supposed to have been his unofficial girlfriend called her to come to the Burning Cove Hotel in Burning Cove, California to meet by the pool. When Irene got there she found Gloria face down in the pool and could hear someone nearby and had to make a run for it herself.
Oliver Ward, the former famed magician whose last act ended with him crippled in one leg by bullets fired into it, is the owner of the Burning Cove Hotel and he knows that Irene will not let the story go so he wants her to work with him to try to find the killer. But Irene has trust issues especially after what happened to Helen. And Oliver himself has trust issues as well. But they both need to start trusting people again sometime. And with a killer on the loose as well as someone after Irene for the notebook which contains information about something complex and earth shattering, and the time is sooner rather than later. It will take some of Oliver's magic skills and Irene's quick thinking to get them out of this jam as the bodies start to pile up around them now and the trail of bodies from the past that led Irene to this story to begin with as she believes Tremayne is a murderer killing to hide something.
This is not your typical Amanda Quick novel. It was quite a refreshing read and a new take on the 1930s crime drama/film noir type of story. You can almost see the hazy cigarette smoke in the air, though none of the main characters smoke, of course. You can hear the jazzy music playing and see the dancers. Taste all of the unique drinks of the time, like a Pink Lady. She really places you there. This was such a wonderful read. It kept me up half the night trying to finish it. I highly recommend it.
Quotes
It’s only a mistake if it kills you or you fail to learn from it.
-Amanda Quick (The Girl Who Knew Too Much p 81)
She saw the silhouette of Oliver’s gun. She fumbled with the catch of her handbag. Her fingers closed around the grip of the small pistol she kept inside. “I’ve got one, too,” she said. “Of course you do,” Oliver said. He sounded resigned. “Ever fired it?” “No. How hard could it be?” “You’d be surprised.” “There are bullets in it,” she said offended by his tone. “That helps.”
-Amanda Quick (The Girl Who Knew Too Much p 158)
“I believe you.” “Do you?” “Yes.” “Why?” “I have no idea—except that in some ways you remind me of someone I knew a long time ago. If he made a promise, you knew he’d keep it or go down trying.” “Yeah? Who was he?” “My grandfather.” “I’m a few years older than you, Irene, but I’m not that much older.” “Oh, for pity’s sake, I didn’t mean to imply that I thought you were elderly—just…reliable. Dependable. Trustworthy.” “Like a good dog?”
-Amanda Quick (The Girl Who Knew Too Much p 138-9)
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