Bantam, $8.99, ISBN 978-0-553-574074
Historical Romance, 1998 (Reissue)
Ah, another Amanda Quick novel! I was all set to dust off my trusty template for reviewing her books (you know, the one that goes “wealthy aristocrat meets spirited bluestocking, hijinks ensue”), when suddenly… wait a minute. What’s this? A working-class hero? And a working-class heroine? Has Ms Quick finally decided to shake things up? Color me intrigued!
So here’s the scoop: Our heroine Charlotte Arkendale has carved out a niche for herself as a sort of Victorian-era background checker, vetting potential husbands for wealthy women. It’s a clever way to support herself and her sister after their mother’s unfortunate choice in second husbands left them high and dry.
Enter Baxter St Ives, a chemist with a penchant for writing chemistry books (be still my beating heart!) and inventing new products. He’s the illegitimate son of an Earl, which apparently means he has to be as exciting as watching paint dry to keep up appearances.
Naturally, these two wild and crazy kids team up to solve a murder mystery, because that’s what passes for a meet-cute in Ms Quick’s world.
I must say, I’m enjoying this fresh coat of paint on our leads. Baxter is like what you’d get if you tossed Indiana Jones and Bill Nye into a blender, while Charlotte seems slightly less prone to leaping before she looks than Ms Quick’s usual heroines. Plus, they both have the shared experience of being the responsible older siblings to more, shall we say, free-spirited youngsters. Nothing says romance like mutual family exasperation!
However, it seems Ms Quick has decided to pivot hard into the romantic suspense genre with this one. And by “pivot”, I mean “awkwardly stumble while trying to execute a graceful turn”. The romance feels like it’s been put through a car compactor, as all the essentials are there, but squished down to their barest form. Kiss, grope, boom—we’re in love! Now back to the mystery!
Speaking of the mystery, this is where things really go off the rails. Ms Quick’s approach to suspense is about as thrilling as watching grass grow in real-time. Instead of actual detective work, we get endless expository dumps. Our intrepid heroes stumble upon suspects with all the grace of a bull in a china shop, only to find them conveniently deceased. And just when you think the plot holes are big enough to drive a horse and carriage through, the villain shows up to explain everything in excruciating detail. I half expected them to break out a PowerPoint presentation.
In conclusion, Affair feels like Amanda Quick’s attempt to reinvent herself, but it’s more of a new haircut than total makeover. By downplaying the romance in favor of suspense, she’s only highlighted how lackluster her mysteries really are. Without the usual witty banter and sizzling chemistry to distract us, we’re left with a tale as bland as unseasoned gruel. Maybe next time, Ms Quick should stick to what she knows best… or at least invest in a Mystery Writing for Dummies book!
