All's Well That Ends

An Amanda Pepper Mystery, Book 14

By: Gillian Roberts

Narrated by: Susan Denaker

Barring the usual teenage pranks, all seems peaceful at Philly Prep, the private school in Philadelphia where Amanda Pepper teaches English. No doubt the money that appears to be missing from funds collected to aid victims of a catastrophic hurricane Down South will turn up. Probably the rumor that some of Amanda’s students have discovered the thrills of gambling is totally unfounded.

In any case, Amanda has other things to think about. Her husband, private investigator C. K. MacKenzie, is struggling to help his Louisiana kinfolk reconstruct their post-hurricane lives. Her friend Sasha’s stepmother has just committed suicide - although, according to Sasha, Phoebe Ennis would never have killed herself, especially not while having a drink and wearing a red silk blouse and red sandals with four-inch heels.

Amanda isn’t persuaded but reluctantly agrees to help investigate the woman’s demise, though the evidence for foul play is slim. True, the middle-aged compulsive collector of knickknacks wasn’t universally loved. Phoebe’s own son hated her and she bored her friends to death with hints of her “royal” lineage. And with four marriages behind her, she was already preparing to announce her renewed availability on the Net. But when another woman is found dead in Phoebe’s house, it becomes clear that something is indeed murderously amiss, and much closer to home than Amanda or anyone else could have imagined.

All’s Well That Ends is the final book in Gillian Roberts’s acclaimed Amanda Pepper series. It’s also the best, irresistibly intelligent, and richly entertaining. Amanda’s farewell adventure brings the genius of “the Dorothy Parker of mystery writers” (Nancy Pickard) into full flower, and the bloom is sweet and a wonder to behold.

©2007 Judith Greber (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Very Enjoyable End to the Series

Where does All's Well That Ends rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is above average, but not at the very top. i did find excuses to listen to this book, and I generally just listen when I'm driving or doing chores, so it was very good.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

At times, the suspense was quite tense, but only because I was willing to be involved with the story and not nit-pick the plot too much.

What about Susan Denaker’s performance did you like?

I have read every book in the series, but this was the first book I have listened to, and Denaker voiced Amanda exactly the way I heard her in my own head. She also made each character very distinct. I will look for more books she has narrated.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really, but the discussions of how MacKenzie was coping with his family's misfortunes in the aftermath of the hurricane were very well-written.

Any additional comments?

I felt that this book ended the series nicely. A few of the later books in the series were a bit weak, but this book was better.