The Third Circle (Arcane Society, #4) - Softcover

Quick, Amanda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0749939184 ISBN 13: 9780749939182

Publisher: Piatkus Books, 2008

Synopsis

The Arcane Society novels, written under both the Amanda Quick and Jayne Ann Krentz names, have pulled readers into a saga filled with steamy romance, drama, and dark intrigue. Her newest novel promises to mesmerize as well.Leona Hewitt, disguised in men's formal evening clothes, has secretly made her way into Lord Delbridge’s private museum to retrieve a relic stolen from her family years ago. But someone else is there in the dimly lit gallery, on the same a tall, black-cloaked man whose very voice is enough to put her in a trance.Thaddeus Ware, a mesmerist with psychic energy, is accustomed to fearful reactions from others—women, in particular. After all, a man who can control the minds and actions of others could rob a lady of her virtue—without her ever knowing! But Leona shows no trace of hysteria in his presence. A force to be reckoned with as both a gifted crystal worker and a woman, she exerts a rather hypnotic power over the hypnotist himself. And she is determined to keep the coveted crystal they recovered, by giving him the slip at a run-down London inn.Thaddeus, on assignment for the Arcane Society, knows the menace Leona is courting by absconding with the crystal. It is a source of remarkable energy, and it holds the potential for great destruction. Lord Delbridge has already killed two men to acquire it, for it is his key to membership in the elite, shadowy group known as the Third Circle. And, with the help of a seductive hunter of preternatural skill—dubbed "The Midnight Monster" by the press—Delbridge intends to find her. With the stolen crystal in their possession, the danger is only beginning.

About this title

About the Author

Amanda Quick is the pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author, under various pen names, of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers; there are more than 35 million copies of her books in print. She lives in Seattle.

From Publishers Weekly

In Quick's (Jayne Ann Krentz's pseudonym) mediocre latest installment to the Arcane Society series, Leona Hewitt, a crystal reader, and Thaddeus Ware, a hypnotist, meet trying to steal the same relic—the aurora stone—from a private collection, but a murdered prostitute and a trap protecting the stone initially complicate their success. Thaddeus, hired by the Arcane Society to claim the stone, allows the plot's loudly grinding gears to ally him with Leona. Both Leona and Thaddeus are sensible and pragmatic, qualities that make for efficient sleuths but passionless lovers, and Quick has to try unusually hard to make their romance believable. The story fares better when it focuses on the crystal and its connections to secret societies, to the Midnight Monster (a hackneyed serial killer) and to Leona's personal history. When the plot threads finally pull taut and the villains' motives and schemes are completely (if clumsily) exposed, Leona is endangered in a suspenseful climax. This is unlikely to garner Quick any new fans, or even delight her devotees, but it will tide them over until the next episode. (Apr.)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Piatkus Books
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0749939184
• ISBN 13: 9780749939182
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352