Caught Dead in Philadelphia [Hardcover]

Gillian Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 1987

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

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

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. JV
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 234 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; First Edition edition (October 16, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684188090
• ISBN-13: 978-0684188096
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,623,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent first mystery, December 17, 2004

By 

M. C. Crammer (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Caught Dead in Philadelphia (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the third book I've read by Gillian Roberts but the first in the series -- I'm doing it backwards. This was still an excellent book, but not as polished as the two later books I've read. Still, Philadelphia "detective" heroine English teacher Amanda Pepper is just as likeable and funny from the start (although I think the books get funnier), and the romantic chemistry with Louisiana-born CK (in later books boyfriend and meets her as homicide detective in tihs book) is there from the start.

Amanda's involvement with murder mysteries begin when a rain-soaked part-time teacher at her school shows up first thing in the morning on the doorstep of her charming little colonial home. The ditzy visitor (she's an actress) is not making much sense, but Amanda has to get to work and leaves the jabbering woman (unwillingly) in her home where the soon-to-be victim says she's going to take a nap. In no time at all, as the reader discovers in the first few pages, she has been killed. The police at first suspect Amanda -- it was her home, she knew the victim, was the one who found her, and has apparently been telling some untruths to the witchy school secretary. Amanda is quickly drawn up into solving this murder, in part because it becomes clear quickly that her life may be in danger.

I am looking forward to reading the whole series. OK, maybe this is a series for literate women who like funny, gutsy women "detectives" with sexy boyfriends... but the writing is high quality and the plotting improves in future books in the series (in this one, I spotted the killer about half-way through the book, but then I read a LOT of mysteries and like to think I'm good at that.)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great characters, good style, by the author--flat plot line., June 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Caught Dead in Philadelphia (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the first novel I have read by Gillian Roberts, and Amanda Pepper's antics prompted me to look for more work by this author.The strength of this novel is in Roberts' characters:Amanda, a likeable but meddlesome would-be slueth,Amanda's pushy mother and older sister intent to see her married off at the earliest possible opportunity, colorful counterparts at the local prep school, and of course the delighfully impossible detective McKenzie, who is identified with the initials C.K. and deigns to reveal his first name to Amanda, who is as determined to solve that mystery as any other. I hope to see more of Amanda's relationship with C.K. The plot was fairly predictable, although not trite. The ending was no surprise (except to the cops, who don't seem to be the brightest men in Philadelphia) but was salvaged because of Roberts' humorous telling and Amanda's wit. All in all, a good read and a series worth following. Amanda is the kind of gal who could get herself into all sorts of interesting messes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Bittersweet Farewell, December 13, 2006

By 

T.B. Grant (New York) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Caught Dead in Philadelphia (Mass Market Paperback)

I am happy to see that the publisher re-released this wonderful Amanda Pepper caper. I tried special ordering it at my local Borders, with no success. The series is dear to me: the protagonist a no-nonsense, endearing personality; the author, a talent whom I have queried on a few occasions about the series. I will miss this interesting creator and her adventurous amateur sleuth/English teacher when the series wraps-up in January 2007 with the final Amanda Pepper adventure, ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS. Thanks for all the fun reads over the years. All best!

T.B. Grant
12/13/06