Gillian Roberts Libri

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In her latest novel featuring Philadelphia schoolteacher Amanda Pepper, Gillian Roberts blends mystery and humor while delving into the city's vibrant Mummers culture. Each New Year's Day, the Mummers' Parade captivates massive crowds as over thirty thousand performers take to Broad Street, showcasing their elaborate costumes and lively music. However, this year’s festivities take a dark turn when a reveling Pierrot collapses, shot dead amidst the celebration. Initially a shocked observer, Amanda is drawn into the investigation when her friend and fellow teacher at Philly Prep becomes the prime suspect, falsely claiming to have been with her during the murder. Determined to uncover the truth, Amanda navigates a web of deadly rivalries and secrets within the Mummers' community. She questions whether the murder is linked to the recent disappearance of another Mummer, an heir to a meat-packing dynasty, and why the tight-knit group is so reluctant to speak openly. As Amanda digs deeper, the mystery unfolds, and the truth behind the murder becomes increasingly elusive. With her characteristic wit and insight, Roberts leads readers through a captivating whodunit that keeps them guessing until the very end.

Well-known Broadway playwright and TV producer Lyle Zacharias is throwing himself a lavish birthday party in his hometown of Philadelphia. Guests include his current wife, ex-wives, friends, former partners -- not to mention Amanda Pepper and her own irrepressible mother, Bea. Yet when Lyle drops dead in the middle of a speech, it appears the likely perpetrator is none other than Bea, whose gift was fifty delicious, but apparently poisoned, tarts! It's up to Amanda to clear her mother's name and find the real murderer . . . before he or she strikes again! But Amanda herself may be the next target! Who says teaching isn't exciting? With any more excitement, Amanda will have to retire before she hits thirty-one . . . if she lives that long!

In Gillian Roberts's captivating novels of Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, with its narrow streets and venerable architecture, can suddenly shiver in the icy winds of menace. Then it becomes a startlingly deceptive place, where evildoers masquerade as Old Philadelphians and law-abiding folk stand accused of unspeakable crimes. Philly Prep English teacher Amanda Pepper isn't sure what category her bright senior student Adam Evans falls into, but she fears for him. Increasingly erratic, unkempt, and isolated, Adam is an accident waiting to happen. So when a young woman is murdered at the landmark Free Library while Amanda and her class are touring the premises, Adam—now mysteriously missing—becomes the prime suspect. But unlike the police—including her detective boyfriend—Amanda is dead certain that Adam is both innocent and in terrible danger. And he's not alone. For the more Amanda sifts through the layers of the victim's life, the closer she comes to losing her own. Stylish, literate, darkly humorous, with a matchless feeling for characters and locale, the novels of Gillian Roberts always deliver the goods. Her sparkling ninth Amanda Pepper mystery proves yet again that she is indeed "the Dorothy Parker of mystery writers . . . giving more wit per page than most writers give per book."* *Nancy Pickard

In the stately nineteenth-century homes on Philadelphia's Delancy Street, the wilder passions scarcely ruffle the peace. Murder is unimaginable, particularly a murder involving an upscale book discussion group, of which schoolteacher Amanda Pepper is a devoted member. Nevertheless, on the day after a heated discussion of a fictional heroine's suicide, book group member Helen Coulter falls to her death from her roof garden. Helen's death is declared a suicide—a shocking end to a perfect life—but Amanda is skeptical. In the course of recording the group's memories of Helen, inconsistencies and questions arise—and Amanda becomes convinced that Helen Coulter did not take her own life. Why is this admirable woman dead? And if she was killed, who performed the heinous act? Helen's life was not an open book, but somewhere among its startling subplots Amanda believes she'll find the answers. Amanda's investigations will draw her into a zone of great danger, where Helen Coulter's ice-hearted killer is once more ready to strike. Like all Gillian Roberts's novels, Helen Hath No Fury is a lot like life—scary, fun, and fascinating. Roberts remains "the Dorothy Parker of mystery writers . . . giving more wit per page than most writers give per book." * *Nancy Pickard

In the City of Brotherly Love, Emmie Cade, a young widow with a mysterious past, quickly becomes engaged to wealthy bachelor Leo Fairchild. As their wedding approaches, Leo's mother, the domineering Claire Fairchild, receives anonymous letters hinting at dark secrets surrounding Emmie, particularly involving the violent deaths of men in her life. Amanda Pepper, a teacher at Philly Prep who also works as a private investigator with former homicide detective C.K. Mackenzie, is hired by Claire to uncover the truth about Emmie. At thirty-two, Emmie has changed her name and address frequently, leaving no clues to her past. For Amanda, teaming up with C.K. offers an exciting break from her teaching challenges and the stress of meeting her own in-laws. Determined to prove her investigative skills, Amanda soon finds herself entangled in a present-day murder case rather than just uncovering Emmie’s secrets. This brilliantly plotted tale is both perceptive and engaging, showcasing the wit and charm that have made the series a standout in the mystery genre.

