This was supposed to be a review of The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick, an author who I have enjoyed under all three of her names. (She’s also Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle.) Then I realized that I’ve read this story before. Oh, not this book — but definitely this story.
It’s a good story, which makes it hard to review the book. Amanda Quick writes Victorian mysteries/romances, lately with a touch of the paranormal. Her mysteries are well conceived, her paranormal element is subtle and well-thought out… her romances are thin of late but then again, she’s more of a mystery writer these days.
But I’ve read it before. When I tried to figure out how to review this book, how to summarize it, I couldn’t separate the details of this mystery from those of a dozen others by the same author.
There comes a time in some authors’ careers when I think they write too many books back to back. It’s a strategy that makes money, so I can’t really blame them. People like Amanda Quick. They see she’s got a new book and they buy it. But I think I can no longer be one of those people. It’s time for me to read a new story and so, with fond memories, I will say good-bye to this author while I seek out new experiences.