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Claire and Present Danger
An Amanda Pepper Mystery
Gillian Roberts
Ballantine Books (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0-345-45490-1
Publication Date: June, 2003
List Price: $22.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): In Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, nobody knows a thing about Emmie Cade, a young widow who "appeared from nowhere," and in the blink of an eye was engaged to Leo Fairchild, a middle-aged bachelor with a fortune. However, as her marriage date approaches, Emmie's mother-in-law to be, the ailing, autocratic Claire Fairchild, receives anonymous letters. They suggest, none too subtly, that there's a great deal to learn about the mysterious young woman, none of it good, and much of it involving the violent deaths of the men in her life.
Enter Amanda Pepper who, after completing her day of teaching English at Philly Prep, now moonlights as a P. I. along with C. K. Mackenzie, former homicide detective, current graduate student at Penn. The two of them are hired by Mrs. Fairchild to find out who the charming but evasive Emmie Cade really is. At thirty-two, the young woman has changed her address and name more often than some women change nail polish - and deliberately or not, she's provided no clues or access to her past.
For Amanda, becoming C. K. Mackenzie's investigative partner is an exhilarating change from the politics and problems of the new school term, and a welcome distraction from the ordeal of meeting her own prospective in-laws. She's determined to prove herself an able investigator by ferreting out Emmie Cade's secrets, but almost immediately, instead of looking at events of the past, she's forced to deal with the here and now - including murder.
Review: Claire and Present Danger marks the eleventh appearance of Amanda Pepper in this mystery series by Gillian Roberts.
Roberts' mysteries are a joy to read. Literate prose, spare dialog, complex characters, terrific plot development. Claire and Present Danger is no exception. Each of the mysteries in this series has a number of new elements that keep them fresh and interesting. How the subplots in this one are neatly linked together is just short of masterful.
The one discordant note to this wonderful book is the title. The most recent Amanda Pepper mysteries have had titles that purport to be clever twists on everyday expressions: Adam and Evil, Helen Hath No Fury, Claire and Present Danger. These well-written and accomplished mysteries deserve better than an inordinately cute title.
Review Copyright © 2003 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books
Other mysteries in this series by Gillian Roberts:
Caught Dead in Philadelphia
Simon & Schuster (1987)
ISBN: 0-684-18809-0
Philly Stakes
Simon & Schuster (1989)
ISBN: 0-684-19071-0
I'd Rather be in Philadelphia
Ballantine Books (1992)
ISBN: 0-345-37781-8
With Friends Like These
Ballantine Books (1993)
ISBN: 0-345-37783-4
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Ballantine Books (1994)
ISBN: 0-345-38595-0
In the Dead of Summer
Ballantine Books (1995)
ISBN: 0-345-39136-5
The Mummers' Curse
Ballantine Books (1996)
ISBN: 0-345-40323-1
The Bluest Blood
Ballantine Books (1998)
ISBN: 0-345-40326-6
Adam and Evil
Ballantine Books (1999)
ISBN: 0-345-42934-6
Helen Hath No Fury
Ballantine Books (2000)
ISBN: 0-345-42933-8
Claire and Present Danger
Ballantine Books (2003)
ISBN: 0-345-45490-1
Till
the End of Tom
Ballantine Books (2004)
ISBN: 0-345-45492-8
A Hole in Juan
Ballantine Books (2006)
ISBN: 0-345-48019-8
Omnimystery
keywords for Claire and Present Danger
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Locations referenced:
Philadelphia.
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