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Anna Blanc Mysteries #1
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc
It's 1907 Los Angeles. Mischievous socialite Anna Blanc could match wits with Sherlock Holmes, but in her world women are not allowed to hunt criminals. Determined to break free of the era's rigid social roles, she buys off the chaperone assigned by her domineering father and, using an alias, takes a job as a police matron with the Los Angeles Police Department. There she discovers a string of brothel murders, which the cops are covering up. Seizing her one chance to solve a crime, she takes on the investigation herself.
If the police find out, she'll get fired; if her father finds out, he'll disown her; and if her fiancé finds out, he'll cancel the wedding.
Anna must choose--either hunt the villain and risk losing her father, fiancé, and wealth, or abandon her dream and leave the killer on the loose.
If the police find out, she'll get fired; if her father finds out, he'll disown her; and if her fiancé finds out, he'll cancel the wedding.
Anna must choose--either hunt the villain and risk losing her father, fiancé, and wealth, or abandon her dream and leave the killer on the loose.
367 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2015
120 people are currently reading
3767 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Kincheloe
4 books176 followersJennifer Kincheloe is a research scientist turned writer of historical mysteries. Her first novel, THE SECRET LIFE OF ANNA BLANC, was a finalist in the Lefty Award for Best Historical Mystery, the Colorado Author's League Award for Genre Fiction, the Macavity Sue Feder Award for Historical Mystery, and the winner of The Mystery and Mayhem Award for Historical Fiction and the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Colorado Gold Award for Mystery. Her subsequent novels, THE WOMAN IN THE CAMPHOR TRUNK and THE BODY IN GRIFFITH PARK were both finalists for the Lefty Award for Best Historical Mystery. Jennifer is a Southern California native who currently lives in Denver, Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
November 21, 2016
"Anna couldn't help it. All her sugar had dissolved. She snapped."
Anna Blanc, who graces the lovely cover of this book, is a young socialite living in the bustling city of Los Angeles at the turn of the century. She is one complex, saccharine-with-an-aftertaste, impulsive, naive, over-indulged, self-centered slip of a woman.......until you get to know her.
Prickly with thorns, Anna grows on you. Hence, my original rating of 3 stars flipped over into 4 stars. Jennifer Kincheloe actually does a fine job of convincing you that ol' Anna has some very redeemable qualities that play out throughout this book.
You see, Anna constantly tests the waters of society's morals and values and the weakly shored up role of young women of the time period. Her father, a Los Angeles well-heeled banker, is exasperated with Anna and fears that he will never be able to marry her off because of her disregard for the norms of the day. Anna simply wants to be a police detective and she pulls off a double life as a police matron. Anna actually becomes quite the observant sleuth and fine-tunes her skills with the likes of the police chief's detective son, Joe Singer.
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc starts out with doubts if you're ever going to buy what the character of Anna is selling. As the storyline progresses, it becomes a delightful romp through some crazy antics to solve the heavy duty crime of a string of brothel murders. Anna does, indeed, have a brain in that "pretty little head of hers".
I look forward to see what the future holds for our girl Anna if this does become a series. I'm sure Jennifer Kincheloe has plenty of adventures up her sleeve for this highly energized character.
Anna Blanc, who graces the lovely cover of this book, is a young socialite living in the bustling city of Los Angeles at the turn of the century. She is one complex, saccharine-with-an-aftertaste, impulsive, naive, over-indulged, self-centered slip of a woman.......until you get to know her.
Prickly with thorns, Anna grows on you. Hence, my original rating of 3 stars flipped over into 4 stars. Jennifer Kincheloe actually does a fine job of convincing you that ol' Anna has some very redeemable qualities that play out throughout this book.
You see, Anna constantly tests the waters of society's morals and values and the weakly shored up role of young women of the time period. Her father, a Los Angeles well-heeled banker, is exasperated with Anna and fears that he will never be able to marry her off because of her disregard for the norms of the day. Anna simply wants to be a police detective and she pulls off a double life as a police matron. Anna actually becomes quite the observant sleuth and fine-tunes her skills with the likes of the police chief's detective son, Joe Singer.
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc starts out with doubts if you're ever going to buy what the character of Anna is selling. As the storyline progresses, it becomes a delightful romp through some crazy antics to solve the heavy duty crime of a string of brothel murders. Anna does, indeed, have a brain in that "pretty little head of hers".
I look forward to see what the future holds for our girl Anna if this does become a series. I'm sure Jennifer Kincheloe has plenty of adventures up her sleeve for this highly energized character.
February 7, 2020
Check out all of my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com
Rated 3.5 Stars - Rounded up for posting.
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc (Anna Blanc Mysteries Book #1) by Jennifer Kincheloe is the first book in a historical mystery series set in 1907 Los Angeles featuring young socialite Anna Blanc. I listened to this audiobook and was entertained by the narrator’s performance.
Young socialite Anna Blanc feels caged by her overprotective father and societal rules. After several failed attempts to change her life which only managed to tarnish her reputation, Anna finally has a plan that can work. She has a new chaperone she bribes for her freedom and she uses an alias to obtain a job as a police matron for the Los Angeles PD.
Anna discovers there are a string of brothel murders the police are covering up. Anna has always dreamed of being a police detective and this is her chance to solve a crime and prove herself, but the consequences for failure and/or exposure are high.
I hope the listener will give this audiobook a chance to get going. At first Anna’s personality is that of a spoiled, sheltered and self-centered debutante, BUT she evolves and learns as her circumstances change. I do feel the author makes you feel the restrictions of that time for women as well as Anna’s frustrations very well. Anna is inquisitive and intelligent, not just a young female character who lucks into the resolution. While the crime itself is serious, there are lighter moments throughout. I would have given this book a higher rating, but it took too long for me to get to the mystery plot and for Anna to begin to mature. Once the storyline progressed though, I enjoyed it more.
I look forward to listening to more of Anna’s adventures. Moira Quirk does a wonderful job of narrating this book and brought Anna to life for me.
Rated 3.5 Stars - Rounded up for posting.
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc (Anna Blanc Mysteries Book #1) by Jennifer Kincheloe is the first book in a historical mystery series set in 1907 Los Angeles featuring young socialite Anna Blanc. I listened to this audiobook and was entertained by the narrator’s performance.
Young socialite Anna Blanc feels caged by her overprotective father and societal rules. After several failed attempts to change her life which only managed to tarnish her reputation, Anna finally has a plan that can work. She has a new chaperone she bribes for her freedom and she uses an alias to obtain a job as a police matron for the Los Angeles PD.
Anna discovers there are a string of brothel murders the police are covering up. Anna has always dreamed of being a police detective and this is her chance to solve a crime and prove herself, but the consequences for failure and/or exposure are high.
I hope the listener will give this audiobook a chance to get going. At first Anna’s personality is that of a spoiled, sheltered and self-centered debutante, BUT she evolves and learns as her circumstances change. I do feel the author makes you feel the restrictions of that time for women as well as Anna’s frustrations very well. Anna is inquisitive and intelligent, not just a young female character who lucks into the resolution. While the crime itself is serious, there are lighter moments throughout. I would have given this book a higher rating, but it took too long for me to get to the mystery plot and for Anna to begin to mature. Once the storyline progressed though, I enjoyed it more.
I look forward to listening to more of Anna’s adventures. Moira Quirk does a wonderful job of narrating this book and brought Anna to life for me.
March 31, 2016
“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.”
----Arthur Conan Doyle
Jennifer Kincheloe, an award-wining American author, has penned a terrific and heart-wrenching tale, The Secret Life of Anna Blanc that unfolds the story of Anna Blanc, a socialite-turned-secret-cop, who investigates a series of murders of some prostitutes that has been hidden up under the piles by the police department. Anna grabs the opportunity to solve the case and identify the killer, before words get out to her dominating father that she has been running here and there in the city as a cop.
Synopsis:
It's 1907 Los Angeles. Mischievous socialite Anna Blanc could match wits with Sherlock Holmes, but in her world women are not allowed to hunt criminals. Determined to break free of the era's rigid social roles, she buys off the chaperon assigned by her domineering father and, using an alias, takes a job as a police matron with the Los Angeles Police Department. There she discovers a string of brothel murders, which the cops are covering up. Seizing her one chance to solve a crime, she takes on the investigation herself.
If the police find out, she'll get fired; if her father finds out, he'll disown her; and if her fiancé finds out, he'll cancel the wedding.
Anna must choose--either hunt the villain and risk losing her father, fiancé, and wealth, or abandon her dream and leave the killer on the loose.
Anna Blanc is the upper-class socialite who is engaged to an educated serviceman. Anna has been forever lived in the shadows of her dominating father who has a reputation in the society. One day while out on shopping with her chaperon, Anna unwilling becomes a part of suffragette protests, thus intriguing her to break free from her boundaries and do something which she has always loved- being Sherlock Holmes. Her wish comes true when she gets a job at the Los Angeles Police Department and it is her secret job. On her role, Anna lands herself up on some covered-up brothel murders and thus she begins her secret investigation. She needs to hurry up and find the killer before her father gets to know about her adventure outside his home and his fiance breaks off the engagement to her. Little did she knew that she would be opening up the cases of some scandalous murders and that she would get so tangle up that it will become life threatening.
The author's writing is fantastic and is laced with gripping suspense. The narrative is enthralling an d kept me hooked till the end of the book. Ann's narrative is descriptive as well as expressive and it allows the readers to ponder into the deep corners of her mind. The mystery is thick in the atmosphere and as the story progresses, it gets twisted and complicated with unexpected turn of events. The mystery is at times accompanied by passionate chemistry that made the tale delectable. The story moves at a medium pace.
The setting is exquisitely portrayed in the background of this story. The author has vividly captured the time and the location with her eloquent words. The setting of Los Angeles is played out charmingly as the author depicts the fashion, politics, the society and everything into her story. The era of suffragettes is well captured into this story and has an impactful role in the story. While reading I was easily transported back in time when almost everything was prohibited for a woman to have an independent living.
