I tend more toward fantasies and mysteries, but I always
have a soft spot for historical romantic suspense and
confess I've read every single book by Jayne Ann Krentz in
her historical persona of Amanda Quick, nearly all of her
books as Jayne Castle and a few under her own name. 'TIL
DEATH DO Us PART, the latest gem by Amanda Quick deviates
somewhat from her norm: It takes place in Victorian London
rather than the Regency era;, it's darker, with a gothic
feel; and the romance is there but not at the forefront. As
you may have guessed from my listed preferences, I'm not a
romance reader at heart, so this didn't bother me, but it
might others who look for romance to serve as the main
attraction.
Never fear, we still have a dashing and mysterious hero and
an independent-minded female who pair up to solve multiple
murders in this case.
Calista Langley owns an "introductions" business where she
hosts salons for single women and men to meet each other
for companionship, friendship and hopefully a lasting
relationship. Fearing that Calista is taking advantage of
his sister, Trent Hastings, a popular but reclusive mystery
author, shows up to question Calista about her tactics and
motives. Suffice it to say, it's not love at first sight.
At the same time, someone is leaving memento mori for
Calista. These are gifts meant for those in deepest
mourning such as a black ring meant to hold a lock of hair
of a loved one. Calista is terrified because the ring was
carved with her own initials, and she found it in her bed.
Somehow a stranger snuck into her bedroom to leave this
grim present. Trent happens to visit soon after Calista has
received another malicious emblem and offers his detective
skills and contacts, learned and acquired during research
for his mystery novels, to help her find out who is
stalking her and why.
Quick's talent for both plotting and dialog are on display
in this stand-alone tale, and she has definitely ratcheted
up the creepiness factor a degree or two. Calista and Trent
set out on a cat and mouse game to discover their quarry,
but Quick has incorporated numerous twists and turns, many
of the totally unexpected. Quick spends more time on the
mystery itself rather than the relationship building
between the hero and heroine which I frankly enjoyed. But
readers who crave an ever-present romance element and for
the romance to play the primary role in the book, might be
disappointed. This isn't to say, no time is spent on
romance, it just isn't the primary focus. I will always
read new books by Amanda Quick and most often, I'll adore
them. 'TIL DEATH DO Us PART ranks up there as one of the
most intriguing.
Calista Langley operates an exclusive “introduction” agency
in Victorian London, catering to respectable ladies and
gentlemen who find themselves alone in the world. But now, a
dangerously obsessed individual has begun sending her
trinkets and gifts suitable only for those in deepest
mourning—a black mirror, a funeral wreath, a ring set with
black jet stone. Each is engraved with her initials.
Desperate for help and fearing that the police will be of no
assistance, Calista turns to Trent Hastings, a reclusive
author of popular crime novels. Believing that Calista may
be taking advantage of his lonely sister, who has become one
of her clients, Trent doesn’t trust her. Scarred by his
past, he’s learned to keep his emotions at bay, even as an
instant attraction threatens his resolve.
But as Trent and Calista comb through files of rejected
clients in hopes of identifying her tormentor, it becomes
clear that the danger may be coming from Calista’s own
secret past—and that only her death will satisfy the stalker...
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