I have now come to look forward to a new book in this series every year. I wish the author could drop two a year in this series. It is one of my favorite current series!

This one is just like the previous ones. A murder mystery wrapped in quirky characters who most certainly hold their own weight in the book. The 1920's cheesy tv show vibe is ever present too. And I absolutely love it! Just like the other books, I felt like I was watching an old cheesy, fun, and exciting 1920's show with my grandmother instead of reading a book.

These characters are fun. I can honestly say, I didn't see the twists coming. It was nice that they were a shock to me. I love how well the author used misdirection in such a great way. It totally worked on me.

I can't praise this series enough. This genre isn't my preferred genre, but I absolutely love Amanda Quick's writing of this genre. Amanda, if you're reading this, please don't stop.

Close Up by Amanda Quick is the 4th book in her exciting Burning Cove series. This series takes place during the 1930’s in the small town of Burning Cove, California. Some of the characters we met in the first two books have secondary roles, as we return to Burning Cove. Burning Cove is a small resort town with many Hollywood stars or the very rich, but it seems that is it also a magnet for danger.

We meet our heroine, Vivian Brazier, who is a freelance photographer, trying to create and sell artistic photographs to galleries; but in order to make money, she also takes pictures at crimes scenes. Vivian manages to have a different take on scenes, and uses her expertise to sell these crime photos to the local newspaper, for a cover shot, which helps her make ends meet. After being turned down on a her new artistic series that she offered the local gallery, and after her recent cover photo of a murder from the night before, Vivian receives a visit from a private investigator, who tells her that her life is in danger.

Nick Sundridge, our hero, is the investigator that has been hired to become Vivian’s bodyguard, with his dog, Rex. Vivian at first doesn’t take him seriously. Why would anyone want to kill her? She learns that Luther Pell, who we have known since the first book, received information that someone is planning to kill her, and he is the one who hired Nick to protect her.

Vivian is a wonderful heroine, who is independent, mature, smart, savvy and with an excellent ability to see special secretive things in her photos. Nick is also a great hero, as he also has a psychic ability that give him visions in dreams of what may happen. Their romance was slow built, as each began to learn more about each other, and their chemistry was great; in so many ways, they made a great couple who also worked well together, as well as understanding each of their abilities.

What follows is an exciting story that never lets up, with Vivian and Nick in the middle of all the action. This intriguing story had a few surprises, which had me guessing until the end. I thought Rex, Nick’s dog, was a wonderful partner. I did like Vivian’s sister, Lyra and would love to see her get her own story. I do not want to give spoilers, saying anything more would ruin the book for you.

Close Up was a wonderful exciting, intense suspenseful story, with a bit of romance, great couple, as well as having a slight paranormal element. Amanda Quick once again gives us a complex mystery that had a bit of everything and the fun of being in the glamorous world of 1930’s. I suggest you start this series from the beginning to enjoy the setting of this series, as well as meet some very good characters. However, each book does read very well as a standalone

This was another book set at least partially in Burning Cove and was very much what I expect from those stories. It was an engaging mystery adventure with romantic elements and a bit of misdirection. I enjoyed the story and characters very much.

Vivian Brazier has walked away from her privileged life in San Francisco to pursue a career as a photographic artist. To pay her bills while she waits for her big break, she freelances as a crime scene photographer, and she is called to the scene of a famous actress" murder. Her trained eye spots similarities in this scene and in the scenes of two other murders, and she shares that information with the police, a move that puts her squarely on the radar of the killer.

Nick Sundridge is an investigator who's "intuition" has helped him solve numerous crimes. When someone hires him to protect Vivian, they find themselves in the glamorous world of high society. And that world may be hiding enough secrets to get them both killed.

Jayne Ann Krentz, writing as Amanda Quick, blends the atmosphere of California in the 30s, with her trademark paranormal and romantic mysteries. This is the fourth book in her Burning Cove series, but works very well as a standalone. This is a fabulous series to binge. Highly recommended.

TLDR: Not one of her best works, but still remarkably enjoyable.

This is an interesting book as it sort of feels like a bunch of leftover plot lines brought together to make a book. (For heaven's sake, the hero wasn't introduced until 20% into the book.) It also didn't "flow" right in terms of build up and denouement. There were about three different conclusions in the book, so it felt more like a bunch of connected short stories.

That said, even a mediocre work by Quick is light-years ahead of the best of most other authors. Recommended for quick, light, fun reading on a weekend.

Vivian and Nick are another wonderful combination in this series. Amanda Quick is just an amazing storyteller(in all forms) but I really love this time period and the amazing cast of characters old and new. Just enough mystery and just enough romance and it kept my attention thru the whole book. Just fabulous!

Shocking! Another thrilling installment in Amanda Quick's Burning Cove series. Close Up combines the romantic suspense, historical, and paranormal genres together to create a one of a kind read that will have you on the edge of your seat wondering whodunnit.

