Amanda Quick has written many historical romantic suspense books. She has become a well known, popular author and I get her new books when they are published. I just finished reading her newest book, The River Knows.

Louisa Bryce and Anthony Stalbridge both believed that Elwin Hastings, a prominent member of society, had secrets. Louisa and Anthony ran into each other while trying to search for evidence. Louisa convinced Anthony that they should work together. She believed that Elwin was connected to a brothel. The woman that Anthony had been engaged to was reported to have killed herself by jumping in the Thames river. Anthony believed that Elwin had been involved someway. Anthony was able to obtain evidence that indicated that both he and Louisa were correct. Anthony and Louisa also started an intimate relationship while working on their investigation even though Louisa had secrets of her own.

The River Knows is the twenty-fourth historical romantic suspense book that Amanda Quick has written. All of the books have been set in England, though not always in the same period. A few of them were set much further back in time than others. It was stated on the first page of the prologue that events were happening late in the reign of Queen Victoria without giving a specific year. That was more indication for the time the book was set in than has been provided in most of Quick’s other books. The way things were done in London society during that time were included in the book and were important to the plot like it has been in many of the other books Quick has written. I thought those things that were included were very interesting and I enjoyed reading about them.

Louisa and Anthony had both been investigating Elwin for different reasons when they started working together. It didn’t take Anthony long to find evidence that supported both of their theories, so there really wasn’t much mystery about if Elwin really was guilty or not. There were still questions about why he had done certain things and if he was working alone or not that did add some mystery. As the book progressed, a mysterious character was introduced who seemed to be up to something even though it wasn’t clear what. That did help to add some more mystery. I did come up with a possibility for that character that turned out to be right. There really weren’t any big surprises in the book, but I did still think the book was entertaining. It would have been nice if the mystery was stronger.

Louisa and Anthony had met each other shortly before The River Knows began. Because of how they ended up working together, they did spend a lot of time together. They didn’t want others to know what they were up to when they were found somewhere in Elwin’s house that they shouldn’t have been so they acted like they were intimately involved. That started a story going around that they were involved in an affair. They were attracted to each other though Louisa didn’t believe Anthony was really interested in her at first. There were a few sex scenes between them that were descriptive without being too graphic. Those scenes were much more descriptive and graphic in Quick’s earlier books. People that don’t like to read about that sort of thing should pick a different book.

Amanda Quick is the name that author Jayne Ann Krentz decided to use when she started writing historical romances. She was already a well-known author of contemporary romances at that time. I have read all of the Quick books and many of the Krentz books. Both groups of books are well written, entertaining, and feature very strong, independent female characters. The Krentz books tend to have a bit more mystery than the Quick books. Other than that, the only difference is the time the books are set in. People that like one group of the books may also like the other since they are written by the same woman.

The River Knows was another very entertaining book by Amanda Quick that her fans should enjoy. The mystery could have been a bit stronger, but it was still worth reading.

Amanda Quick Book Reviews
Deception ~ Don't Look Back ~ Late for the Wedding ~ Lie by Moonlight ~ The Paid Companion ~ Second Sight (An Arcane Society Novel) ~ Wait Until Midnight ~


Recommended: Yes