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The Lady Has a Past – the fifth book in Amanda Quick’s Burning Cove series – is a fast-paced, lively mystery set in California in the 1930s, full of ambiance and clever plot twists. This is the first book I’ve read in this series, and it can be read as a standalone, but I plan on checking out the earlier books too. Based on this one, I’m betting they’ll make great vacation reads.
Lyra Brazier is on her first assignment for Kirk Investigations when she stumbles upon a husband trying to drown his wife. When the enraged husband sees Lyra, he climbs out of the pool and stalks towards her, intending to kill her and then finish killing his wife. Quick-thinking Lyra grabs a golf club lying by the pool and knocks the husband unconscious. When the police arrive on the scene, the man is dead. With such a dramatic start to her new career, Lyra is not sure she’s cut out to be a private investigator. Her boss, Raina Kirk and Raina’s love interest, the powerful Luther Pell, aren’t sure either. But when Raina mysteriously disappears from Burning Cove the next day, Lyra is determined to step into her new role and find out what happened to Raina.
Simon Cage is living a double-life. By day, he is an antique bookseller but by night, he uses his paranormal talents to help his friend Luther Pell solve mysteries. He is in Burning Cove hoping for some relaxing time and some fun with a sophisticated, reckless, experienced divorcée. When Raina disappears, Luther calls Simon to help with the investigation. Luther, Simon, and Lyra search Raina’s apartment for clues, finding old newspaper clippings documenting the disappearance of a woman years ago (could this be the mysterious Raina?) and a note with the name of a beauty spa, the Labyrinth Springs Hotel, scrawled on it.
Simon and Lyra decide to head to Labyrinth Springs, posing as newlyweds. Soon after arriving, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems at the spa. Now they just need to find Raina before it’s too late and avoid being the next victims of a madman – or is it a madwoman?
Lyra is my kind of heroine; smart, funny, confident, a team-player. Her unique investigative talent comes from her ability to get people to talk. Simon is the opposite. He is not a people person, being more suspicious and introverted by nature. He has the extra-sensory talent of being able to sense the emotions of a person by touching an object they recently touched or entering a room they’ve recently vacated. It’s a handy talent for an investigator. Simon is a delightful hero – looking like a quiet professor-type but all sleek and powerful underneath. He’s got some interesting baggage that is fun to watch Lyra unpack with him, and the pair have a good rapport from the start. Lyra isn’t the gay divorcée Simon was looking for, but the attraction and mutual respect between the two blossoms into a gratifying romance with well-written love scenes.
There are lots of twists and turns in The Lady Has a Past, and just when you think you know what’s going on, Ms. Quick throws another fact or character into the action. Usually this would bother me – I like a mystery without last minute surprises – but I think the quick turns in this book were part of its charm. It was like watching an old Hollywood movie from the 1930s where new information or a new villain walks onto the stage every few scenes. It keeps you guessing to the last page. My only complaint was that things veered a little off course in the last few chapters muddying the ending a bit.
The Lady Has a Past will appeal to fans of whodunits and historical mystery – especially those set in glamorous 1930s California.
Note: This book contains mention of sexual assault and attempted rape.
Buy it at: Amazon, Audible, or your local independent retailer
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Grade: B+
Book Type: Romantic Suspense
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 04/05/21
Publication Date: 05/2021
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
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Is Simon’s power signifiant enough that I should add a paranormal historical or magic tag here?
It’s a big part of who he is. And it’s critical to solving the mystery. There is also talk of ghosts from a previous book in the series. So, yes, this series has paranormal aspects. So I’d estimate that the paranormal part is 20%. So if 20% earns it a paranormal tag then yes. (Whoa that was long-winded)
I have this one on order! I love her as Amanda Quick! And love this series!
Yes.
I like these books. And the sense of place she gives them, the period suits her.
They are heavier on the mystery than the relationship in a way that fits here, better than in her recent contemporaries (I tried her last, it was DNF for me) and the time fits her rather macho men better, too.
They are far down the scale in my enthusiasm: I loved her Sweet Fortune, her Family Man, Perfect Partners and Trust Me – they hold up, too, when you discount for period, better crafted, better paced, better characterization, good dialogues – these are just a good solid positive afternoon reading on a lazy day. But they are reliably that.
I think Jayne/Amanda Quick really reinvigorated her writing with these books set in the 1930’s. They still have her signature style but changing things up just injected some much needed life into her stories and veered her away from all that Arcane stuff that can bog things down.
I haven’t read this one yet, but I have a hold on a copy and I’ve enjoyed all the others in this series.
It has been too long since I’ve read an Amanda Quick book or a Jayne Ann Quick book (or an Amanda Glass book)…
I’ve loved this whole series – I highly recommend them, and i’m excited to read this one!
I enjoyed the previous books in this series and look forward to reading this one. A large part of their appeal is the novelty of time and place. Distant enough to be historical, but a refreshing change from all those Regency dukes.