I always enjoy Amanda Quick’s novels. They never fail to evoke images of times long past when maybe life was simpler and maybe it wasn’t . . . Times which some may remember fondly and others not so much. Nevertheless, her stories are filled with colorful historic details. Close Up is Vivian Brazier’s story and is the latest in Ms. Quick’s Burning Cove series. The title is apt because Vivian is a photographer who is more than an amateur in this growing genre. Her passion is photography as art, but when she defies her wealthy parents and leaves her home and her gold digging fiancee to pursue her dream, she finds herself without financial support and must eke out a living taking sensational photos of crime scenes. Now we all know the art world can be very snooty, so it’s no surprise that Vivian has to closely guard her secret cash cow if she wants to be taken seriously as an artist. Naturally being around crime scenes is going to put a girl in close proximity to some pretty shady characters and some of them may even be murderers and some of them may even want to murder our girl Vivian. Enter Nick Sundridge, a handsome devil who has been hired to protect Vivian. Nick comes with a curse/talent for seeing bad things that are about to happen and he sees bad things happening to Vivian. What he doesn’t see is that she is a woman who won’t just star in his dreams, but will star in his life in a way he didn’t think possible for a man with his history.

Enough said! No spoilers! Close Up will capture your imagination better than any movie from the 30’s or 40’s. There are villains and villainesses, good and bad guys, movie stars, and all the glamour you can take including sleek and fast cars and fast women. For those of us who actually remember when cameras used flashbulbs this is a walk down memory lane. 4.5 Stars to Amanda Quick for pure escapism during a time when all of us could use it.

Amanda Quick perfectly balances flash and glam with secrets and murder in Close Up. I adore the rich, atmospheric world of the Burning Cove series and it was oh-so-easy to fall into Vivian and Nick’s story.

Vivian Brazier has the boldness of a Katharine Hepburn character. She left her family’s wealth behind in order to make it as a successful artist in the modern style. Vivian freelances as a crime scene photographer to pay the bills and struggles with casual sexism, the bias in favor of traditional art, and hiding her crime scene photography job so that she’s taken seriously as an artist. I enjoyed this so much that I could easily have read a book just on Vivian’s photography career. Vivian truly sees people when she photographs them and her slightly supernatural sight makes her great at what she does. It also puts her in the crosshairs of the “Dagger Killer” when she picks up on details at a crime scene that the police missed. Protection comes in the form of Nick Sundridge and his dog, Rex. Rex is quite the scene-stealer, but his owner can hold his own. Nick has a supernatural skill of his own that includes callback to Ms. Quick’s Arcane Society series. The handsome private investigator has lucid dreams that help him solve cases, though some would see the dreams as a curse. It will take both Nick and Vivian’s skills – plus the help of some Burning Cove series favorites – in order to catch a killer.

Close Up is heavy on the suspense and I enjoyed the twists and turns the story took. That doesn’t mean Ms. Quick neglected the romance; in fact, it works really well. Both Vivian and Nick have had rocky relationships in their past (Nick in particular) but it’s clear they are made for each other. They are understanding, nonjudgmental, and supportive of one another. They also have an easy chemistry that makes watching their love story unfold a delight.

Close Up is the fourth book in the Burning Cove series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. As with every book in this series, I love the world Ms. Quick has created. Glamour hiding a seedy underbelly is often a theme and it’s an enjoyable one. Lush, engaging, and with mysteries and a romance that satisfy, I thoroughly enjoyed Close Up and I cannot wait to return to Burning Cove.

Close Up tells the story of Vivian, a crime scene photographer in the 1930s who is determined to make it in the art world of Southern California. She left her wealthy upbringing, heafty allowance and fancy wardrobe in San Francisco and headed to a small beach town known for its artsy community. In order to pay the bills, Vivan spends her nights photographing gruesome murders. While photographing a high profile case, the work of a serial killer, Vivian uncovers clues that could help the authorities find the perpetrator, but once she shares her suspicions things start to go off the rails and Vivian’s life is in danger! Enter Max, a unconventionally attractive private investigator with a near supernatural intuition who is sent to watch over Vivan as her bodyguard. What happens next is a wild ride of mystery, classic whodunnits and of course, steamy romance. I thought this was a really fun light read that reminded me of an old school film noir. I was unaware that this was part of a series and while reading it, but I didn’t feel that I was missing any information. I definitely plan to go back and read some of the other books in the series! I thought some of the book was a tad cheesy but that’s also part of what I liked about it, it read like an episode of a old school murder mystery and its just what I needed! It’s a 3.5 star read for me! New Amanda Quick fan here!