The characters are delightful and interesting. The main character, Anna, is rich, spoilt and someone who wants to break free of her father's domination. She uses people for her own benefit, has an attitude and this is what annoyed me a bit until she evolved into someone thoughtful on the journey to find the rapist and a murderer. The supporting cast is equally well-developed.
There is seedy and passionate chemistry between two characters of this book which will make the atmosphere sexy and wild and the scenes are described with lots of details. As for me, the romance could have been limited, rather than the story could have only revolved around the mystery and the killer.
Overall, this is an entertaining as well as compelling historical thriller that will keep the readers engrossed into the tale till the very last page.
Verdict: Mystery lovers should not miss this one!
Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Jennifer Kincheloe, for giving me an opportunity to read and review her book.
----Arthur Conan Doyle
Jennifer Kincheloe, an award-wining American author, has penned a terrific and heart-wrenching tale, The Secret Life of Anna Blanc that unfolds the story of Anna Blanc, a socialite-turned-secret-cop, who investigates a series of murders of some prostitutes that has been hidden up under the piles by the police department. Anna grabs the opportunity to solve the case and identify the killer, before words get out to her dominating father that she has been running here and there in the city as a cop.
Synopsis:
It's 1907 Los Angeles. Mischievous socialite Anna Blanc could match wits with Sherlock Holmes, but in her world women are not allowed to hunt criminals. Determined to break free of the era's rigid social roles, she buys off the chaperon assigned by her domineering father and, using an alias, takes a job as a police matron with the Los Angeles Police Department. There she discovers a string of brothel murders, which the cops are covering up. Seizing her one chance to solve a crime, she takes on the investigation herself.
If the police find out, she'll get fired; if her father finds out, he'll disown her; and if her fiancé finds out, he'll cancel the wedding.
Anna must choose--either hunt the villain and risk losing her father, fiancé, and wealth, or abandon her dream and leave the killer on the loose.
Anna Blanc is the upper-class socialite who is engaged to an educated serviceman. Anna has been forever lived in the shadows of her dominating father who has a reputation in the society. One day while out on shopping with her chaperon, Anna unwilling becomes a part of suffragette protests, thus intriguing her to break free from her boundaries and do something which she has always loved- being Sherlock Holmes. Her wish comes true when she gets a job at the Los Angeles Police Department and it is her secret job. On her role, Anna lands herself up on some covered-up brothel murders and thus she begins her secret investigation. She needs to hurry up and find the killer before her father gets to know about her adventure outside his home and his fiance breaks off the engagement to her. Little did she knew that she would be opening up the cases of some scandalous murders and that she would get so tangle up that it will become life threatening.
The author's writing is fantastic and is laced with gripping suspense. The narrative is enthralling an d kept me hooked till the end of the book. Ann's narrative is descriptive as well as expressive and it allows the readers to ponder into the deep corners of her mind. The mystery is thick in the atmosphere and as the story progresses, it gets twisted and complicated with unexpected turn of events. The mystery is at times accompanied by passionate chemistry that made the tale delectable. The story moves at a medium pace.
The setting is exquisitely portrayed in the background of this story. The author has vividly captured the time and the location with her eloquent words. The setting of Los Angeles is played out charmingly as the author depicts the fashion, politics, the society and everything into her story. The era of suffragettes is well captured into this story and has an impactful role in the story. While reading I was easily transported back in time when almost everything was prohibited for a woman to have an independent living.
The characters are delightful and interesting. The main character, Anna, is rich, spoilt and someone who wants to break free of her father's domination. She uses people for her own benefit, has an attitude and this is what annoyed me a bit until she evolved into someone thoughtful on the journey to find the rapist and a murderer. The supporting cast is equally well-developed.
There is seedy and passionate chemistry between two characters of this book which will make the atmosphere sexy and wild and the scenes are described with lots of details. As for me, the romance could have been limited, rather than the story could have only revolved around the mystery and the killer.
Overall, this is an entertaining as well as compelling historical thriller that will keep the readers engrossed into the tale till the very last page.
Verdict: Mystery lovers should not miss this one!
Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Jennifer Kincheloe, for giving me an opportunity to read and review her book.
February 2, 2019
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc, what a splendid book! This is one of those times when I struggle to write down my feelings towards the books. I mean it's so bloody good and I loved listening to it. It's one of those books that draw you from the beginning and then not let you go.
Anna Blanc is a plucky and yes a bit naive character. She has grown up quite sheltered from the world and several times during the book is she reminded of that when she sees how those less fortunate are treated. At the beginning of the book is she trying to break free from her father grip by eloping, but it doesn't end that well and now is she stuck with a chaperone that will not let her out of her sight. However, the temptation to apply for the job as a police matron (She has long dreamed of solving crimes like Sherlock Holmes) may make her take drastic methods to ensure that she gets the job.
I found the story to be very engaging and I loved how Jennifer Kincheloe managed to write a story that's both funny and serious. I especially liked how she portrayed the women in the book and men's attitude towards them. How they are not taken seriously and often being downright patronized. I often went from happy to angry will listening to this book.
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc is such a wonderful book, and it has a perfect mix of action and romance. Yes, I'm the pickiest person when it comes to romance is loving the more light part of the story and there are several scenes that almost made me laugh when and a certain gentleman friend get a bit frisky with each other.
In the end, I just want to say that Moira Quirk is a perfect narrator. I especially loved how she skillfully voiced the different characters from. There is a fellow called Joe Singer in the book, and he often sings and she does the lines so perfect!
All right, there is so much to say about this book, but I honestly don't want to spoiler anything so I'm going to end it here with telling you all that it's a brilliant book and you should read it!
I got this audiobook from The Audiobookworm as part of a blog tour for the book!
Anna Blanc is a plucky and yes a bit naive character. She has grown up quite sheltered from the world and several times during the book is she reminded of that when she sees how those less fortunate are treated. At the beginning of the book is she trying to break free from her father grip by eloping, but it doesn't end that well and now is she stuck with a chaperone that will not let her out of her sight. However, the temptation to apply for the job as a police matron (She has long dreamed of solving crimes like Sherlock Holmes) may make her take drastic methods to ensure that she gets the job.
I found the story to be very engaging and I loved how Jennifer Kincheloe managed to write a story that's both funny and serious. I especially liked how she portrayed the women in the book and men's attitude towards them. How they are not taken seriously and often being downright patronized. I often went from happy to angry will listening to this book.
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc is such a wonderful book, and it has a perfect mix of action and romance. Yes, I'm the pickiest person when it comes to romance is loving the more light part of the story and there are several scenes that almost made me laugh when and a certain gentleman friend get a bit frisky with each other.
In the end, I just want to say that Moira Quirk is a perfect narrator. I especially loved how she skillfully voiced the different characters from. There is a fellow called Joe Singer in the book, and he often sings and she does the lines so perfect!
All right, there is so much to say about this book, but I honestly don't want to spoiler anything so I'm going to end it here with telling you all that it's a brilliant book and you should read it!
I got this audiobook from The Audiobookworm as part of a blog tour for the book!
November 19, 2015
For some reason, a lot of the mystery novels that I read are almost exclusively set in London, so at first I was a little hesitant to pick this one up because turn of the century L.A. doesn’t really have any draw for me but I was completely roped in by the setting. It was something new and exciting….different than what I normally read so it was refreshing for me.
I liked Anna a lot as a main character. Some might argue that she was self centered and used people for her own purposes…..while this might be true, I personally didn’t mind. I felt like she was young and naive and was looking for something more out of life but wasn’t sure how to go about it. I felt like her background and upbringing kind of made it hard for her to be anything but self centered so I actually felt like it was fitting for her character. I actually liked her sass and spunk. She was naive and quirky funny which worked well for me. She just came across as this vibrant woman restricted by circumstances and was suffocating and needing to be free to make her own choices. I think that worked well considering the period too.
I also really liked the romance part. There was the right amount of sexual tension between Anna and Joe and I really liked them together. They were each comical in their own ways and when they were together that translated well creating this unique chemistry that I thought worked perfectly.
The only thing that kept me from giving this a 5 star review was some of the linguistic issues. I noted a couple of phrases that didn’t fit within the historical period and for some reason it just distracted me. For example, there was one section where there was a comparison to a Super Bowl game and I found myself wondering why this statement was necessary in a novel set in the early 19th century? It just felt out of place and confused me as a reader….there were a couple of things like this that I felt modern language was substituted when it wasn’t necessary.
But besides that one little critique, I really really enjoyed this book. The mystery was engaging and different, I loved the setting and the historical period, and the romance was equally satisfying. I can’t wait to read the next Anna book!
See my full review here
I liked Anna a lot as a main character. Some might argue that she was self centered and used people for her own purposes…..while this might be true, I personally didn’t mind. I felt like she was young and naive and was looking for something more out of life but wasn’t sure how to go about it. I felt like her background and upbringing kind of made it hard for her to be anything but self centered so I actually felt like it was fitting for her character. I actually liked her sass and spunk. She was naive and quirky funny which worked well for me. She just came across as this vibrant woman restricted by circumstances and was suffocating and needing to be free to make her own choices. I think that worked well considering the period too.
I also really liked the romance part. There was the right amount of sexual tension between Anna and Joe and I really liked them together. They were each comical in their own ways and when they were together that translated well creating this unique chemistry that I thought worked perfectly.
The only thing that kept me from giving this a 5 star review was some of the linguistic issues. I noted a couple of phrases that didn’t fit within the historical period and for some reason it just distracted me. For example, there was one section where there was a comparison to a Super Bowl game and I found myself wondering why this statement was necessary in a novel set in the early 19th century? It just felt out of place and confused me as a reader….there were a couple of things like this that I felt modern language was substituted when it wasn’t necessary.
But besides that one little critique, I really really enjoyed this book. The mystery was engaging and different, I loved the setting and the historical period, and the romance was equally satisfying. I can’t wait to read the next Anna book!
See my full review here
November 16, 2015
I liked the concept and the premise of THE SECRET LIFE OF ANNA BLANC but the execution left me wanting a whole lot more than what I actually got.
