Book Review
The Other Lady Vanishes
Burning Cove Book #2
by Amanda Quick
Berkley © 2018
Plot Summary:
Adeline Blake might be crazy. She did escape from a mental institution, and not just any mental institution. Rushbrook Sanitarium is where rich families hide their mentally unstable relatives in shame, unaware that the Sanitarium holds darker secrets. The darkest of these secrets escape with Adeline, as she is witness to a murder the night she vanishes.
Months later, Adeline believes her past to be behind her. She has started a new life in Burning Cove, California, working at a tea shop, mixing her own proprietary blends for visiting celebrities. When she and a rich and mysterious businessman vacationing in Burning Cove attend the show of a famous psychic, Zolanda, they are as shocked as everyone in the audience when she predicts the bloody death of someone in the theater.
They are more shocked the next morning when they discover the body of Zolanda, who died a bloody death under mysterious circumstances. Did she predict her own death?
Worse, Adeline notices small items slightly out of place in her own home the night of the show.
Is Adeline paranoid like the doctors in Rushbook led her to believe? Or is she in real danger?
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My Thoughts:
I bought this book after quickly finishing Burning Cove Book 1, The Girl Who Knew Too Much. Much like the first book, the second is a charming and nicely-paced mystery with lovable characters and a solid mysterious adventure for our heroine and hero.
I believe the second book does a better job of evoking the feel of the 1930s from its readers. The book seems to evoke images of the scenery and fashion on the 1930s in more vivid detail in this book.
The hero and heroine, Adelaine and Jake, have a broad back story which allows for character development, but not so broad that it weighs down the pacing of the story.
Interesting that the story of Raina, set up as a single woman fleeing to Burning Cove at the end of book 1, is not included. She plays prominently in the story as a friend of Adelaine, but I expected she and her romantic story would be more of a focal point in book 2. Also, it was marginally disappointing that only briefly mentioned are Irene and Oliver from book 1.
In a series like this, I appreciate that readers need not have started with book 1 to understand the story and setting of book 2, however, a few more mentions of Oliver and Irene would have been fun for fans of book 1.
Overall, this is an entertaining book which is perfect for a few moments’ distraction or escape. When I read a book, I usually get just a few minutes in before I am called away to take care of something around the house. Intense and intricate books can be tricky, but these books are fabulous to pick up for that occasion!