The Lady Has a Past
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4.6 • 290 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Beauty and glamour meet deception and revenge in this electrifying novel by New York Times bestselling author Amanda Quick.
Investigative apprentice Lyra Brazier, the newest resident of Burning Cove, is unsettled when her boss suddenly disappears. Lyra knows something has happened to Raina Kirk, and tracks down her last known appearance at an exclusive hotel and health spa. The health spa is known for its luxurious offerings and prestigious clientele, and the wealthy, socialite background Lyra desperately wanted to leave behind is perfect for this undercover job. What Lyra lacks in investigative experience she makes up for in gut instinct, and her gut isn’t happy that she’s saddled with a partner by Luther Pell, Raina’s dangerous lover, who wants to bring in someone with more experience to help.
Instead of the suave, pistol-packing private eye she expected, though, Simon Cage is a mild-mannered antiquarian book dealer with a quiet, academic air, and a cool, remote gaze. Lyra suspects that Simon is much more than what he seems, and her instincts are confirmed when they arrive at the spa and pose as a couple: Simon has a unique gift that allows him to detect secrets, a skill that is crucial in finding Raina.
The unlikely duo falls down a rabbit hole of twisted rumors and missing socialites, discovering that the health spa is a façade for something far darker than they imagined. With a murderer in their midst, Raina isn't the only one in grave danger—Lyra is next.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Glamour, mystery, and a dash of murder create a delicious (and potent) narrative cocktail set under the warm California sun. When the charming and witty Lyra Brazier arrives in Burning Cove in the late 1930s to serve as an apprentice to P.I. Raina Kirk, she’s picturing an exciting, Nancy Drew-esque life. But she gets more than she bargained for when Raina herself disappears. (Only to wake up chained to a bed in a luxury health spa…) So Lyra engages the help of Simon Cage, a clever and attractive book dealer whose subtle psychic abilities make him a perfect match for this mystifying case. We could feel the sparks fly from their very first meeting, as they began a battle of wits to hide their sheer electric attraction to each other. Balancing detective intrigue with a healthy dose of sun-kissed romance, The Lady Has a Past is an ode to living dangerously—and fabulously.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
While Quick's final Burning Cove romance (after Close Up) wraps up its central mystery a bit too neatly, devoted readers will delight in revisiting the glamorous 1930s setting and picturesque California town. Lyra Brazier leaves her life in San Francisco to join her sister, Vivian, for a fresh start in Burning Cove. Her disarming ability to get people to reveal their secrets through casual conversation lands her a job at Kirk Investigations—and comes in handy when her boss, Raina Kirk, disappears. Joining Lyra in investigating is Simon Cage, an antiquarian book dealer who works for Raina's mysterious boyfriend, Luther Pell, to solve mysteries the FBI can't crack. Upon learning that Raina was last seen at a luxury spa in the California desert, Lyra and Simon book a room, posing as man and wife in a ruse that sparks real intimacy and heat between them. Simon's paranormal ability to sense emotions in objects, meanwhile, leads the pair to realize that Raina's disappearance may be linked to a serial crime spree. The solid romantic suspense plot flies by fast as Quick leaves the final pages to check in on all the other characters readers have come to know in Burning Cove. This is a gift for series fans.