Vivian and Nick are two who have unusual talents. They come together when someone hires a hit man to kill Vivian. Great story line and I loved how Vivian and Nick played off of each other. While you think you know what is going on there are some surprises in store of you the reader and also Vivian and Nick. Nice addition to the Burning Cove series.

Suspense, Romance and an intriguing murder mystery will quickly pull you in. While this is the fourth Burning Cove novel from Quick, each book has its own romance and engaging mystery. With a dash of paranormal woo-woo and references to the Arcane Society, fans will want to grab this one!

Full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer on May 5th, It will be shared on Goodreads, Amazon and all social media sites. Link provided below.

Vivian Brazier has left her San Francisco home after refusing to marry the man her family picked out for her and is trying to forge a career as an art photographer. To make ends meet, she photographs crime scenes for a newspaper. After taking a photo of the latest victim of the Dagger Killer, she notices that the crime scene looks staged like an art photo. Her lead helps the police locate the killer and places her right in the center of the killer's bullseye.

Nick Sundridge is a private investigator who uses his psychic power to help him solve crimes. Otherwise, that power is known as the family curse and makes him fear for his sanity. He is asked to protect Vivian when information is found that she will be the next victim of an assassin.

Nick and his dog Rex move in to protect Vivian. Shortly thereafter, Vivian's rental house and all her photographic equipment are destroyed when someone throws a fire bomb through the front window. She, Nick and Rex take refuge in a hotel in Burning Cove while Nick tries to flush out the assassin.

This story was filled with great period detail of California in the 1930s. It also had wonderful characters who were distinct and distinctive individuals. I liked the romance between Nick and Vivian since it was an unconventional as the characters themselves.

This is another great entry into the Burning Cove Paranormal thriller series.

Close Up is set in the 30s in Southern California and it FELT like it. The story itself was very relatable and could be set in anytime, but the descriptions of clothes and locations just felt like we were hanging out in old Hollywood. The added layer of a murder mystery made the story even more fun and engaging. It has been a while since I have read romantic suspense and this was a fun but intriguing read that was light enough for my brain right now.

I am loving these newer books of Amanda Quicks - the time period - the noir-like feel to the stories. The touch of woo-woo, a lot of fun and a great read. This title is a great addition to her long list of great books.

I have always enjoyed Amanda Quick and the many other pen names by Jayne Ann Krentz. Her female leads are always strong and independent and the back and forth between the mysterious male lead character are always entertaining, and this one does not disappoint.

Vivian Brazier leaves her wealthy family behind her to fulfill her dream of photography and all she can bring out in the person she takes a photo of. To support this dream she also takes photos of crime scenes that she then sells to newspapers. While doing this she also gets the attentions of some pretty crazy characters that decide that what she knows and how she can see photography is hitting too close to home and plan to stop her at any cost. Enter in Nick Sundridge who literary appears on her door step to keep this from happening. The two of them together then work as one to figure out who is now trying to kill her. The real master mind behind these brutal killings will keep you guessing until the end.

This is the 4th book in the Burning Cove Series and while it can be read alone and still enjoy, one would miss out on the underlying relationships between previous main characters in the other 3 books, but is minor. An easy read of murder, mystery and love, that transports you to the 1920's when everything had an extra bit of glamour to it.

The latest in the Burning Cove series. Vivian is an art photographer who also takes crime photos on the side. When she stumbles onto the clue about a murderer, she becomes the next target. ARC from NetGalley.

Vivian Brazier is just trying to make a living as a photographer. It's an emerging field in the 1920s and very few people are making Art. She's making ends meet by being a photojournalist, taking pictures of crime scenes. And it's the latter job that brings her in contact with the person known as the "Dagger Killer." Her second sight when she uses the camera helps her capture nuances that no one else can see. When she becomes a target, a bodyguard is arranged.
Nick Sundridge is that bodyguard. He also has visions and manages them through lucid dreaming and being a detective (being a good guy balances the horrible parts of his visions.) He saves her life and then decides to take her up to Burning Cove where the Hollywood glitterati goes but he can control more of the security.
The romance between them felt a bit thin but it was overall a fun read and a nice addition to the Burning Cove series. We are starting to learn a little bit more about Luther Pell's work behind the scenes; it's unfolding slowly, hint by hint. I'm still holding out hope for Luther and Raina's story as well.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out May 5th
Follows Tightrope
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

I read the first book in this series a couple of years ago, and really enjoyed it. I kept meaning to read the next couple and was too busy. Now that I have a little extra time, when I saw this listed on NetGalley I pounced.

I really enjoyed this. It felt more mystery with a side of romance, rather than romantic mystery. The mystery was more prominent than romance.

I like the heroine. She knew what she wanted and wasn't willing to settle. She wasn't willing to let her parents and society dictate how her life would go. I really appreciate seeing that. The guy was fine, I wasn't overwhelmed with him.