Anna was a conceited, self-centered little twit who was unlikable for about 99% of the book. I wanted to be on board with her trying to break away from a controlling father and live the life she wanted to live but it was really hard to do that when Anna viewed the people around her as nothing more than a means to her end, whatever that end happened to be. She was incredibly fantastic, there was really no reason for anyone to think otherwise, and that’s that. You were wrong if you thought something else. If Anna had a better personality I would have been all over this book. As it were, I was not.
She played with people as if they were toys. She had zero foresight, couldn’t see the bigger picture if she was slapped in the face with it, and even when she did feel something for someone it came off as superficial and fake. She’s portrayed as smart because of all of this secret reading she does. The books she likes are forbidden by her father so she has to hide them behind bindings from acceptable books. But the books she get are stolen from her friend’s library and mutilated because it’s what she wants. And then she goes and does incredibly stupid things because she’s one hell of an obtuse character. Sure, her socialite upbringing could lend itself to how she acts but I’m getting her supposed intelligence shoved down my throat at the same time she’s doing fantastically stupid things while leaving a trail of wounded people in her wake with very little real concern for them.
It all lends to the notion that I think the book is tonally off. It can’t seem to decide just what kind of character Anna is. I think some of it is meant to be funny and some of the situations “hilarious” but since I’m not amused by Anna at all you won’t find me laughing at anything she does. The way she ping-pongs Joe Singer about had me rooting for him to go, ‘I’m done with you, bitch.’ Not to mention she’s wishy-washy when it comes to her fiancé, Edgar, because she really doesn’t want to give up her good life and she may find herself loving him some day. Again, it could have been an amusing story but I hated Anna, therefore I hated everything she did.
I’m really torn about it too because I did like the story. The few times I was able to look beyond Anna and her abhorrent behavior I liked what I was reading. But she kept getting in the way. Bummer. I even found myself getting invested in the very end. WHO WILL SHE END UP WITH? And then she just kept pattering back and forth and back and forth and OMG I DON’T CARE ANYMORE.
And then who’s the killer she’s hunting? Another point toward the story being off. She’s supposedly so smart, reads all these books, connects the dots where other people aren’t. But when it comes to naming the killer, she does it twice before the third time’s the charm. Yeah. At that rate she’s bound to name the person eventually. I KNOW WHO IT IS. No, not him. NOW I KNOW WHO IT IS. No, not him either. WAIT A MINUTE . . . Ugh.
It was Anna. She was the reason I didn’t like THE SECRET LIFE OF ANNA BLANC. I liked the story. It’s hard for me not to like a story about a woman bucking all social norms in order to do something she loves and bring justice to an unjust world. Seriously hard. But Anna just effing sucks. People were things for her to use, any feelings she did have toward people came off as entirely superficial, filled with crocodile tears, and I just didn’t like her as a person. The story would have been great if it weren’t for Anna.
1
I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Anna was a conceited, self-centered little twit who was unlikable for about 99% of the book. I wanted to be on board with her trying to break away from a controlling father and live the life she wanted to live but it was really hard to do that when Anna viewed the people around her as nothing more than a means to her end, whatever that end happened to be. She was incredibly fantastic, there was really no reason for anyone to think otherwise, and that’s that. You were wrong if you thought something else. If Anna had a better personality I would have been all over this book. As it were, I was not.
She played with people as if they were toys. She had zero foresight, couldn’t see the bigger picture if she was slapped in the face with it, and even when she did feel something for someone it came off as superficial and fake. She’s portrayed as smart because of all of this secret reading she does. The books she likes are forbidden by her father so she has to hide them behind bindings from acceptable books. But the books she get are stolen from her friend’s library and mutilated because it’s what she wants. And then she goes and does incredibly stupid things because she’s one hell of an obtuse character. Sure, her socialite upbringing could lend itself to how she acts but I’m getting her supposed intelligence shoved down my throat at the same time she’s doing fantastically stupid things while leaving a trail of wounded people in her wake with very little real concern for them.
It all lends to the notion that I think the book is tonally off. It can’t seem to decide just what kind of character Anna is. I think some of it is meant to be funny and some of the situations “hilarious” but since I’m not amused by Anna at all you won’t find me laughing at anything she does. The way she ping-pongs Joe Singer about had me rooting for him to go, ‘I’m done with you, bitch.’ Not to mention she’s wishy-washy when it comes to her fiancé, Edgar, because she really doesn’t want to give up her good life and she may find herself loving him some day. Again, it could have been an amusing story but I hated Anna, therefore I hated everything she did.
I’m really torn about it too because I did like the story. The few times I was able to look beyond Anna and her abhorrent behavior I liked what I was reading. But she kept getting in the way. Bummer. I even found myself getting invested in the very end. WHO WILL SHE END UP WITH? And then she just kept pattering back and forth and back and forth and OMG I DON’T CARE ANYMORE.
And then who’s the killer she’s hunting? Another point toward the story being off. She’s supposedly so smart, reads all these books, connects the dots where other people aren’t. But when it comes to naming the killer, she does it twice before the third time’s the charm. Yeah. At that rate she’s bound to name the person eventually. I KNOW WHO IT IS. No, not him. NOW I KNOW WHO IT IS. No, not him either. WAIT A MINUTE . . . Ugh.
It was Anna. She was the reason I didn’t like THE SECRET LIFE OF ANNA BLANC. I liked the story. It’s hard for me not to like a story about a woman bucking all social norms in order to do something she loves and bring justice to an unjust world. Seriously hard. But Anna just effing sucks. People were things for her to use, any feelings she did have toward people came off as entirely superficial, filled with crocodile tears, and I just didn’t like her as a person. The story would have been great if it weren’t for Anna.
1
I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
December 14, 2015
I have recently become rather obsessed with the TV adaptation of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. The Honorable Phryne Fisher went from being a complete stranger to one of my very favourite characters. I have yet to read the books by Kerry Greenwood, but I already have the first one. Actually, I intended to start reading Cocaine Blues when I ran into The Secret Life of Anna Blanc by Jennifer Kincheloe. We happened to cross paths on Twitter and somehow I found myself reading a review that said that Miss Fisher's fans would appreciate Anna Blanc. So of course I ordered a copy and started reading it as soon as it arrived. And you know what? I don't regret it. At all. Sometimes one has to take a leap of faith when it comes to new authors. Thank you, Jennifer Kincheloe. It was definitely worth it.
I must confess that bonding with Anna Blanc wasn't easy. At first I was a little worried, how was I supposed to follow a story led by a character that I seemed not to get along with? I needed not to worry though for Jennifer Kincheloe had it all under control. Even though Anna and I didn't always see eye to eye, even though I did indeed roll my eyes at some of her choices, I still couldn't put the book down. Better yet, even though I didn't approve some of her decisions, I found myself not judging her. I know that probably says more about me than about the book, but I think it takes some brilliant writing skills to make such a relationship possible. You see, even though one might think at first that Anna is just a spoiled privileged brat, as we are invited to put on her shoes we soon find that to be a rather superficial portrait of a woman that wasn't sheltered but kept in the dark on purpose by her father. She might be oblivious to what is going on in the world, to how it keeps spinning, but she wants to see, she begins to see. It's indeed quite a journey and Jennifer Kincheloe seems to add just the right ingredients to make it absolutely delicious.
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc is a rather addictive beginning. I am honestly hoping for a sequel that will allow us further into the mind of a woman who wants to see the world for what it is. A lover of mysteries, Anna Blanc is one herself. I think if given the chance, she will keep surprising herself and the reader. A fabulous combination of both mystery and humour, The Secret Life of Anna Blanc is great company. Definitely a must read for the fans of the genre.
I must confess that bonding with Anna Blanc wasn't easy. At first I was a little worried, how was I supposed to follow a story led by a character that I seemed not to get along with? I needed not to worry though for Jennifer Kincheloe had it all under control. Even though Anna and I didn't always see eye to eye, even though I did indeed roll my eyes at some of her choices, I still couldn't put the book down. Better yet, even though I didn't approve some of her decisions, I found myself not judging her. I know that probably says more about me than about the book, but I think it takes some brilliant writing skills to make such a relationship possible. You see, even though one might think at first that Anna is just a spoiled privileged brat, as we are invited to put on her shoes we soon find that to be a rather superficial portrait of a woman that wasn't sheltered but kept in the dark on purpose by her father. She might be oblivious to what is going on in the world, to how it keeps spinning, but she wants to see, she begins to see. It's indeed quite a journey and Jennifer Kincheloe seems to add just the right ingredients to make it absolutely delicious.
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc is a rather addictive beginning. I am honestly hoping for a sequel that will allow us further into the mind of a woman who wants to see the world for what it is. A lover of mysteries, Anna Blanc is one herself. I think if given the chance, she will keep surprising herself and the reader. A fabulous combination of both mystery and humour, The Secret Life of Anna Blanc is great company. Definitely a must read for the fans of the genre.
January 2, 2018
Možda, površinski lagan i zabavan, sadržave odličan prikaz društva u Americi na početku 20.st. Žene su tada bile u poprilično lošem položaju tako da su čak i pripadnicama najvišeg društva očevi ili muževi određivali što smiju čitati! Više o tome pisati ću u osvrtu... ✍
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„Tajni život Anne Blanc“ knjiga je kojoj je poprilično teško odrediti žanr; imamo tu elemente krimića, ljubavne priča, povijesnog romana pa čak, možda i chick- lita. Svaka čast autorici na tome što me uspjela toliko „zbuniti“ strukturom romana da ne znam ni sama koje bi elemente istaknula i stavila u prvi plan u opisu ovog djela.
Knjiga je lako čitljiva, zabavna i nekako „vrckava“, ali u njoj se opisuje i istraga ubojstava prostitutki- što je pak u popriličnoj opreci s prvim dijelom ove rečenice.
U stvari, takva vam je i cijela knjiga: na zabavan je način opisan nimalo zabavan slučaj niza ubojstava.
Rekla bih da knjiga ima taj „dualni“ koncept upravo zbog karaktera naslovne junakinje- Anne Blanc. Način na koji je roman pisan gotovo je njezin zrcalni odraz.
