Review: A bit dated but still fun!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 1, 2013
I really like all the Amanda Pepper books.  This one, the first, is a strong start to the series.  Our heroine is a high school English teacher with an interesting set of flaws and insecurities.  When a flamboyant and glamorous colleague is murdered in Amanda's apartment, naturally she's the primary suspect and takes on the case to clear herself.  She's both assisted and thwarted at every turn by the attractive but maddening police detective assigned to the murder.  It's the perfect setup for what could have been yet another Nancy Drew type tale, but Gillian Roberts has created a vivid set of secondary characters and a a twisty plot that's fun to follow.While this mystery is rather long in the tooth--no computers, cell phones or GPS, and lots of plaid skirts, it holds up well.  The dialogue sparkles, delivered by multidimensional characters, and the story goes to some cool places.  It's good.