How I Spent My Summer Vacation

August 1, 1994
Philadelphia teacher Amanda Pepper is vacationing with Sasha Berg, a woman photographer friend willing to share the hotel room she will occupy while working in Atlantic City. On arrival, their hotel gives them a free upgrade to a luxurious, high-roller ' s suite. After Sasha heads out for a dinner date, Amanda departs with policeman C. K. Mackenzie, her significant other who is in town on a case. They're roused by a 1 a.m. call from Sasha, who has found a dead man in the suite and been arrested for murder. Suspecting that Sasha has been framed, Amanda tries to track down her friend's date and to learn if the victim, who ran his own investment firm, truly deserved his ``man-of-the-year type'' reputation. Besides getting help from her beau, Amanda is assisted by two spunky women--Georgette, who lives on the beach, and Lala (for lollapalooza), an older widow engaged in a husband-snaring scheme--who add ginger and depth to the tale. Aside from a finale that finds Amanda surrounded by a crowd of tourists that seem too dim even to operate slot machines, Roberts ( With Friends Like These ) combines appealing characters, a good puzzle and some serious messages--about women and poverty--in an entertaining whole. Literary Guild and Mystery Guild selection; author tour.