Pa da ja to sada malo konkretnije objasnim.
Priča je smještena u Los Angeles na početku 20.st. Anna Blanc (razmažena) je kći jedinica bogatog bankara, djevojka iz visokog društva, odgajana u luksuzu, bez ikakvih briga i problema s jedinim „zadatkom“ da bude prostojna, mlada dama koja će jednom postati uzorna supruga i majka.
Neke crte njezinog kataktera koje bismo joj , možda, i zamjerili, u stvari su u potpunosti opravdane njezinim odgojem i načinom života.
Ipak, Anna iskače iz (tadašnjih) kalupa jer želi nešto više, a to „više“ nije nimalo lako s obzirom na vrijeme u kojemu živi. To je „muško“ vrijeme: muškarci „vode igru“ kako u najvišim tako i u najnižim društvenim slojevima. Kao što u najvišim slojevima otac Anne Blanc kontrolira njezin život do te mjere da joj određuje što će čitati (smije čitati samo „dolične“ knjige, a ne npr. kriminalističke romane koja ona potajno „guta“), tako je i u nižim slojevima (u ovom slučaju radi se o policijskoj upravi) apsolutno nebitno to što žene (prostitutke) nestaju pod okolnostima sumnjivih smrti)
Uprkos svom povlaštenom položaju, Anna je poput ptice u zlatnom kavezu. Uz silna ograničenja i pratilje koje joj nameće otac, Anna se uspijeva zaposliti u policijskoj upravi Los Angelesa kako policijska pomoćnica, pod imenom „Anna Holmes“.
Za nju je to gotovo ostvarenje sna jer ona više od svega želi postati – detektivka („Oduvijek je željela biti detektivka, ali to nikada nije mogla jer je bila ženskog roda. Nije se mogla čak ni udati za detektiva. To bi bilo ispod njezine razine.“). Ali, nije joj lako biti detektivka kada o (pravom) životu zna samo ono što je pročitala u knjigama; ipak, njezina inteligencija, sposobnost zaključivanja i, ponajviše, entuzijazam ubrzo je odvode u samo središte istrage o nizu (sumnjivih) smrti prostitutki jer, osim nje, u tom „muškom“ svijetu tim žrtvama nitko ne pridodajte ni najmanje pažnje.
Anna uviđa da je sve na njoj te se uz niz poteškoća (a i komičnih situacija) probija kroz istragu.
U tome je ne uspijevaju spriječiti niti otac, niti pratilje, niti zaručnik niti društvom zadane norme...
Djevojka koja se kretala isključivo po „finim“ djelovima grada i bogataškim salonima odjednom se nađe u njoj potpuno nepoznatim okruženjima kao što su policijska postaja, sumnjive četvrti, javne kuće i pa čak i -zatvor. A ona se svugdje uspijeva prilično dobro snaći!
Kroz knjigu se suptilno provlači i humor tako da nam Annina (naivna) razmišljanja i situacije u kojima se zatekne često izmame i osmijeh na lice. Uz sav taj silni „detektivski“ posao, Anna se nađe i u ljubavnim i u seksualnim iskušenjima što autorica također jako simpatično i duhovito opisuje.
Isto kao što je u ove „vrckave avanture sirote, male bogatašice“ ukomponirala istragu o ubojstvu tako je J. Kincheloe, (više ili manje) diskretno kroz roman, provukla i opis i kritiku tadašnjeg društva. Upravo to je onaj povijesni aspekt koji sam spomenula na početku.
Tako da, dok se sa zanimanjem probijamo kroz radnju, također nailazimo i na opise mode i načina života toga razdoblja, početak borbe za prava žena, povezanost policije i politike (što je, u stvari, prisutno uvijek i svugdje) kao i korupciju koja se proteže kroz sve društveno –političke strukture.
Sve u svemu, autorica je u jednu, na prvi pogled, „laganu“ knjigu uspjela ukomponirati i neke vrlo ozbiljne elemente, odlično nam opisati jedno razdoblje, predstaviti nam pripadnike različitih društvenih slojeva, nasmijati nas, natjerati nas na razmišljanje, a sve to su svom krimi prvijencu! Moram priznati da je mene ova knjiga ugodno iznenadila, a, ako se odučite na čitanje, nadam se da će i vas.
...
„Tajni život Anne Blanc“ knjiga je kojoj je poprilično teško odrediti žanr; imamo tu elemente krimića, ljubavne priča, povijesnog romana pa čak, možda i chick- lita. Svaka čast autorici na tome što me uspjela toliko „zbuniti“ strukturom romana da ne znam ni sama koje bi elemente istaknula i stavila u prvi plan u opisu ovog djela.
Knjiga je lako čitljiva, zabavna i nekako „vrckava“, ali u njoj se opisuje i istraga ubojstava prostitutki- što je pak u popriličnoj opreci s prvim dijelom ove rečenice.
U stvari, takva vam je i cijela knjiga: na zabavan je način opisan nimalo zabavan slučaj niza ubojstava.
Rekla bih da knjiga ima taj „dualni“ koncept upravo zbog karaktera naslovne junakinje- Anne Blanc. Način na koji je roman pisan gotovo je njezin zrcalni odraz.
Pa da ja to sada malo konkretnije objasnim.
Priča je smještena u Los Angeles na početku 20.st. Anna Blanc (razmažena) je kći jedinica bogatog bankara, djevojka iz visokog društva, odgajana u luksuzu, bez ikakvih briga i problema s jedinim „zadatkom“ da bude prostojna, mlada dama koja će jednom postati uzorna supruga i majka.
Neke crte njezinog kataktera koje bismo joj , možda, i zamjerili, u stvari su u potpunosti opravdane njezinim odgojem i načinom života.
Ipak, Anna iskače iz (tadašnjih) kalupa jer želi nešto više, a to „više“ nije nimalo lako s obzirom na vrijeme u kojemu živi. To je „muško“ vrijeme: muškarci „vode igru“ kako u najvišim tako i u najnižim društvenim slojevima. Kao što u najvišim slojevima otac Anne Blanc kontrolira njezin život do te mjere da joj određuje što će čitati (smije čitati samo „dolične“ knjige, a ne npr. kriminalističke romane koja ona potajno „guta“), tako je i u nižim slojevima (u ovom slučaju radi se o policijskoj upravi) apsolutno nebitno to što žene (prostitutke) nestaju pod okolnostima sumnjivih smrti)
Uprkos svom povlaštenom položaju, Anna je poput ptice u zlatnom kavezu. Uz silna ograničenja i pratilje koje joj nameće otac, Anna se uspijeva zaposliti u policijskoj upravi Los Angelesa kako policijska pomoćnica, pod imenom „Anna Holmes“.
Za nju je to gotovo ostvarenje sna jer ona više od svega želi postati – detektivka („Oduvijek je željela biti detektivka, ali to nikada nije mogla jer je bila ženskog roda. Nije se mogla čak ni udati za detektiva. To bi bilo ispod njezine razine.“). Ali, nije joj lako biti detektivka kada o (pravom) životu zna samo ono što je pročitala u knjigama; ipak, njezina inteligencija, sposobnost zaključivanja i, ponajviše, entuzijazam ubrzo je odvode u samo središte istrage o nizu (sumnjivih) smrti prostitutki jer, osim nje, u tom „muškom“ svijetu tim žrtvama nitko ne pridodajte ni najmanje pažnje.
Anna uviđa da je sve na njoj te se uz niz poteškoća (a i komičnih situacija) probija kroz istragu.
U tome je ne uspijevaju spriječiti niti otac, niti pratilje, niti zaručnik niti društvom zadane norme...
Djevojka koja se kretala isključivo po „finim“ djelovima grada i bogataškim salonima odjednom se nađe u njoj potpuno nepoznatim okruženjima kao što su policijska postaja, sumnjive četvrti, javne kuće i pa čak i -zatvor. A ona se svugdje uspijeva prilično dobro snaći!
Kroz knjigu se suptilno provlači i humor tako da nam Annina (naivna) razmišljanja i situacije u kojima se zatekne često izmame i osmijeh na lice. Uz sav taj silni „detektivski“ posao, Anna se nađe i u ljubavnim i u seksualnim iskušenjima što autorica također jako simpatično i duhovito opisuje.
Isto kao što je u ove „vrckave avanture sirote, male bogatašice“ ukomponirala istragu o ubojstvu tako je J. Kincheloe, (više ili manje) diskretno kroz roman, provukla i opis i kritiku tadašnjeg društva. Upravo to je onaj povijesni aspekt koji sam spomenula na početku.
Tako da, dok se sa zanimanjem probijamo kroz radnju, također nailazimo i na opise mode i načina života toga razdoblja, početak borbe za prava žena, povezanost policije i politike (što je, u stvari, prisutno uvijek i svugdje) kao i korupciju koja se proteže kroz sve društveno –političke strukture.
Sve u svemu, autorica je u jednu, na prvi pogled, „laganu“ knjigu uspjela ukomponirati i neke vrlo ozbiljne elemente, odlično nam opisati jedno razdoblje, predstaviti nam pripadnike različitih društvenih slojeva, nasmijati nas, natjerati nas na razmišljanje, a sve to su svom krimi prvijencu! Moram priznati da je mene ova knjiga ugodno iznenadila, a, ako se odučite na čitanje, nadam se da će i vas.
November 25, 2019
Fitzgerald employed what may be my all time favorite literary metaphor in The Great Gatsby when he made Jordan Baker - rich, white, privileged - a careless driver. She's not the only bad driver in Gatsby, but she is the one to dismissively give voice to her type's central belief that she needn't bother to be careful herself, that's for other people - and it takes two to make an accident.
Though they're separated by eighty years - or fifteen, depending on how you're counting - Anna Blanc put me strongly in mind of the driving habits Fitzgerald's disaffected professional golfer. If Baker (and Tom and Daisy) were careless, Anna is an unwitting (one might say witless ) demolition derby.
