Book Review
Close Up
Burning Cove Book #4
by Amanda Quick
Berkley © 2020
Plot Summary:
Vivian Brazier wants to be an art photographer. Unfortunately, until she makes it in art photography, she must supplement her income by snapping crime scene photos for news publications at odd hours of the night. When she shoots a photograph of a crime scene for the infamous “Dagger Killer” murders, she realizes that the killer shares her passion for photography. The tip she provides the local police help track down a killer … and put a target on her back.
Nick Sundridge is hired by Luther Pell, a prominent night club owner in Burning Cove, California to watch over Vivian. Luther Pell knows Vivian’s life is in danger from a killer who has successfully hidden in the shadows for years.
Forced by an attempt on Vivian’s life to flee to Burning Cove, California, Nick and Vivian dig through the evidence to find the true story behind the Dagger Killer and his ties to the Hollywood elite. Can they get to the bottom of the mystery before Vivian becomes another victim?
My Thoughts:
This is the fourth book in the Burning Cove series I read. The first two books were well paced and captivating with the glitzy and glamourous backdrop of the 1930s. The characters are well developed and sympathetic. I was not as big of a fan of book 3, but it was okay (rated it 3 stars on Goodreads.com).
Book 4 is not great. This book is rather short; it’s only 293 pages (hardcover). The hero and heroine do not even meet until page 85 (29% of the way through the book). They do not arrive to Burning Cove until page 112 (38% through the book).
The plot to the serial murders does have a couple of interesting twists that keep readers captivated. Unfortunately, I felt that the story dragged slightly about halfway through, then got interesting just in time for the ending.
For some reason, there are also some mild psychic elements that are introduced into this story. I am not terribly bothered by these elements, but this is not congruent with the prior three books in the series. (Aside from Matthias Jones’ ability to detect lies in people’s voices from book 3, which I do not consider psychic.) I am not sure why this element was introduced. I do not think it was used well enough to create the requisite tension to justify its use.
Several prior characters play into the story however, it would not be necessary for a reader to have read the first three books to keep up with the story. As in book 3, I am still disappointed that Adelaide Blake and Jake Truett were not included.
Were this the first Burning Cove series, it would not have interested me enough to continue the series. I believe this book might be the result of trying too hard to ensure that the series is published quickly, focusing on quantity and overlooking quality.