Rating: 
Summary: ... and I LOVE the title!
Review: "Good books are like Rorschach tests. What each person finds on the page depends on what she's brought along with her." (page 7)My Rorschach take on this book is "How timely!" - what with the US Senate considering the nomination for Attorney General and all. Of course my ink blots and I immediately recognized RvW in Helen's notes. Gillian Roberts is the nom de mystere of mainstream novelist Judith Greber ... formerly an English teacher in Philadelphia. Philadelphia - of W.C. Field's ironic epitaph, a title in this series that I look forward to reading - in the state that spawned the Casey case. Greber/Roberts/Pepper is snappy, literate, and articulate without being arcane or pedantic. I yield respectfully to Debra Rothengast's comment in reviewing the previous installment in the Amanda Pepper series: "Once again Ms. Roberts tickles our social conscience without using a heavy hand. A bright and very human Amanda Pepper takes us down familiar streets with new twists. While reaching out to help a student she is sent alone into a spiral of confusion by the world's apathy and her life, both literally and figuratively, is in jeopardy."
Rating:
Summary: ... and I LOVE the title!
Review: "Good books are like Rorschach tests. What each person finds on the page depends on what she's brought along with her." (page 7) My Rorschach take on this book is "How timely!" - what with the US Senate considering the nomination for Attorney General and all. Of course my ink blots and I immediately recognized RvW in Helen's notes. Gillian Roberts is the nom de mystere of mainstream novelist Judith Greber ... formerly an English teacher in Philadelphia. Philadelphia - of W.C. Field's ironic epitaph, a title in this series that I look forward to reading - in the state that spawned the Casey case. Greber/Roberts/Pepper is snappy, literate, and articulate without being arcane or pedantic. I yield respectfully to Debra Rothengast's comment in reviewing the previous installment in the Amanda Pepper series: "Once again Ms. Roberts tickles our social conscience without using a heavy hand. A bright and very human Amanda Pepper takes us down familiar streets with new twists. While reaching out to help a student she is sent alone into a spiral of confusion by the world's apathy and her life, both literally and figuratively, is in jeopardy."
Rating: 
Summary: The truth is out!!!!
Review: Gillian Roberts had done it again. With grace and humor, she has written another page turner that her fans look forward to. Although the beginning is a little weak, this book picks up the pace after the 1st chapter and you don't want to put it down. AND there is a definate surprise in this book but I won't say any more and spoil it for all of those other Amanda Pepper fans out there.
Rating:
Summary: Another winner!
Review: Gillian Roberts has given readers another treat in HELEN HATH NO FURY. Spending time with Philadelphia high school teacher Amanda Pepper--charming, intelligent, witty, indepedent, with a sense of the gentle ironies of life--is always a pleasure. This series is one of my favorites because Roberts consistently entertains, even as she provides thoughtful exploration of contemporary society. In HELEN, Mandy is shocked by the apparent suicide of a member of her book group. Her attempt to put together a memory book for the dead woman's daughter leads her to wonder if the death really was a suicide. At the same time, one of Mandy's students comes to her with a serious problem. Roberts weaves the two stories into an engrossing , entertaining, throughly enjoyable whole. I'm going to put this one on the list for my book group!
Rating:
Summary: The Amanda Pepper series is a continuing delight.
Review: Gillian Roberts is a wonderful mystery writer. In each of her books, there is always at least one point when I laugh out loud at her witty phrasing, and when she's at her very best, as she is in "Helen Hath No Fury," I laugh from beginning to end (look for Roberts' vivid description of the effects of humidity). Amanda Pepper is a high school teacher in Philadelphia. Although she has a live-in boyfriend (homicide cop C.K. Mackenzie), she is of an age when her friends have been married multiple times, and her own single status is a source of frustration (at least to her mother). When a member of Amanda's book group is found dead of an apparent suicide, the group's suspicions are aroused, and Amanda, in her continuing quest to retrieve her raincoat from the dead woman's house, finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. Roberts has cooked up a solid mystery here. At one point, I felt positive I knew the culprit and was surprised and pleased to discover I was completely wrong. For the avid mystery fan, there is nothing better than the surprise ending. Add to that the fun of reading about Amanda, a character whose evolution throughout this series has been interesting and enjoyable without ever overpowering the mystery plot, and you have a real winner.
Rating:
Summary: The Amanda Pepper series is a continuing delight.
Review: Gillian Roberts is a wonderful mystery writer. In each of her books, there is always at least one point when I laugh out loud at her witty phrasing, and when she's at her very best, as she is in "Helen Hath No Fury," I laugh from beginning to end (look for Roberts' vivid description of the effects of humidity). Amanda Pepper is a high school teacher in Philadelphia. Although she has a live-in boyfriend (homicide cop C.K. Mackenzie), she is of an age when her friends have been married multiple times, and her own single status is a source of frustration (at least to her mother). When a member of Amanda's book group is found dead of an apparent suicide, the group's suspicions are aroused, and Amanda, in her continuing quest to retrieve her raincoat from the dead woman's house, finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. Roberts has cooked up a solid mystery here. At one point, I felt positive I knew the culprit and was surprised and pleased to discover I was completely wrong. For the avid mystery fan, there is nothing better than the surprise ending. Add to that the fun of reading about Amanda, a character whose evolution throughout this series has been interesting and enjoyable without ever overpowering the mystery plot, and you have a real winner.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best in this series!
Review: I love Gillian Roberts' Amanda Pepper series and this is one of the better novels. The characters of both Amanda and her beau, C.K. Mackenzie continue to develop and become more interesting. This novel is especially good because in addition to creating a tightly wound mystery, Roberts gives us a number of wonderfully drawn characters (without needing to create obvious "villains" and red herrings) and introduces several interesting subplots. I can't recommend this mystery series set in wonderful Philadelphia enough--especially this latest installment. If we're lucky, Ms. Roberts is currently busy writing the next Amanda Pepper mystery!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best in this series!
Review: I love Gillian Roberts' Amanda Pepper series and this is one of the better novels. The characters of both Amanda and her beau, C.K. Mackenzie continue to develop and become more interesting. This novel is especially good because in addition to creating a tightly wound mystery, Roberts gives us a number of wonderfully drawn characters (without needing to create obvious "villains" and red herrings) and introduces several interesting subplots. I can't recommend this mystery series set in wonderful Philadelphia enough--especially this latest installment. If we're lucky, Ms. Roberts is currently busy writing the next Amanda Pepper mystery!
Rating:
Summary: another fun romp
Review: I thought this was one of the better amanda pepper books, full of humorous writing and a well thought out plotline. my only reservation is that it took me only a few hours to read, and i wish roberts would write something longer.
Rating:
Summary: another fun romp
Review: I thought this was one of the better amanda pepper books, full of humorous writing and a well thought out plotline. my only reservation is that it took me only a few hours to read, and i wish roberts would write something longer.
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