Kincheloe's Secret Life begins with her titular heroine eloping with a man she barely knows and doesn't really love, just to get away from her oppressive father. That's a solid start, and certainly one that has some painful historical precedents, but it becomes obvious very quickly that Anna has all the constancy of a magpie and the depth of the Los Angeles River.
Let's put aside for the moment that she consistently confuses physical attraction for affection. Let's put aside her fixation on shopping and tendency to judge everyone by their couture or lack thereof. Let's even - and this is tough - put aside the fact that to get the books the author keeps harping on about her reading (she's smart, see? she READS!) that her father won't allow her she steals from a friend's library and then rips out of their bindings, which I count as two separate mortal sins (btw: Catholicism? Not just a constant appeal to the saints). The plot actually hinges on her accidentally getting a poverty stricken single mother arrested and then fired from her job as a police matron - which Anna takes, as a lark - forcing the woman into a life of prostitution and leading directly to her death. All of which our darling Anna gives about two thoughts - one of which is about how maybe she'll bother to find the dead woman's children and see if she can't get a friend to raise them, seeing as how she herself detests children - because, gee, isn't this detective stuff fun! And, oh look, there's a man with a nice jawline! Let me buy a hat and then just guess my way through the phonebook until I unmask the killer!
I very much wanted to like The Secret Life of Anna Blanc. The society-girl-makes-good-as-detective set-up could have been fun, the historical setting is not one you see every day, and oh my is that cover lovely. Unfortunately, I find Anna herself distinctly unlovable, the female friendships in the novel poisonous, and the author's weird fixation on vibrator humor - yes, dear, we all know they were a thing back in the day and that doctors used them to treat hysteria - juvenile. I suppose at least there's a nice thematic match in the fact that the editing seems almost as careless as Anna herself - disdain and distain are not the same word, and repeating the mistake thrice won't make it so - but I can't help wishing I'd never run into Anna Blanc.
Though they're separated by eighty years - or fifteen, depending on how you're counting - Anna Blanc put me strongly in mind of the driving habits Fitzgerald's disaffected professional golfer. If Baker (and Tom and Daisy) were careless, Anna is an unwitting (one might say witless ) demolition derby.
Kincheloe's Secret Life begins with her titular heroine eloping with a man she barely knows and doesn't really love, just to get away from her oppressive father. That's a solid start, and certainly one that has some painful historical precedents, but it becomes obvious very quickly that Anna has all the constancy of a magpie and the depth of the Los Angeles River.
Let's put aside for the moment that she consistently confuses physical attraction for affection. Let's put aside her fixation on shopping and tendency to judge everyone by their couture or lack thereof. Let's even - and this is tough - put aside the fact that to get the books the author keeps harping on about her reading (she's smart, see? she READS!) that her father won't allow her she steals from a friend's library and then rips out of their bindings, which I count as two separate mortal sins (btw: Catholicism? Not just a constant appeal to the saints). The plot actually hinges on her accidentally getting a poverty stricken single mother arrested and then fired from her job as a police matron - which Anna takes, as a lark - forcing the woman into a life of prostitution and leading directly to her death. All of which our darling Anna gives about two thoughts - one of which is about how maybe she'll bother to find the dead woman's children and see if she can't get a friend to raise them, seeing as how she herself detests children - because, gee, isn't this detective stuff fun! And, oh look, there's a man with a nice jawline! Let me buy a hat and then just guess my way through the phonebook until I unmask the killer!
I very much wanted to like The Secret Life of Anna Blanc. The society-girl-makes-good-as-detective set-up could have been fun, the historical setting is not one you see every day, and oh my is that cover lovely. Unfortunately, I find Anna herself distinctly unlovable, the female friendships in the novel poisonous, and the author's weird fixation on vibrator humor - yes, dear, we all know they were a thing back in the day and that doctors used them to treat hysteria - juvenile. I suppose at least there's a nice thematic match in the fact that the editing seems almost as careless as Anna herself - disdain and distain are not the same word, and repeating the mistake thrice won't make it so - but I can't help wishing I'd never run into Anna Blanc.
March 8, 2016
I had the immense privilege of reading this book before it went to the printers. The Secret Life of Anna Blanc is witty and hilarious. It's the roller coaster of inexperienced love and sheltered ambition that is Anna Blanc. Anna is a complicated girl in all the ways that unlikable characters can be endearing and exasperating, but she is so well crafted that if you don't like her, or do (I do) it's because she is so real.
Kincheloe puts the reader so deeply in 1906 LA and Anna Blanc's conflicted world of high society and criminal underworld that it's easy to slip away for hours and look up not recognizing your reading nook. Her language is fun and artful.
This book is fun, funny and a very worthwhile read!
Kincheloe puts the reader so deeply in 1906 LA and Anna Blanc's conflicted world of high society and criminal underworld that it's easy to slip away for hours and look up not recognizing your reading nook. Her language is fun and artful.
This book is fun, funny and a very worthwhile read!
December 16, 2015
I seldom fail to finish a book once started, but couldn't make myself continue with this. In its favor: evocatively set in 1907 Los Angeles; a smart, determined, ingenious heroine; and lively writing. On the minus side, the father is a totally absent shell of a character, and the fiancé not much more fleshed out. But the insurmountable hurdle for me is implausibility: A strange combination of wackiness dropped into the serious issue of the rights and autonomy of women.
March 8, 2017
Find my full review at http://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com.
Reading the synopsis of The Secret Life of Anna Blanc, I was instantly drawn to it as it has so many components that I love in historical fiction: a look into the customs and culture of the time period in which it takes place; a resourceful, intelligent female battling against the set stereotypes of the time; some sort of drama/action/adventure to keep me interested. I've also been hearing great buzz about this audiobook version and was delighted at the prospect of finding another delicious audiobook to make my commute less frustrating and boring then it typically is. I'm happy to say that I did enjoy listening to Anna's story unfold very much, even if I did have some issues with the main heroine herself.
Speaking of Anna Blanc (or Anna Holmes or Ami Amour depending on whether she was using one of her aliases or not), I'm sorry to say that I wasn't a huge fan of her as a character. She was quite selfish, impulsive, and arrogant and this all served to undermined her natural talents at detective work and obvious intelligence. She seemed to act without any regard for how her actions would effect other people and even destroyed the property of other people without seeming to care. She also came off as somewhat flighty at times, which made for a really odd dichotomy between her obvious abilities and her ditzy persona. She seemed shocked when people didn't take her seriously, but then did things over and over again that would make anyone not take her seriously! I'm not sure if I missed something by this being a listening experience over reading the actual book but I just had the hardest time wrapping my head around Anna Blanc.
Now, that being said, I loved almost all of the other characters! Joe Singer was an amazingly charming character and the brothel girls were hilarious. Actually, there was quite a bit of humor amongst most of the characters and I found the banter to be very entertaining. The actual search for the killer of the brothel girls was interesting as well and I can honestly say that I had no idea who the killer was and was surprised when he revealed himself.
Even with the delightful secondary characters, my absolute favorite aspect of this audiobook would have to be the narrator, Moira Quirk. She was amazing! Her ability to change her voice and make every single character distinct was unlike any other narrator I've listened to before. She was easily able to express the humor and danger and romance wherever it needed to be and made me excited to keep turning it on to listen to a little bit more whenever I could.
Anna Blanc herself aside, The Secret Life of Anna Blanc was very entertaining. While I didn't connect with this particular heroine I can see how others might really enjoy her contradictory nature and, regardless, her adventures searching for a killer definitely keep your attention.
Reading the synopsis of The Secret Life of Anna Blanc, I was instantly drawn to it as it has so many components that I love in historical fiction: a look into the customs and culture of the time period in which it takes place; a resourceful, intelligent female battling against the set stereotypes of the time; some sort of drama/action/adventure to keep me interested. I've also been hearing great buzz about this audiobook version and was delighted at the prospect of finding another delicious audiobook to make my commute less frustrating and boring then it typically is. I'm happy to say that I did enjoy listening to Anna's story unfold very much, even if I did have some issues with the main heroine herself.
Speaking of Anna Blanc (or Anna Holmes or Ami Amour depending on whether she was using one of her aliases or not), I'm sorry to say that I wasn't a huge fan of her as a character. She was quite selfish, impulsive, and arrogant and this all served to undermined her natural talents at detective work and obvious intelligence. She seemed to act without any regard for how her actions would effect other people and even destroyed the property of other people without seeming to care. She also came off as somewhat flighty at times, which made for a really odd dichotomy between her obvious abilities and her ditzy persona. She seemed shocked when people didn't take her seriously, but then did things over and over again that would make anyone not take her seriously! I'm not sure if I missed something by this being a listening experience over reading the actual book but I just had the hardest time wrapping my head around Anna Blanc.
Now, that being said, I loved almost all of the other characters! Joe Singer was an amazingly charming character and the brothel girls were hilarious. Actually, there was quite a bit of humor amongst most of the characters and I found the banter to be very entertaining. The actual search for the killer of the brothel girls was interesting as well and I can honestly say that I had no idea who the killer was and was surprised when he revealed himself.
Even with the delightful secondary characters, my absolute favorite aspect of this audiobook would have to be the narrator, Moira Quirk. She was amazing! Her ability to change her voice and make every single character distinct was unlike any other narrator I've listened to before. She was easily able to express the humor and danger and romance wherever it needed to be and made me excited to keep turning it on to listen to a little bit more whenever I could.
Anna Blanc herself aside, The Secret Life of Anna Blanc was very entertaining. While I didn't connect with this particular heroine I can see how others might really enjoy her contradictory nature and, regardless, her adventures searching for a killer definitely keep your attention.
June 26, 2016
Anna Blanc is an affront to the reader's intelligence by dint of how unutterably dumb she is—not of simply the sheltered and innocent variety either, but the kind that violates common sense and stretches credibility beyond breaking. I can understand how naive someone of her stature might be, but her decisions make negative sense, and I can't reconcile her supposed keen insights with the rest of her unintelligible character. But: I can't get over the turn-of-century Los Angeles setting (Boyle Heights and Angels Flight and La Grande Station, Alameda Street and the LAPD), so I slogged through the whole elementary mess for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2017
Well, the cumulative amount of eyerolls I gave during this book should be enough of an indicator for you to skip it. Trite, cliched, and the general dislikability of the main character all added up to two stars. I did enjoy the actual plot line of the story, but the way it was told was just sooo bad!
