Amanda has a couple of things in common with politician Susan Levin, TV host Bobbi Burton, and charity director Heather Winslow: they were all a part of the same sorority in college alongside a Nancy Barlow, and they all played a joke on her that cost the young woman her scholarship.
Years later, Nancy has written a tell-all book. A book that, when published, will expose that little trick and deal a blow to all of their careers. Nancy does take somewhat of a liking to Amanda (as she was the only one to show up to Nancy's "invitation"), and as such asks to stay at her place when someone breaks into her house. When Nancy winds up dead in Amanda's apartment, she needs Mark's help to find the manuscript and figure out who decided to close Nancy's records for good.
"Reunion With Murder" displays symptoms of the following tropes:
- Alliterative Name: Bobbi Burton.
- Blackmail Backfire: Nancy planned to reveal damning information about her old college roommates in her book, not wanting anything out of them. She does not make it to publishing.
- Disappointed in You: Nancy holds a particular grudge against Amanda, because while she hated the other three girls, she expected better of Amanda.
- Disney Villain Death: Professor Edwards died from a fall off of a building
- Driven to Suicide: Bobbi says that Professor Edwards committed suicide due to her breaking up with him. However, this was a lie.
- Fake Alibi: Bobbi claims that she was at her gym on the night Nancy was murdered. When Steve checks into it, he finds she did actually go there, but the place has more than a few ways to leave undetected, so the alibi isn't really worth much.
- If I Can't Have You…: Bobbi killed Professor Edwards because he broke up with her.
- In the Back: Nancy is done in via a knife to the back.
- Never Suicide: It was believed Professor Edwards killed himself out of heartbreak over Bobbi breaking up with him. It was actually him that dumped her, and she killed him in a way that made it look like suicide.
- Sinister Sorority Sisters: Nancy brings up a cruel prank where Amanda and her fellow sorority sisters teased her for being overweight, and plans to put it in her book. This is suggested to be Amanda's motive for murder. It's also revealed that the ultimate motive for murder was that her book would've exposed that Bobbi Burton had murdered her professor, with whom she was having an affair. So Bobbi killed Nancy, too.
- Teacher/Student Romance: In their college days, Bobbi had an affair with a married Professor Edwards. He eventually broke up with her in order to be with another student, Nancy. It did not end well for him.
