Gillian Roberts A Hole in Juan

A Hole in Juan

Gillian Roberts

Ballantine, March 2006, $23.95, 240 pp.

ISBN 0345480198

It has been almost a month since Amanda Pepper and Mackenzie were married, but now that the schoolteacher is considered family, her husband's kin send his nephew Pip stay with them for a while until he calms down and gets over his broken heart. Her spouse, a former homicide detective, is now in school studying to get his P.H.D in criminology. He is a part-time private investigator, and Amanda is learning to be on call so they can supplement her income from Philly Prep.

Mischief Night is coming up soon, but the atmosphere at the school is dark and foreboding as the senior students are not acting like themselves. Physics teacher Juan Reyes is complaining that equipment disappears and reappears, and blames his students, who think he is too hard and strict with them. Amanda is getting notes that point to something terrible happening at the Friday Mischief party at the school. Two female students who are supposedly best friends are constantly arguing, and two males who were best buddies have a vicious altercation. Professor Reyes is seriously injured in what police think is an accident, but is in reality a sadistic prank that viciously backfires on the students who caused it. All these happenings are linked, but unless Amanda figures out what it all means, a terrible tragedy will occur.

Gillian Roberts has written another exciting mystery that demonstrates how a mob can rule and force their collective mindset on another person. After reading this book readers will understand how a Columbine situation can happen if stops aren't taken to prevent it. A HOLE IN JUAN is a chilling and terrifying storyline involving crimes that are beyond comprehension yet seem plausible. The protagonist takes action making her a true heroine.