Book Review - Burning Lamp

Burning Lamp - an Arcane Society Novel
by Amanda Quick

Burning Lamp dives right in from the opening pages as we meet a young teenage Adelaide plotting her escape from the brothel in which she was sold to after her parents died. Thirteen years later she is summoned by the mysterious Griffin Winters, a crime lord known as "the Director." Griffin is also a descendant of the notorious alchemist (and co-founder of the Arcane Society) Nicholas Winters. Griffin believes he has inherited the Winters family curse. He desperately needs to find the Burning Lamp, an artifact created by his ancestor to enhance psychical abilities, and a female dreamlight talent to help him work the lamp before he transforms into an insane multi-talent Cerebrus. The nightmares have already began and he believes the transformation into insanity has started. Griffin intuitively thinks that Adelaide is just the woman to help him and is startled to discover that not only is her talent stronger than he anticipated but, also, that she has been in possession of the lamp for the last thirteen years. Krentz (writing as Amanda Quick) weaves her story brilliantly as she revisits the paranormal London underworld readers were first introduced to in "The Perfect Poison" and "Second Sight." Caleb and Lucinda Jones (creators of J & J Detective Agency) even make an appearance as they lend aid to the quest. It is this era of the Arcane Society series that I gravitate to the most. Quick's storytelling is first rate and I recommend this book to all Jayne Anne Krentz fans. Readers new to Krentz's work should go back to previous novels in the Arcane series to be properly introduced to Krentz's paranormal world. Enjoy!
~Peace and Good Reads~