Garden of Lies

April 1, 2015
A lady with a secret to hide and a gentleman reputed to be mad make a dandy investigative team. Ursula Kern changed her name after a scandal in her past and now runs a successful secretarial service in Victorian London. When her best worker, Anne Clifton, is found dead, she refuses to believe the vivacious Anne would kill herself, as the police surmise, and decides to investigate. Ursula had been doing secretarial work for the notorious Slater Roxton, who isn't happy to be shunted aside with little explanation. Roxton is an archaeologist who gained fame when he was accidentally buried in a tomb and left for dead on an island. He escaped, spent a year with a small community seeking enlightenment, and returned to London to manage the affairs of his father's second wife and children. Refusing, for his own reasons, to be ignored, he insists on helping Ursula determine the truth about Anne's death. Their quest leads to a wealthy nobleman with an unhappy wife who has a knack for cultivating difficult plants-plants that are being used to create a hallucinogenic drug being offered to those who can afford it at a private club that also provides high-class prostitutes. Ursula's own secret may be exposed by a muckraking journalist until Roxton comes to her rescue, and he continues to anticipate the troubles she encounters as she puts herself in in harm's way trying to find a dangerous killer. Her partnership with Roxton puts her in more personal danger as they pursue a passionate affair that could break her heart. Quick's fans will not be disappointed in her latest combination of detective story and sexy romance (Otherwise Engaged, 2014, etc.), a pleasing page-turner.

Starred review from April 15, 2015
The police say Anne Clifton committed suicide. Ursula Kern, proprietor of Kern Secretarial Agency, believes Anne may have been murdered. Because Anne was more than just an employee to Ursula, Ursula intends to fully investigate Anne's mysterious death. Archaeologist and adventurer Slater Roxton is not pleased when Ursula informs him she will be leaving his employment to take on a personal assignment. He is even less thrilled when he discovers exactly what Ursula plans on doing. Slater is convinced that Ursula's meddling in the official inquiry into Anne's death could very well result in yet another murder: Ursula's. Teaming up with her is the only logical solution as far as Slater is concerned, and this means finding some way of convincing Ursula to accept him as her new partner in detection. Quick (Otherwise Engaged, 2014) deftly matches up a dashing hero, who has some wonderful Indiana Jones-like qualities, with a coolly capable heroine, who proves to be more than his match. The end result is another top-drawer historical romance that delivers the perfect fusion of witty dialogue, intriguing characters, and seductive passion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

November 1, 2014

The author of more than 50 New York Times best sellers written under different names, Quick steps away from her various series to present some luscious wickedness in Victorian London. When an employee of the Kern Secretarial Agency dies unexpectedly on the job as stenographer to reclusive poetess Valerie, Lady Fulbrook, Ursula Kern sets out to discover what happened. Archaeologist and adventurer Simon Roxby, perhaps a bit intense after a year spent trapped on Fever Island but graced with remarkable self-possession and beautiful green-gold eyes, decides that Ursula should not go it alone.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2015

Unwilling to believe that the death of Anne Clifton, one of her best employees, was suicide, secretarial agency owner Ursula Kern sets out to get some answers. Her plan is to take Anne's place in her last position, as Lady Fulbrook's secretary, and do some snooping, but when archaeologist and sleuth Slater Roxton, one of Ursula's current clients, gets wind of her scheme, he senses danger and isn't about to let her go alone. A smart, intrepid heroine with a hidden past and a caring, insightful--but occasionally clueless--hero who survived the impossible navigate (with labyrinthine skill) Victorian London's deadlier side as they deal with the exclusive, shadowy Olympus Club. VERDICT With sassy wit, a mystical touch, and delectable sensuality, Quick sweeps readers into another delightful, humor-drenched escapade that is sure to leave fans smiling and satisfied. Classic Victorian Quick; not to be missed. Quick (Otherwise Engaged) lives in Seattle.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
In London, during the late Victorian period, women have few opportunities for respectable income. Ursula Kern, hiding from a previous scandal, has opened a secretarial agency, using the new typewriting technology to place her clients in well-paying positions. When friend and colleague Ann Clifton is found dead, Ursula immediately suspects murder. Her own contract employer, amateur archaeologist Slater Roxton, is pulled into her investigation of criminal activities including murder, blackmail, and drugs. Quick, the pseudonym used by Jayne Ann Krentz for her historical romances, jumps into this mystery with immediate action, well-constructed characters, hot romance, and plenty of suspense. While the story verges on formulaic, the performance of Louise Jane Underwood adds depth with numerous accents and voices. VERDICT A bit of fun for fans of historical romance, romantic suspense, and mysteries with historical settings. ["With sassy wit, a mystical touch, and delectable sensuality, Quick sweeps readers into another delightful...escapade that is sure to leave fans smiling and satisfied": "LJ" 4/15/15 starred review of the Putnam hc.]--Janet Martin, Southern Pines P.L., NC

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2015

Unwilling to believe that the death of Anne Clifton, one of her best employees, was suicide, secretarial agency owner Ursula Kern sets out to get some answers. Her plan is to take Anne's place in her last position, as Lady Fulbrook's secretary, and do some snooping, but when archaeologist and sleuth Slater Roxton, one of Ursula's current clients, gets wind of her scheme, he senses danger and isn't about to let her go alone. A smart, intrepid heroine with a hidden past and a caring, insightful--but occasionally clueless--hero who survived the impossible navigate (with labyrinthine skill) Victorian London's deadlier side as they deal with the exclusive, shadowy Olympus Club. VERDICT With sassy wit, a mystical touch, and delectable sensuality, Quick sweeps readers into another delightful, humor-drenched escapade that is sure to leave fans smiling and satisfied. Classic Victorian Quick; not to be missed. Quick (Otherwise Engaged) lives in Seattle.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.