Amanda Quick has long been a writer of strong heroines and Vivian Brazier is one of her best. Who doesn't love a woman willing to forgo her inheritance to make a name for herself? Brazier is an independent, talented woman who won't stop until her pictures grace the walls of galleries... even if it means taking pictures of grisly crime scenes in the meantime (did I mention she has a strong stomach, too?). I absolutely love a heroine who doesn't balk at being a woman in a man's world.

Nick Sundridge is also a Quick classic. Reclusive, strange, with an intuition you'd be a fool not to trust and a desire, above all else, to protect his woman? He's everything you want in a hero! And I always love a hint of psychic abilities in my men.

I absolutely loved the technical knowledge regarding 1930's photography that was interspersed between the romance and murder. Quick always knows how to find the perfect balance of the plot elements. Overall, Close Up's combination of time period, photography, murder, and romance made for a thrilling foray into the world of competitive art in the 1930's. But, as I've mentioned in so many other reviews of Quick's work (man, does she have a lot of pen names) no one does mystery like Amanda Quick. Readers will be on the edge of their seat wondering who could possibly be the killer... or killers.

Review copied from my romance novel review blog: romanticallyinclinedreviews.com

Another solid entry into this historical mystery series set in a swanky town outside of 30s LA. In this entry, Vivian, who dreams of being an art photographer, gets herself targeted by a killer during her work as a crime scene photographer. While I thought it took a bit too long to get into what the main mystery of the book was, when it did I found it intriguing and difficult to figure out just who was out to get her. I enjoyed the characters, though the sudden insertion of some paranormal abilities of the 2 main characters was a bit jolting. Also, at times the simplicity of the author's sentence structure was kind of distracting for me. Overall, I would recommend this and the whole Burning Cove series to historical mystery lovers.

I enjoyed Vivian and Nick's story very much. Quick did a phenomenal job balancing the suspense in the story with such an incredible story. I enjoyed the information on photography and the connection between Nick and Vivian. I look forward to more from this author in the future.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. 4 stars! ~Ratula

The first two Burning Cove books left me wishing for a return to the Victorian Era of previous Amanda Quick books. This one changed my mind. I really liked Close Up. I identify with Quick’s heroines who successfully break the rules of “what a woman should be” no matter what the era. Perhaps because I grew up in the times when women were supposed to be wives/mothers, nurses or teachers. I liked the roaring 20’s setting as well. I found the information on photography very interesting and well researched. The theme of photography as an art was very well depicted. I’ll be interested to see if Quick remains in this era.

Vivian Brazier never thought life as an art photographer would include nightly wake-up calls to snap photos of grisly crime scenes or headshots for aspiring male actors. Although she is set on a career of transforming photography into a new art form, she knows her current work is what’s paying the bills. But when Vivian sees a pattern in a killing spree, it makes her a target.

Nick Sundridge has always been able to “see” things that others don’t, coping with disturbing dreams and visions. His talent, or as he puts it—his curse—along with his dark past makes him a brilliant investigator. As the only one with the ability to help, Nick is sent to protect Vivian. Together, they discover the Dagger Killer has ties to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood royalty and high society. It is a cutthroat world of allure and deception that Vivian and Nick must traverse—all in order to uncover the killer who will stop at nothing to add them to their gallery of murders.

I love Jayne Ann Krentz's books, especially the ones she writes as Amanda Quick. Her most recent are as much a mystery as they are a romance and I'm especially liking the newer ones set in 1930s California. The heroines are competent, the heroes are respectful, and the stories move quickly and smoothly. Although this is easily a stand alone, characters from the last two books make an appearance and help the current cast. This is a quick, fun read.

I loved the story and I loved the characters. As per usual for this author the heroine was a strong, independent woman and the hero was a tragic character who managed to overcome his past, a past which only his family and the heroine understood. What I did not particularly care for was the love story itself. It felt nonexistant until the author wanted it. Also it felt disingenuous how she let a man stay in her house on the word of a policeman she met once who knew the uncle of the hero. And I was disappointed how her concerns about sleeping with him was the connection between them, not the chance about how she could get pregnant. I was very happy, though, with the broaching of "naked men" and how there was no shying away from the fact that it was a thing and homosexuality existed.

1930's romantic suspense, with a hint of the paranormal. Vivian left behind her wealthy family to pursue a career as a photographer. She pays the bills with crime-scene photos, but she wants to break into art photography. When her life is threatened, a stranger hires investigator Nick Sundridge to protect her. Nick has visions, which complicate his life greatly. To escape a killer, they head to Burning Cove, California, playground of the Hollywood elite. Danger follows them.

Well worth reading.