December 4, 2015
I think it's a fair assessment that most readers enjoy learning, and fiction readers are some of the most curious. So, when a book gives me a great story connected to a fascinating time in history that I haven't read much about, I'm one happy reader. I do admit a fondness for turn of the century, 20th, settings, but I had no experience with the Los Angeles Police Department of 1907 and the fact that women did work there, as matrons. I wasn't sure about the place setting at first, as Los Angeles doesn't immediately get my reading juices bubbling, but author Jennifer Kincheloe won me over with her deft descriptions and constant adventure running through the scenery. From the seedy prostitution establishments to the main character Anna Blanc's mansion residence, it was all so interesting and authentic, due to the author's meticulous research. I often felt as if I were sitting watching a play with the dress, scenery, characters, and extras all on cue, even the cats.
Anna Blanc is the privileged daughter of a well-known Los Angeles banker, and we first see her eloping with a somewhat dandy of a man, hoping to escape the confines of her strict father and excited about learning the ways of womanhood. Her attempt at liberation is thwarted, and her father has her returned home to round-the-clock supervision. Of course, Anna is a most clever girl, and she is able to slip into a women's vote rally, where she meets a police matron and becomes interested in finding out more about police work. Anna is quite spoiled and naive, but she is also highly intelligent and resourceful, and she is definitely bored with being a socialite. Her father has hired a brute of a minder for her, but
her minder is a most greedy woman, so they come to an understanding. This understanding allows Anna to become involved with the LAPD of 1907. She enters into this new world as a series of young prostitutes have been murdered. It is these murders that will take Anna to places no debutante would ever dream of going, but Anna is an exception to so much of her expected life. Her secret life, while fulfilling and exciting, threatens to turn her whole life upside down if her father and fiance discover her subterfuge.
The characters in The Secret Life of Anna Blanc are marvelous, and so they deserve a mention of their own. Anna is at first defined by the restrictive world in which she lives, so she appears rather superficial and self-centered in the beginning. But, Kincheloe is brilliant at character development, and Anna grows into her own, discovering along with the reader just how smart and strong she is. The men in her life--her original intended, her father, her fiance, and the police officers with whom she works--are a varied and fascinating lot and run the gambit from scoundrel to hero. Anna's best friend is a young woman who believes strongly in her role as a society woman in 1907 and tries hard to understand Anna's unconventional ways. The prostitutes with whom Anna comes into contact are a captivating group of women with a common goal of trying to survive a world that can be unkind to women without a man to help her. Lulu, the madam of one establishment is wonderfully colorful and plays an important part in the story. All the characters help to depict both a time when the roles of men and women were clearly defined and when the entry into the Twentieth Century was bringing changes.
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc is Jennifer Kincheloe's debut novel, and it is a remarkable one. Full of history, wit, humor, tragedy, it promises to kick off this author's career with a force of success. I was fortunate to receive a copy of the book from the author at the 2015 Bouchercon, and it is one of the best I scored.
Anna Blanc is the privileged daughter of a well-known Los Angeles banker, and we first see her eloping with a somewhat dandy of a man, hoping to escape the confines of her strict father and excited about learning the ways of womanhood. Her attempt at liberation is thwarted, and her father has her returned home to round-the-clock supervision. Of course, Anna is a most clever girl, and she is able to slip into a women's vote rally, where she meets a police matron and becomes interested in finding out more about police work. Anna is quite spoiled and naive, but she is also highly intelligent and resourceful, and she is definitely bored with being a socialite. Her father has hired a brute of a minder for her, but
her minder is a most greedy woman, so they come to an understanding. This understanding allows Anna to become involved with the LAPD of 1907. She enters into this new world as a series of young prostitutes have been murdered. It is these murders that will take Anna to places no debutante would ever dream of going, but Anna is an exception to so much of her expected life. Her secret life, while fulfilling and exciting, threatens to turn her whole life upside down if her father and fiance discover her subterfuge.
The characters in The Secret Life of Anna Blanc are marvelous, and so they deserve a mention of their own. Anna is at first defined by the restrictive world in which she lives, so she appears rather superficial and self-centered in the beginning. But, Kincheloe is brilliant at character development, and Anna grows into her own, discovering along with the reader just how smart and strong she is. The men in her life--her original intended, her father, her fiance, and the police officers with whom she works--are a varied and fascinating lot and run the gambit from scoundrel to hero. Anna's best friend is a young woman who believes strongly in her role as a society woman in 1907 and tries hard to understand Anna's unconventional ways. The prostitutes with whom Anna comes into contact are a captivating group of women with a common goal of trying to survive a world that can be unkind to women without a man to help her. Lulu, the madam of one establishment is wonderfully colorful and plays an important part in the story. All the characters help to depict both a time when the roles of men and women were clearly defined and when the entry into the Twentieth Century was bringing changes.
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc is Jennifer Kincheloe's debut novel, and it is a remarkable one. Full of history, wit, humor, tragedy, it promises to kick off this author's career with a force of success. I was fortunate to receive a copy of the book from the author at the 2015 Bouchercon, and it is one of the best I scored.
January 8, 2016
A fun mystery set in early 1900s Los Angeles, The Secret Life of Anna Blanc features a spoiled and not altogether endearing title character with a tinge of Phryne Fisher who will annoy and charm readers by turns. Well-written and fast-paced, this novel shows a lot of promise, although the ultimate resolution to the crime left me a bit cold and some of the characters' motivations weren't entirely clear.
Still, though, an enjoyable read and worth checking out if lady detectives and early 20th century mysteries are your thing.
Still, though, an enjoyable read and worth checking out if lady detectives and early 20th century mysteries are your thing.
July 26, 2016
4.5 stars and bravo to this new author!
This is a brilliantly funny book, that is entertaining from page one to the last word..
Anna -- is a young woman who is far advanced for her time (early 1900); although she definitely had some growing up to do, she wanted to do it on her own terms... And that she did.
It's a light read, with a cast of ridiculous characters (just the men, lol) that have you chuckling, shaking your head and at times your fists.
Perfect summer read for laughs, a bit of adventure and of course the obligatory forbidden love!
This is a brilliantly funny book, that is entertaining from page one to the last word..
Anna -- is a young woman who is far advanced for her time (early 1900); although she definitely had some growing up to do, she wanted to do it on her own terms... And that she did.
It's a light read, with a cast of ridiculous characters (just the men, lol) that have you chuckling, shaking your head and at times your fists.
Perfect summer read for laughs, a bit of adventure and of course the obligatory forbidden love!
March 8, 2017
Prepare for me to fan-girl all over this review. You have been warned!
I couldn’t get enough of The Secret Life of Anna Blanc from the moment I picked it up! I listened to it every moment that I had: in the car commuting to work, while at work, while running on the treadmill, out-loud while sitting at home with my husband (which made for some extremely comical discussion!). I didn’t want the book to end and I’m thrilled to learn that this is a series and book 2 is coming out at the end of this year so I can inhale more of Anna Blanc!
One of the things that immediately connected me to this book was the style. It reminded me in many ways of the early Janet Evanovich comedy/romance/mystery novels: girl is completely out of her depths trying to solve a mystery and has no idea what she is doing. Beyond that, Kincheloe’s writing style is full of wit and comedic timing. I was constantly laughing either at what one of the characters was doing or how they were saying it.
Anna is delightfully naïve in the world of the underbelly of society, which makes sense because she comes from money. But she wants to get out and see more of the world, not sit around and wait to get old while her father refuses to find a man for her to marry. She is bold and daring and comes up with an over-the-top way to become employed as a police matron at the local police station. Is she qualified? Not in the slightest. Does she get the job because the man hiring her thinks she is nice to look at? Absolutely.
But despite her lack of skills, somehow Anna manages to get the job done…with a lot help from both willing and unwilling friends and accomplices. Officer Joe Singer is one of those sometimes willing and unwilling friends. Thinking back on it now, he really reminds me a lot of Luke from Gilmore Girls: totally in love with the heroine and will do anything to help her, but will go out of his way to make it seem like a hardship and be grouchy about doing it. I loved how Kincheloe played Anna and Joe off of each other and their conversations were some of the best of the book. The author really knows how to write banter between two people who are so at odds with each other but totally into one another.
Oh, and speaking of the writing – hands down, the best parts were when we get inside Anna’s head and what she is thinking, especially when it comes to romance where she is a complete novice. In terms of what happens in the book, it’s no more than PG-13, but Anna’s thoughts are hilarious in where she takes these rendezvous. (It’s even more hilarious when your husband walks into the room when one of these segments is playing out loud and he abruptly walks back out of the room! I credit the author with some entertaining conversations that arose from this over the rest of the week.)
Beyond the mystery storyline, there is a lot to be said about women, their rights, and how they are perceived during this time. Anna attends a rally for women’s right to vote (really just because she wants to do something sensational), which gets her arrested and infuriates her father. On the job there is a lot of sexist remarks made toward Anna or spoken in front of her (lots of conversations about going to the horse stables with Joe and what that means, true or not). Her father and fiancé are appalled with her antics and want her to be well behaved – she even ends up with a bevy of chaperones and the lengths she goes to in order to get around them are hilarious. Then beyond Anna, there is the whole element of the brothel girls and how the deaths of these girls is handled and how these women are treated. It was all very well integrated into the novel as a whole.
I cannot wait for book 2 to be released and will be on my auto-buy list as I had the most fantastic time reading this book. This is an EXCELLENT debut from this author and I have and will continue to highly recommend this book to everyone I talk with.
Audiobook Impressions:
You know how I was fan-girling hard above? It continues here too!
