I'm forever being asked questions about Amanda Keller : what's she like to work with? When was the last time you saw her? What did we talk about? Was she acting strangely?Keen as I am to help the police with their enquires, I'm of little use. You see, even though I've worked with Amanda these past two years, I still find her a very mysterious woman.

Maybe it's her working on 'Beyond 2000' - and the prolonged exposure to alge which that job entailed - or maybe it's just that Amanda Keller is one of those 'special' people whom the normal rules of life don't apply.

Whatever the reason, the fact remains that every handy hint in this book comes directly from Amanda's life, and will tell you more about this remarkable woman than I ever could.

For instance, she really does sleep with stalks of sound-absorbent asparagus in her ears, her feet kept warm by hot-water bottles filled with porrige, while her dishwasher cleans her socks and undies. She also, to the best of my knowledge, regularly feeds Jehovah's Witnesses to her Rottweiler. And I know for a fact that she cooks spaghetti one strand at a time because I went to her place for dinner one night and didn't get away till five days later.

So you see, in its own strange way, this book is something of an autobiography. It's a chilling portrait, I agree, and perhaps the only good reason for buying it is the knowledge that all profits will go directly to Amanda's favourite medical charity, The Swiss Vitamin Institute.

Nonetheless, I urge you to consider purchasing 'Amanda's Handy Hints'. It won't make a lovely gift, but it will make a cheap one, and in the end, as Amanda would say, that's what it's all about.

- Andrew Denton -