Traditionally, Old Philadelphians keep a low profile. They associate with one another and leave life as discreetly as they have lived it. So Philly Prep English teacher Amanda Pepper, who thinks her only current problems are keeping her well-meaning family from hijacking her wedding, is understandably stunned to discover a perfect specimen of the species dying at the foot of the school’s marble staircase. It is anybody’s guess what led to Tomas Severin’s apparent fall and, indeed, why he was in the building in the first place. More questions arise when Amanda enters her otherwise empty classroom and finds a take-out cup of herbal tea laced with the party drug her students call roofies. Why would a middle-aged Philadelphian have a date-rape drug in his tea? Why does he have Amanda’s name scribbled in his pocket notebook? Hired by a member of the Severin family household, Amanda and her fiancé, C. K. Mackenzie, realize that many people felt their lives would improve if Tom’s life ended–making it seemingly impossible to determine who’d been harassing Severin with threatening phone calls. Tom Severin leaves behind angry ex-wives, one recently dropped fiancée, and the current (about to be exed) Mrs. Tomas Severin. As secrets are unearthed, and cruelties old and new revealed, it’s apparent that The End of Tom is just the beginning of the grief he caused. To thousands of adoring Amanda Pepper fans, Gillian Roberts’s new mystery offers unmitigated delight. A note to the uninitiated: There could be no better time for you to meet “the Dorothy Parker of mystery writers . . . giving more wit per page than most writers give per book” (Nancy Pickard).
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"I love the Amanda Pepper series! I picked this one up by accident which made it even better. I like that she doesn't take herself too seriously. This was fun because it has a twisty ending. And no language or yucky violence either!!!! "
— Carol (4 out of 5 stars)
" Amanda Pepper #12 "
— Ellen, 5/16/2013" I love the Amanda Pepper series! I picked this one up by accident which made it even better. I like that she doesn't take herself too seriously. This was fun because it has a twisty ending. And no language or yucky violence either!!!! "
— Carol, 7/17/2011" I really enjoy the Amanda Pepper series, of which this is the latest one, but they are just basic mysteries. The fun comes from the independent school setting and Amanda’s sense of humor. Very straightforward writing, however. Just fun. "
— Sharonm, 6/6/2010Susan Denaker is an actress and Earphones Award–winning narrator. Her extensive theater credits include numerous plays in the West End of London, national tours, many English rep companies, including a season with Alan Ayckbourn’s company in Scarborough. In the US, she has appeared in Our Town and Sweet Bird of Youth at the La Jolla Playhouse and Breaking Legs at the Westport Playhouse.