This was one of THE best audio productions I have listened to and I am even more impressed as it appears it was published by the author, because the quality is that of one of the big name audiobook publishers. It is excellently narrated. Moira Quirk is someone that would now lead me to pick up a book I’m not even interested in because she could interest me in it through her performance (believe me, I have already went and shelved a few of her other works in my Audible wishlist that are paranormal in genre, which isn’t my typical thing). And a performance it truly is. Quirk doesn’t just read the novel, but imbues Kincheloe’s characters with even more life. As I stated above, Kincheloe wrote some amazing characters that I loved, but Quirk brings out their complete nature to where you feel like they are standing in the room next to you. Yes, each character has their own unique voice, but many narrators do that. However, Quirk not only brings a different voice, but you can envision their mannerisms as well just from the way they are speaking. I’m not sure how she does this, but whatever it is, keep doing it! There is quite the range of nationalities and type of personalities in this novel and Quirk makes them all feel truly real, not cookie cutter or stereotyped. And there is singing! Actual singing! That is one of the things that always disappoints me is when a part that is clearly intended to be sung is instead simply read. And while I know that there are often legitimate reasons this has to be done, it does take away from the experience of the book and colors my perception of it.
Loved the book, loved the production, loved the narrator! Go pick up this book in print (if you don’t listen to books), but I HIGHLY encourage you to check out this audiobook production, it is FANTASTIC and you will not regret it!
This review was previously posted at The Maiden's Court blog and a copy was received as part of the tour. My opinions and review are entirely my own.
I couldn’t get enough of The Secret Life of Anna Blanc from the moment I picked it up! I listened to it every moment that I had: in the car commuting to work, while at work, while running on the treadmill, out-loud while sitting at home with my husband (which made for some extremely comical discussion!). I didn’t want the book to end and I’m thrilled to learn that this is a series and book 2 is coming out at the end of this year so I can inhale more of Anna Blanc!
One of the things that immediately connected me to this book was the style. It reminded me in many ways of the early Janet Evanovich comedy/romance/mystery novels: girl is completely out of her depths trying to solve a mystery and has no idea what she is doing. Beyond that, Kincheloe’s writing style is full of wit and comedic timing. I was constantly laughing either at what one of the characters was doing or how they were saying it.
Anna is delightfully naïve in the world of the underbelly of society, which makes sense because she comes from money. But she wants to get out and see more of the world, not sit around and wait to get old while her father refuses to find a man for her to marry. She is bold and daring and comes up with an over-the-top way to become employed as a police matron at the local police station. Is she qualified? Not in the slightest. Does she get the job because the man hiring her thinks she is nice to look at? Absolutely.
But despite her lack of skills, somehow Anna manages to get the job done…with a lot help from both willing and unwilling friends and accomplices. Officer Joe Singer is one of those sometimes willing and unwilling friends. Thinking back on it now, he really reminds me a lot of Luke from Gilmore Girls: totally in love with the heroine and will do anything to help her, but will go out of his way to make it seem like a hardship and be grouchy about doing it. I loved how Kincheloe played Anna and Joe off of each other and their conversations were some of the best of the book. The author really knows how to write banter between two people who are so at odds with each other but totally into one another.
Oh, and speaking of the writing – hands down, the best parts were when we get inside Anna’s head and what she is thinking, especially when it comes to romance where she is a complete novice. In terms of what happens in the book, it’s no more than PG-13, but Anna’s thoughts are hilarious in where she takes these rendezvous. (It’s even more hilarious when your husband walks into the room when one of these segments is playing out loud and he abruptly walks back out of the room! I credit the author with some entertaining conversations that arose from this over the rest of the week.)
Beyond the mystery storyline, there is a lot to be said about women, their rights, and how they are perceived during this time. Anna attends a rally for women’s right to vote (really just because she wants to do something sensational), which gets her arrested and infuriates her father. On the job there is a lot of sexist remarks made toward Anna or spoken in front of her (lots of conversations about going to the horse stables with Joe and what that means, true or not). Her father and fiancé are appalled with her antics and want her to be well behaved – she even ends up with a bevy of chaperones and the lengths she goes to in order to get around them are hilarious. Then beyond Anna, there is the whole element of the brothel girls and how the deaths of these girls is handled and how these women are treated. It was all very well integrated into the novel as a whole.
I cannot wait for book 2 to be released and will be on my auto-buy list as I had the most fantastic time reading this book. This is an EXCELLENT debut from this author and I have and will continue to highly recommend this book to everyone I talk with.
Audiobook Impressions:
You know how I was fan-girling hard above? It continues here too!
This was one of THE best audio productions I have listened to and I am even more impressed as it appears it was published by the author, because the quality is that of one of the big name audiobook publishers. It is excellently narrated. Moira Quirk is someone that would now lead me to pick up a book I’m not even interested in because she could interest me in it through her performance (believe me, I have already went and shelved a few of her other works in my Audible wishlist that are paranormal in genre, which isn’t my typical thing). And a performance it truly is. Quirk doesn’t just read the novel, but imbues Kincheloe’s characters with even more life. As I stated above, Kincheloe wrote some amazing characters that I loved, but Quirk brings out their complete nature to where you feel like they are standing in the room next to you. Yes, each character has their own unique voice, but many narrators do that. However, Quirk not only brings a different voice, but you can envision their mannerisms as well just from the way they are speaking. I’m not sure how she does this, but whatever it is, keep doing it! There is quite the range of nationalities and type of personalities in this novel and Quirk makes them all feel truly real, not cookie cutter or stereotyped. And there is singing! Actual singing! That is one of the things that always disappoints me is when a part that is clearly intended to be sung is instead simply read. And while I know that there are often legitimate reasons this has to be done, it does take away from the experience of the book and colors my perception of it.
Loved the book, loved the production, loved the narrator! Go pick up this book in print (if you don’t listen to books), but I HIGHLY encourage you to check out this audiobook production, it is FANTASTIC and you will not regret it!
This review was previously posted at The Maiden's Court blog and a copy was received as part of the tour. My opinions and review are entirely my own.
July 3, 2019
I liked it. The author was able to show us a protagonist that did stupid things without being stupid. I'm looking forward too seeing Anna fully escape her sheltered existence and find a life for herself.
L.A 1907
L.A 1907
February 9, 2017
It is 1907 Los Angeles, and someone is killing prostitutes.
It is not a series of crimes anyone seems eager to acknowledge, let alone solve. Everyone seems happy to suppose the deaths are all suicides. No, if anyone is going to get to the bottom of this case, it will be Anna Blanc, a ravishing young socialite with a bit of imagination, some powers of observation and a tendency to be distracted by men and the things she might do with them.
This is the backbone of “The Secret Life of Anna Blanc.” Jennifer Kincheloe’s novel is genuinely funny, veering from mystery to romance to slapstick in a fast-paced and amusing plot with a bit of action, to boot. Anna, although somewhat shallow by nature and lacking a good deal of knowledge regarding how the world works, can be forgiven because of her youth. She has redeeming qualities, too; she is observant, curious and determined. Like Catherine in Jane Austen’s “Northanger Abbey,” Anna is quite fond of lurid novels. She imagines herself solving crimes and having adventures, and by golly, she goes right ahead and does both.
As the series continues, we can expect Anna to mature and grow. For now, her youthful impetuousness leads her into all sorts of trouble, and a sexy young socialite getting into trouble and solving crimes is quite fun to read about.
And, oh, does she get into trouble. Anna wanders from one implausible situation to the next, and from one infatuation to the next, but that’s OK. The deeper the hole she digs for herself, the more fun it is to read on to see how she gets out of it.
Anna also has to cope with a great number of problems familiar to modern women everywhere; at times while reading you might think we’ve come a long way since 1907. At other times, you’ll realize maybe we haven’t come that far, after all. In any event, I am certain female readers will feel a good deal of empathy, and I think male readers might just learn a damned thing or two.
Kincheloe writes with wit and a keen sense of pace. I suspect she has a hit series on her hands, and I look forward to more of Anna’s preposterous adventures.
It is not a series of crimes anyone seems eager to acknowledge, let alone solve. Everyone seems happy to suppose the deaths are all suicides. No, if anyone is going to get to the bottom of this case, it will be Anna Blanc, a ravishing young socialite with a bit of imagination, some powers of observation and a tendency to be distracted by men and the things she might do with them.
This is the backbone of “The Secret Life of Anna Blanc.” Jennifer Kincheloe’s novel is genuinely funny, veering from mystery to romance to slapstick in a fast-paced and amusing plot with a bit of action, to boot. Anna, although somewhat shallow by nature and lacking a good deal of knowledge regarding how the world works, can be forgiven because of her youth. She has redeeming qualities, too; she is observant, curious and determined. Like Catherine in Jane Austen’s “Northanger Abbey,” Anna is quite fond of lurid novels. She imagines herself solving crimes and having adventures, and by golly, she goes right ahead and does both.
As the series continues, we can expect Anna to mature and grow. For now, her youthful impetuousness leads her into all sorts of trouble, and a sexy young socialite getting into trouble and solving crimes is quite fun to read about.
And, oh, does she get into trouble. Anna wanders from one implausible situation to the next, and from one infatuation to the next, but that’s OK. The deeper the hole she digs for herself, the more fun it is to read on to see how she gets out of it.
Anna also has to cope with a great number of problems familiar to modern women everywhere; at times while reading you might think we’ve come a long way since 1907. At other times, you’ll realize maybe we haven’t come that far, after all. In any event, I am certain female readers will feel a good deal of empathy, and I think male readers might just learn a damned thing or two.
Kincheloe writes with wit and a keen sense of pace. I suspect she has a hit series on her hands, and I look forward to more of Anna’s preposterous adventures.
August 14, 2015
RATING 4.5
BISCUITS THIS BOOK WAS ALL KINDS OF AMAZING! Review sometime soooooon
8/14/15 Check out my review here: http://www.owlalwaysbereading.com/201...
I was sold body and soul to the description for The Secret Life of Anna Blanc. I someway, somehow was going to get this book even if I had to beg and beg and beg; yup that's how badly I need it in my life. Luckily the book gods were in my favor and I was able to read TSLOAB the same day I requested from Edelweiss.