Librarian note: an alternate cover for this edition can be found here.Anthony Award winner for Best First Mystery Novel -- the debut of the Philadelphia-set Amanda Pepperseries.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....

Amanda Pepper, an English teacher at school for Philadelphia's rich, is determined to teach the kids a lesson about the spirit of Christmas. She intends to have them cook and serve a meal to the homeless but unfortunately a parent takes over and the meal turns into a catered affair - topped-off by murder. Amanda wants to solve the crime with C.K. Mackenzie. She's equally determeind to teach the the killer a lesson, as well. From Gillian Roberts, the Anthony Award-winning author of CAUGHT DEAD IN PHILADELPHIA, I'D RATHER BE IN PHILADELPHIA, WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE, and HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION.

"DELIGHTFUL...COLORFUL...Roberts plunks her mystery amid the glitter and grime of casino life."--L.A. Daily NewsAfter a tough year of teaching at Philly Prep, Amanda Pepper decides to go to Atlantic City with her friend, Sasha Berg. Yet a beach vacation turns deadly when a bludgeoned corpse shows up in their hotel room--and Sasha is the prime suspect.So Amanda hits the boardwalk to track down the real killer, chasing down clues around the surf and in the casinos, and discovering along the way that appearances are more than they can be criminal and, sometimes, downright murderous...."Roberts combines appealing characters, a good puzzle and some serious messages in an entertaining whole."--Publishers Weekly"The Dorothy Parker of mystery writers."--Nancy Pickard"Gillian Roberts is a mystery reader's dream come true."--Lia Matera

Is Superman Canadian? Who decides, and what is at stake in such a question? How is the Underground Railroad commemorated differently in Canada and the United States, and can those differences be bridged? How can we acknowledge properly the Canadian labour behind Hollywood filmmaking, and what would that do to our sense of national cinema? Reading between the Borderlines grapples with these questions and others surrounding the production and consumption of literary, cinematic, musical, visual, and print culture across the Canada-US border. Discussing a range of popular as well as highbrow cultural forms, this collection investigates patterns of cross-border cultural exchange that become visible within a variety of genres, regardless of their place in any arbitrarily devised cultural hierarchy. The essays also consider the many interests served, compromised, or negated by the operations of the transnational economy, the movement of culture's "raw material" across nation-state borders in literal and conceptual terms, and the configuration of a material citizenship attributed to or negotiated around border-crossing cultural objects. Challenging the oversimplification of cultural products labelled either "Canadian" or "American," Reading between the Borderlines contends with the particularities and complications of North American cultural exchange, both historically and in the present.

Für die Englischlehrerin Amanda Pepper ist die Champagner-Gala zugunsten der Bibliothek von Philly Prep ihre Einführung in die ultrareiche Gesellschaft der Main Line – ein Abend, der so extravagant ist, dass nichts die Party trüben kann . . . nicht einmal eine Gruppe von Protestierenden draußen, die den Gastgeber in Effigie verbrennt. Die Moral-Ökologen, die vehement behaupten, dass "Lesen den Geist vergiftet", werden alles tun, um ihre Agenda voranzutreiben. Und als sich ihre wohlhabenden neuen Bekannten, Neddy und Tea Roederer, als ebenso betrügerisch und gewalttätig erweisen, lernt Amanda aus erster Hand, dass das bluest blood genauso rot blutet. Besonders wenn es um Mord geht . . .

Alle wollten dem erfolgreichen und skrupellosen TV-Produzenten die Ehre ausgenutzte Ex-Ehefrauen, gelinkte Partner, betrogene Freunde. Als er auf dem Höhepunkt der Feier tot zusammenbricht, scheint nur Tante Bea Pepper als Täterin in Frage zu kommen. Aber deren Tochter Amanda, Detektivin aus Leidenschaft, hat im Laufe der Party so einiges mitbekommen. Und das ist dem Täter nicht verborgen geblieben. Um Haaresbreite wäre ein harmloses Kaffeekränzchen zu Amandas Henkersmahlzeit geworden …(Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine frühere Ausgabe.)