What is a mild mannered prep school teacher doing in seedy Atlantic City trying to solve a mystery? In a nutshell, photographer and fun girl, Sasha, is trouble and in trouble. Even though she is one of Amanda's best friends, on her own she is a handful. Twice divorced, 6' tall with wild raven-dark hair and bad choices in men. What could possibly go wrong? Add Atlantic City, gambling, crazy people, and a dead body to the mix and you have a whole new Amanda Pepper mystery. Sasha convinces Amanda to take a vacation with her to Atlantic City while she is on a photography assignment. Once there somehow she and Amanda are tangled up in the death of a well-liked financier who finds money for the elderly and underserved. Tangled because Jesse Reese was found in Sasha's and there is a witness who saw the two of them together entering the room...
The breadcrumbs of clues: Frankie gave Sasha the upgraded hotel room, hoping for a date. Does he have something to do with it? Homeless lady babbles about losing her fortune. Who is she and why does she latch on to Amanda? In truth, I wanted Jesse to have faked his own death. That would have been a fun twist.
While Amanda is trying to clear Sasha of homicide charges, she is also trying to detangle her relationship with her cop. Mackenzie follows Amanda in hopes of talking about their relationship. She spends more time playing detective than figuring out where her heart is hiding. ( )

This series is delightful and particularly for those familiar with Philadelphia, PA. All of the novels in this series can be read as a stand-alone story, however, if you read the series (in order) [which I haven't always accomplished as one can view from my recorded reading record on GoodReads], #5 is one of the absolute highlights of the series. From this reader's view (as a former public school librarian), this novel will be particularly enjoyed by any teacher (current or retired) who can empathize with Amanda Pepper on the overwhelming feelings of the end of the school year - from the sense of accomplishment to the exhaustion - with the need to tend to perhaps mundane housekeeping chores with glee that are easily swept aside as the school year progresses to the need for a summer vacation to rejuvenate the senses and the soul. In the Philadelphia area, regardless of the season, many summer vacation thoughts lead to the Jersey shore. Amanda cannot resist an offer from dear friend Sasha to go to the Jersey shore - even if the destination is not one of the highly favored beaches but to Atlantic City. But it is unlikely that Amanda could ever have imagined the true adventures of "How I (Amanda Pepper, Teacher) Spent My Summer Vacation" even as the vacation interval begins before her summer school teaching assignment. ( )

After a tough year of teaching at Philly Prep, Amanda Pepper craves a relaxing beach vacation. As luck would have it, her carefree photographer friend, Sasha Berg, has a seaside shoot in Atlantic City - and a hotel room for Amanda to use as a crash pad. Yet the free lodging becomes a murder scene when Sasha finds a stranger bludgeoned to death in her bed. The man was Jesse Reese, a beloved financier who advised the elderly on investment deals - and someone Sasha had need met. But a witness claims he saw Sasha with the victim - and her only alibi has vanished into thin air. So when the police threaten to arrest Sasha, Amanda flies into action, hoping to save her friend and track down a Sasha look-alike. But whether man or woman, friend or foe, she hasn't a clue. Gathering her wits, Amanda hits the boardwalk and chases down clues around the surf and under the casinos, discovering along the way that appearances are more than deceiving: they can be criminal - and, sometimes, downright murderous. ( )