I very much enjoyed this book. Vivian Brazier is a fantastic heroine - I loved her passion for her work, and her knowledge and understanding of photography in its many forms. While she is clearly very intuitive, it is actually her professional knowledge and attention to detail that allow her to recognise what the killer might also know. I also really enjoyed the discussion of photography as art or as journalism, and the different photographic styles. It seemed to me that this story was very well rooted in a love and understanding of the history of photography.
Nick was a perfectly good hero / PI with a bit of a psychic twist, but to be honest, he felt like more of a sidekick to Vivian's story to me - perhaps because she was the photographer and photography was such a central theme. To me, this was more of a mystery with a romantic subplot than a romance. I felt that the relationship, while enjoyable and convincing, was sketched in, whereas the mystery was the main focus.
I'll definitely be seeking out the other books in this series, as this was a lot of fun.

Full review to be published online in mid May.

I've had a bit of an up-and-down relationship with Amanda Quick's "Burning Cove" series, CLOSE UP landed happily in the up side. It was well written, had a good mystery, and had generous interactions with characters from previous books.

While taking a photo of a woman killed by what the press has coined the Dagger Killer, Vivian realizes she's seen this same pattern before in other crime scene photographs. She informs the lead detective to look for a photographer as the possible killer, which puts her in harm's way.

A private investigator, Nick Sundredge, is ent by his uncle to protect Vivian. Unlike normal investigators, Nick has a paranormal ability to see things in visions, leading him to clues others would normally miss. In the course of his investigation into another crime, he finds Vivian, and sparks fly.

In this series, Amanda Quick writes intriguing RS mysteries set in the 1930s. I don't know if this is the end of the series, but it is a worthy entry regardless.

Vivian is an excellent freelance photographer who shoots crime photos and sells them to make ends meet. Vivian has a gift for taking the right photo due to her ability to open her senses and see beyond reality. Her true passion is being an artistic photographer but she has some trouble getting taken seriously by art critics and gallery owners. When Vivian is targeted by a deranged killer for her insight, Nick, a private investigator, is hired to protect her. Nick also has paranormal abilities which enable him to be an excellent partner for Vivian. Lots of action, suspense, and romance make this a fun read. I really enjoyed this romantic suspense novel set in the 1930's in the glamorous colony of Burning Cove, California.

This was another great installment of the Burning Cove escapades. I love how the female leads in this series are always strong and intelligent women.
I did find a typo in chapter 48 - in the paragraph where Vivian is telling Lyra that she’s going to be come a documentary photographer “I’m *think* of billing myself as a documentary photographer “ (emphasis mine to highlight typo)
I loved the addition of Rex and the gallery fight between Vivian and Winston!

Amanda Quick (and any other nom de plume) never disappoints. I particularly enjoy the series where enhanced abilities and all the complications that arise from them are on display. This book takes us back to Burning Cove and Luther Pell and Oliver Ward. While they do not play large roles in this book the genre remains consistent with their books. The Poet may be one of the most interesting villains in some time. Vivian and Nick are an unlikely pair at first glance, but when you peel back the layers they show the public you find how alike they are. A great look at the issues of being an independent woman during this age.

4 Hearts
SJ, Romance Junkies

Amanda Quick returns to the world of Burning Cove, California in the 1930s of Hollywood starlets and secrets.

In CLOSE UP, heroine Vivian Brazier is an art photographer having to secretly make a living by taking crime scene photos. Though coming from a well-to-do family, she's determined to make it on her own and has no inclination to marry the man her family approves.

One night, while taking a photo of a woman killed by what the press has coined the "Dagger Killer," Vivian realizes she's seen this same pattern before in other crime scene photographs. She informs the lead detective to look for a photographer as the possible killer, which puts her in harm's way. (Note, she also has a paranormal ability to see in her subjects hidden feelings.)

Nick Sundridge is an investigator sent by his uncle to protect Vivian. But unlike normal investigators, Nick has a paranormal ability to see things in visions, leading him to clues others would normally miss. In the course of his investigation into another crime, he finds Vivian, and sparks fly. Or they should fly, but in this novel, the romance takes a definite backseat to the mystery.

Amanda Quick writes a wonderful mystery set in the 1930s in this romantic suspense, but the lead characters don't have the chemistry present in her previous works. Nick and Vivian meet and fall for each other in a matter of days, but their chemistry feels not quite there. Unlike the fast-paced, wonderfully laid-out mystery of finding the killer.

The description of the setting and the photography Vivian employs are fascinating. A few secondary characters reappear from previous books but do not distract at all from the story. What I found lacking was a sense of intimacy between the leads. Nick is attracted to Vivian. She's somewhat attracted to him. And then bam, they sleep together and have feelings. It doesn't seem to work, perhaps because Vivian is such a delightfully strong character that it feels wrong to see her with Nick so quickly.

Then again, Amanda Quick is such a stellar writer that perhaps this book suffers from being compared to her earlier work, like the first in this series, THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and THE OTHER LADY VANISHES.

Still a worthwhile read and a pleasure to revisit the 1930s and old glam California.