The Bluest Blood

Amanda Pepper #8

by Gillian Roberts

In her Amanda Pepper mysteries, Gillian Roberts evokes the City of Brotherly Love in all its charm, mischief, and menace. Now she turns her wickedly perceptive eye to the residents of Philadelphia's posh Main Line district, the legendary land of the rich and well-to-do, where the wealthy live their very private lives--and occasionally commit very scandalous crimes.

Aristocratic Philadelphia natives may think the bluest blood in America flows through their veins, but sometimes outsiders with large fortunes can buy their way into this privileged company--and glamorous newcomers Neddy and Tea Roederer have wealth aplenty.

For English teacher Amanda Pepper, the champagne gala on behalf of Philly Prep's library is a night to remember. After all, it is her introduction to ultra-rich society--an evening so extravagant that nothing can tarnish the party . . . not even a group of protesters outside burning the host in effigy.

But Amanda senses deeper trouble, and her intuition is right on target. The Moral Ecologists, who vehemently feel that "reading pollutes the mind," will do anything to advance their agenda. And Amanda's new affluent acquaintances prove to be just as deceitful and violent--as she learns firsthand that the bluest blood bleeds just as red. Especially with murder.

With her customary bons mots, elegant prose, and storytelling prowess, Gillian Roberts upholds her enviable reputation as "the Dorothy Parker of mystery writers . . . giving more wit per page than most writers give per book." *

* Nancy Pickard

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller

230 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Ariadne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh no, I thought at first, here she goes again.
After the crazy white supremacists in a previous book, in this one it's the crazy bigots against youth-corrupting-books.

And Amanda Pepper, the English teacher/occasional sleuth and main character, just isn't all that believable when single-handedly fighting Evil with a capital E.

Reading on, I was therefore pleasantly surprised to see this 8th book in the series return to what made me like Mandy in the first place. The writing is still flawless, Amanda is still immensely likeable and deliciously witty, although sometimes a tad too naive to be true.

A typical Amanda Pepper. If you liked the previous ones, you'll like this one too.
If it's your first encounter with Mandy, you won't miss anything for not having read her previous adventures, but it would be a pity to not read at least the first two or three books of Miss Pepper's crime solving ways.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book without having read the earlier books in the series, but I didn't feel at a disadvantage for having done that. Gillian Roberts presents her heroine, Amanda Pepper, in a way that makes us feel as if we've always known her. She's a spunky English teacher, teaching at a private school, with some amateur sleuthing abilities that we see as the novel progresses. I didn't find the twist ending surprising, but it still kept me engaged. Even though I had a pretty good guess at the who, and the why, I didn't come up with the how, and the telling of it all was masterfully completed.

Roberts writing captures your interest, and the dialog and inner monologues feel authentic. There weren't any slow parts, nor were there any pieces that felt just thrown in. All of the events, big and small, clearly were pieces of a puzzle integral to solving it. I will definitely look to read earlier books in the series.

[Ferne (Enthusiastic Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do I pick my favorite Amanda Pepper novel from the series? Each one is a treat but this one may become my all-time favorite. Chapter 3 begins with the pronouncement from Amanda - "Monday morning is never the emotional highlight of my week..." It certainly captures my thoughts of every Monday morning as the alarm goes off. Monday's alarm just seems to 'ring' louder and longer.

I love the humor that Gillian Roberts brings to her novels. I love all the "Philly-isms" and the schoolteacher thoughts and actions for her character Amanda Pepper that are a natural part of Gillian Roberts' writing and since she experienced it all first hand -living and teaching in Philadelphia - it's not contrived in any way but is shared just as it is. Awesome! Her books are a wonderful discovery!!

[Vita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun books, a little predictable sometimes, other times a little ridiculous how the main character would act/react - almost like she has zero control of her own behavior/doesn't learn from her mistakes/is stuck at the same developmental stage as the students she teaches - but her behavior will fluctuate between books so that is what makes it detract from the story. I felt like "Wait, she wouldn't have still done that/said that/etc. after how she had developed over the previous couple of books. ??"

But overall, very good.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perils of teaching teenagers at a private school and having to "beg" their parents for money at the behest of the loony principal.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pretty good little mystery. I had no idea who had done it until just a couple of pages before the final unmasking. There was humor and suspense and a lot of well-drawn characters, both good and evil. My one quibble, common to a lot of mysteries, is that the cops were pretty much out to lunch. It's not like they were being stupid, they were just not in the story. In spite of that it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Laura Salas]

I read many of the Amanda Pepper books years ago and enjoyed them. Couldn't get into this one, though.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am new to Gillian Roberts (the nom de plume of Judith Greber) and her series staring Philadelphia High School English teacher Amanda Pepper. I like Pepper who, like her name, has spunk. She is also kind and dedicated to her students. She loves the arts and yearns to live in the palatial home of one of her students, which she and her police detective lover visit one evening. Her longings are disturbed by the presence of a loathsome protester and things go downhill from there. Her school principal decides to give in to the protester but her students go nuts, protesting themselves and getting lots of unwanted attention for the school. The principal is "so ravaged by the hissing and shouting behind him, so clammy and sweaty...,he looked and sounded like a man who required the Heimlich maneuver." Things get even more complicated when the first protester is found dead, burned to death on his own byre, but Pepper figures out who the bad guy is and helps save the day. A fun romp. I recommend it.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda Pepper, English teacher at the private school, Philly Prep, is invited to a gala at the home of the ultra rich Roederers--purported descendants of Ben Franklin and various royalty of Europe. At the gala, she meets up with another student's step-father who is a member of a group wanting to ban books because the pollute the minds of children. Murders, hangings in effigy, lies, hysterics and danger before there is a solution to the mayhem. Good twist at the end, but not what I expected.

[Fmorlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda Pepper teacher in Philly. She and CK attend a gala for her school at a mansion on the Main Line. Meeting the Roederers was an experience which leads her into investigating more than one murder. I liked this book because it talks about censorship of books even though a cozy fun mystery.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good unraveling mystery. As with the other novels in this series, Amanda is not perfect and makes mistakes, but rather as an average person rather than something weird that moves the plot along.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am quite a fan of this series, especially living in the Philadelphia area. This book took longer than most to get going but once it did I really enjoyed the story. Not my favorite by Gillian but still worth a read!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really understand how one plot point worked, but I still enjoyed the journey and the resolution.

[Partridge Public]

Roberts, Gillian

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda Pepper #8

[David Vanness]

Mine is Library Large Print 261 page Hardback by Thomas T. Beeler, Publisher.

[Mare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining installment of the series. Great characters.

[Trisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just wasn't a fan.