When I finished this book, I did add myself to my library's list for books 2 and 3. I know the review isn't GLOWING, but I did enjoy read the book and am looking forward to the others.

This was an enjoyable mystery-romance hybrid! I haven’t read any of the other books in the Burning Cove series, and there were times when I felt like I might have been missing some context. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and it became a bit confusing, but maybe that would have been fixed had I gone into reading with more background from the rest of the series. The period details felt well-done and I was rooting for the main character, Vivian, from start to finish. Would be interested in reading more in this series!

The fourth book in the Burning Cove series is another winner. Pairing a female photographer with a PI hired as her bodyguard, they move to Burning Cove to keep her safe while flushing out the killer. I was sure that I had chosen the right villian right up to the totally unexpected end. I highly recommend this book and the entire series.

This book was solidly okay. I enjoyed it as a light read, I liked the continuation of this series and I would still recommend it to fans of Quick...it just didn’t feel as good as so much of her previous work.

For the positives! The characters are delightful archetypes as always, you can't have a spooky society without some quirky “protagonists with vague but troubled pasts.” I enjoy the time period, fans of vintage 20’s ephemera will love this setting. The romance is sweet and sexy with our hero showing off some very impressive skills in the consent and contraception departments. That is always a winner! It was genuinely enjoyable to read- relaxing, fun and exciting enough that you definitely wanted to keep reading.

The not-so-positives. The romance was very much predicated on the fated-mates intuition that gets hand waved away by the series’ elusive “psychic stuff.” The relationship doesn't really develop beyond being a plot device for each character to share their backstory. The plot is both predictable, yet the twist relies on making a pretty big jump that the reader only gets because it is handed over in a final climax showdown. I prefer mysteries where you may have to work for the solution, but solving the case shouldn't rely on the sudden discovery that the characters have info that isn't shared with the reader. Lastly, the peripheral characters only lend to the story if you know the background from other novels, this isn't a stand alone book. It belongs to a series, so that is fine, just means that the plot development seems even less meaningful if you don't know the backstory.

All in all, I still enjoyed the book and would say that fans of Quick, and this specific Arcane Society set of stories, will still enjoy it. I am still excited for more books by this author in this series, even if this one isn’t a five-star read.

Love this series. This is a great addition. Story kept you wanting to read just a bit further every time you tried to put it down. Great characters, new and old. Looking forward to the next one.

Close Up by Amanda Quick is the fourth installment in the Burning Cove series. Vivian Brazier is a talented photographer with dreams of becoming a famous art photographer. When her wealthy family cuts financial ties with her after walking away from a respectable and lucrative marriage proposal, Vivian is forced to take portrait appointments and crime scene photos to pay the bills. The mysterious Dagger Killer is on the loose and Vivian's crime scene photos provide insight to the local police force but also place Vivian in grave danger. When a private investigator named Nick Sundridge, and his gentle giant of a dog Rex, show up on her doorstep and declare her life is in danger, Vivian is not only shocked, but also not really surprised. With some reassurances from a police detective, Vivian and Nick work together to expose the threat against at Vivian and also, to expose the attraction between them.
I'm a longtime reader of Amanda Quick and have enjoyed all of the different storylines that are woven together to create the Arcane Society world. In Close Up, Quick provides us more clues to the range of psychical gifts found in certain people and the their connections to different members of the Society. Devoted readers of Quick, and her other pseudonyms, will not be disappointed in this high stakes adventure full of 1930's glamour, set in the highbrow world of the arts.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title, all opinions and mistakes are my own.

Close Up is set in the 1920s I believe, and is about Vivian who’s a photographer trying to make it in the art world. I love photography so I loved the bits and pieces mentioned about film photography, the struggles of freelancing and all. Then there’s Nick, a private investigator who’s later hired to protect Vivian.

I always love a good old murder mystery in historical fiction books and this one didn’t disappoint. Although, some things did confuse me a lot. For example, both Nick and Vivian’s abilities were a bit distracting and did little service to the plot. I found it a little hard to follow who the real culprit was, but once I caught up I was hooked.

Overall, this was a cheesy but amazing historical suspense from Amanda Quick! I look forward to reading more of her books. Thanks to Netgalley and Berkeley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Vivian is freelancing as a freelance news photographer to support her real love, art photography.. When her photographs help solve a gruesome murder her life gets dangerous. Nick, an investigator with a special gift, is sent to protect her and together they travel to Burning Cove to try and figure out what really is going on. A story of a strong woman trying to make a life for herself and along the way finds something unexpected.

I have always loved Amanda Quick, and while it has seemed in recent years that she is just churning out the books a little bit mechanically, I still like her formula and the 1920s setting is a little more interesting than the typical historical romance.