From Publishers Weekly
Amanda Pepper is a wide-eyed and overzealous young Philadelphia schoolteacher who debuts in a not-very-mysterious mystery, the first in a series. Returning home from school, Amanda finds a friend has been murdered in her living room. Always in the right place at the right time (later, she happens upon a second body in much the same way), Amanda is up to the task, and ultimately solves the mystery with a few clever deductions. She also conveniently solves the problem of her personal life by falling in love with a charming detective with a Southern accent and a solid background in English Lit, who has been assigned to the case. Although there are a few glimmers of wit, this mystery is chock-full of predictable plot turns, and is peopled by stock characters who are not enigmatic, interesting or vivid enough to launch a long-lived series. Mystery Guild selection. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Amanda Pepper comes home after a hard day teaching school to find an acquaintance dead on her hearth. All clues point to Amanda but she finds help in the guise of tall handsome police detective C.K. Mackenzie. Everything is in place for an excellent story. But the ending is a bit of a disappointment, the motive trite. However, Roberts (pseudonym of author Judith Greber The Silent Partner and Easy Answers ) has provided enough plot line and characterization to keep the reader's interest. JVCopyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
Anthony Award winner for Best First Mystery Novel -- the debut of the Philadelphia-set Amanda Pepper
series.
Amanda Pepper, English teacher at Philly Prep, does not hate her life. But when a fellow teacher who's engaged to a senate candidate, begs for rest on Amanda's couch, then dies, things could be better. Then the police suspect her of murder, she begins her own investigation, and ends by teaching a certain blue-eyed cop a thing or two....
"Gillian Roberts is a mystery reader's dream come true."
Lia Matera



From the Publisher
Amanda Pepper, the Philadelphia English teacher is a crack-up . . . always getting caught up in a crime. Whether she is in the classroom, on vacation, or just hanging out at home, she always finds time to solve a mystery. I like Roberts's characters (Amanda herself, her boyfriend C.K., her mother, and her friend Sasha) so much that I talked a local wholesale buyer into purchasing and distributing the Amanda Pepper series to a major retail store in Southern California. The sales results were great!

--Nanci Andersen, Ballantine Sales


From the Inside Flap
Anthony Award winner for Best First Mystery Novel -- the debut of the Philadelphia-set Amanda Pepper
series.
Amanda Pepper, English teacher at Philly Prep, does not hate her life. But when a fellow teacher who's engaged to a senate candidate, begs for rest on Amanda's couch, then dies, things could be better. Then the police suspect her of murder, she begins her own investigation, and ends by teaching a certain blue-eyed cop a thing or two....
"Gillian Roberts is a mystery reader's dream come true."
Lia Matera

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Anthony Award winner for Best First Mystery Novel — the debut of the Philadelphia-set Amanda Pepper
series.
Amanda Pepper, English teacher at Philly Prep, does not hate her life. But when a fellow teacher who's engaged to a senate candidate, begs for rest on Amanda's couch, then dies, things could be better. Then the police suspect her of murder, she begins her own investigation, and ends by teaching a certain blue-eyed cop a thing or two....
"Gillian Roberts is a mystery reader's dream come true."
Lia Matera

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Amanda Pepper is a wide-eyed and overzealous young Philadelphia schoolteacher who debuts in a not-very-mysterious mystery, the first in a series. Returning home from school, Amanda finds a friend has been murdered in her living room. Always in the right place at the right time (later, she happens upon a second body in much the same way), Amanda is up to the task, and ultimately solves the mystery with a few clever deductions. She also conveniently solves the problem of her personal life by falling in love with a charming detective with a Southern accent and a solid background in English Lit, who has been assigned to the case. Although there are a few glimmers of wit, this mystery is chock-full of predictable plot turns, and is peopled by stock characters who are not enigmatic, interesting or vivid enough to launch a long-lived series. Mystery Guild selection. (October)

Library Journal