I knew The Secret Life of Anna Blanc was going to be all kinds of amazing and I am so so so glad I was proved right. Now all I need is my roscoe and Joe Singer and I'm set to take on the world, Anna Blanc style.
Anna Blanc has so much spirit and the fact that she wanted to solve crimes and be a detective even though females weren't suppose to want those things back in the day made her stand out as a character even more. She made a few mistakes while solving her crimes but no one's perfect and let me tell you Anna's adventures are pretty daring and crazy and I loved every moment of. I also enjoyed the fact the mystery in this book was really good.The thing about books involving mystery is that I usually know right off the bat who's the killer/sociopath and in The Secret Life I had no idea who the bad guy was.
Biscuits!!! The Secret life of Anna Blanc had me feeling like I was living and breathing in the 1900s. The amount of detail that Jennifer Kincheloe placed in her book made this story that much more alluring. From what the woman and men wore, to the way the characters talked and acted, Jennifer didn't miss a single beat.
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc is a debut novel full of charm and mystery and I will be rereading this story over and over.
BISCUITS THIS BOOK WAS ALL KINDS OF AMAZING! Review sometime soooooon
8/14/15 Check out my review here: http://www.owlalwaysbereading.com/201...
I was sold body and soul to the description for The Secret Life of Anna Blanc. I someway, somehow was going to get this book even if I had to beg and beg and beg; yup that's how badly I need it in my life. Luckily the book gods were in my favor and I was able to read TSLOAB the same day I requested from Edelweiss.
I knew The Secret Life of Anna Blanc was going to be all kinds of amazing and I am so so so glad I was proved right. Now all I need is my roscoe and Joe Singer and I'm set to take on the world, Anna Blanc style.
Anna Blanc has so much spirit and the fact that she wanted to solve crimes and be a detective even though females weren't suppose to want those things back in the day made her stand out as a character even more. She made a few mistakes while solving her crimes but no one's perfect and let me tell you Anna's adventures are pretty daring and crazy and I loved every moment of. I also enjoyed the fact the mystery in this book was really good.The thing about books involving mystery is that I usually know right off the bat who's the killer/sociopath and in The Secret Life I had no idea who the bad guy was.
Biscuits!!! The Secret life of Anna Blanc had me feeling like I was living and breathing in the 1900s. The amount of detail that Jennifer Kincheloe placed in her book made this story that much more alluring. From what the woman and men wore, to the way the characters talked and acted, Jennifer didn't miss a single beat.
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc is a debut novel full of charm and mystery and I will be rereading this story over and over.
July 4, 2015
Long fascinated by crime novels, Anna Blanc sheds her socialite ways and jumps into action by disguising herself as a police matron, and then heads straight into danger as she goes out on her own to solve a series of prostitute murders in 1907 Los Angeles. Jennifer Kincheloe’s Anna Blanc is a character for the ages. Not to be confined by manners—society’s demands of perfection, respectability and restraint on a woman—Anna resists the era she was born into to be fully human and alive. That attitude and spirit alone are worth the read. But it is the attention to historical detail, the spot-on use of 1907 language (I’ll be exclaiming “Biscuits!” from now until forever), and Kincheloe’s skilled plotting talent that really shined for me. Blackmail, deceit, and betrayal should never be underestimated; all are here to experience as if it were for the first time. The Secret Life of Anna Blanc is a brilliant debut that exceeds the expectation of genre and rushes full force, like Anna herself, into one of the best novels that I’ve read in a long time.
March 23, 2016
I'm so impressed by this mystery! It's fresh, charming, and reminiscent of Miss Fisher's Mysteries.
The story follows Anna Blanc, a budding socialite who wants nothing more than freedom from her strict father. Then she meets a woman at a suffrage march who makes her believe she can achieve her true dream of solving crimes.
I loved the setting of early 1900s Las Angeles, an unusual setting for mysteries, and could really visualize the way things were back then.
At first I wasn't entirely sold on Anna's character...She seemed so naive and self-centered, but she really grew on me as the story progressed. The romance was sweet and believable, and Joe was probably my favorite character (it was cute that his surname was Singer when that's exactly what he had a penchant for).
The mystery itself was enjoyable. I had no idea whodunit up until the very end. If I have one criticism, it's that the ending felt a tad rushed. However, that being said, I'll definitely check out book 2!
The story follows Anna Blanc, a budding socialite who wants nothing more than freedom from her strict father. Then she meets a woman at a suffrage march who makes her believe she can achieve her true dream of solving crimes.
I loved the setting of early 1900s Las Angeles, an unusual setting for mysteries, and could really visualize the way things were back then.
At first I wasn't entirely sold on Anna's character...She seemed so naive and self-centered, but she really grew on me as the story progressed. The romance was sweet and believable, and Joe was probably my favorite character (it was cute that his surname was Singer when that's exactly what he had a penchant for).
The mystery itself was enjoyable. I had no idea whodunit up until the very end. If I have one criticism, it's that the ending felt a tad rushed. However, that being said, I'll definitely check out book 2!
Read
January 21, 2016Graded By: Jennie
Cover Story: Big Hat
BFF Charm: Single White Female
Swoonworthy Scale: 7
Talky Talk: Oh Biscuits!
Bonus Factors: Sweet Ride, Fashion
Relationship Status: You Fill My Dance Card
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Big Hat
BFF Charm: Single White Female
Swoonworthy Scale: 7
Talky Talk: Oh Biscuits!
Bonus Factors: Sweet Ride, Fashion
Relationship Status: You Fill My Dance Card
Read the full book report here.
March 5, 2017
I received this in a Goodreads Giveaway. This was a quick, entertaining romp, and I would love to see more of Anna Blanc! The historical setting was interesting and really influenced Anna's voice and perspective on things. The mystery aspect of the novel is great, but I was most interested in Anna's transformation and her romantic relationships. 4 stars!!
October 22, 2015
Loved the setting/period of the book, and the idea of the book. However, at times, Anna just got on my nerves. I sympathized for her VERY restrictive/privileged life, but she could have handled things a lot better. (But that's my personal opinion.)
September 29, 2017
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc left me chuckling throughout the whole story. Anna could totally be Hercule Poirot’s crazy niece. Her deduction skills are great, but she’s not your run of the mill sleuth.
She’s a socialite who wants something more.
The setting of the story takes place during the early 1900s in LA. I went in thinking it was going to be a sort of Noire type read, but it totally exceeded my expectations. There were gruesome crimes, but the tone was lightened up with Anna’s antics. And boy, there is never a dull moment when Anna is around. In her world the men are overtly sexist. Women of class are just supposed to marry and run a good household and never have scandals. The fast paced beginning of the story took me on an incredible journey while Anna provided the turbulence.
Anna has a secret hobby of reading police procedurals and anatomy books. She’s focused on detection stories and hoards them in her room away from the prying eyes of her maid and her father. I might have cringed at her ruining some of the books and burning them to get rid of the evidence of her hobbies, but hey, don’t let that deter you. So naturally she becomes a police matron and fulfills her fantasy of being a detective that way.
I loved the dialogue and how she always swore, but in a totally born in polite society 1900s way. “Biscuits!” and “Jupiter!” are her favorite exclamations. I found my self saying those the other day. (Let me just say I got a few odd looks from my husband).
“Would you kindly refresh my memory? What is a crib?”
He looked up and mouthed the words, “A low-class brothel.”
Anna burst out, “She wants me to go to a brothel? Jupiter!”
There was an obsession of hers with the “Arrow Collar Man” and I had to look it up. She kept using that term for Joe, her love interest and I just had to find out what the heck she was talking about.
I really enjoyed the crime solving as well. The theme of dead prostitutes might be overdone but it still was interesting. Anna’s deduction was fun to read and her interviews and forays all over town were hilarious.
“She’s with the LAPD?” Big Cindy leaned away from Anna.
Madame Lulu rolled her eyes. “God no. She’s from the DDDA. The Dumb Debutante Detective Agency. You don’t tell nobody, you hear? And look out for her. She doesn’t have a lick of sense.”
Besides there being a somewhat annoying relationship between her and Joe, the on again off again, hot to cold-ness to it could be a little tiresome and there were some repetitive things, it was still a fun read. Having gotten to read the next book in the series (not out yet) I would recommend reading this one first just in case you are reading this after the second books’ release.
February 8, 2018
In 1907, Anna Blanc is not your typical young lady. Her overbrearing father doesn't help matters one bit.
In a time when social expectations for young ladies do not include a deep interest in crime novels. Anna Blanc devours them - in secret - by hiding them behind fake covers.
Anna is kept in check by her father even when she is out of his sight when he hires a chauffer to watch her every move when she away from home. It is imperitive that Anna behave so as not to lose her fiancee, who is quite wealthy and his helping daddy with his struggling bank.
Finally, Anna has had enough. She buys off the chauffer (money speaks) so she can be alone. She assumes a fake identity and takes a job as a police matron with the Los Angeles police department. When she realizes the officers are not investigating a rash of murders at a local brothel, she becomes enraged and secretly begins an investigation herself.
Unfortunately, one of the men realizes who she really is and decides to make her life extremely hard. Blackmail. Torn between wanting to help the women in the brothel and having her identity revealed (and thus most likely losing her fiancee which would enrage her father), Anna has some hard decisions to make.
In a time when social expectations for young ladies do not include a deep interest in crime novels. Anna Blanc devours them - in secret - by hiding them behind fake covers.
Anna is kept in check by her father even when she is out of his sight when he hires a chauffer to watch her every move when she away from home. It is imperitive that Anna behave so as not to lose her fiancee, who is quite wealthy and his helping daddy with his struggling bank.
Finally, Anna has had enough. She buys off the chauffer (money speaks) so she can be alone. She assumes a fake identity and takes a job as a police matron with the Los Angeles police department. When she realizes the officers are not investigating a rash of murders at a local brothel, she becomes enraged and secretly begins an investigation herself.
Unfortunately, one of the men realizes who she really is and decides to make her life extremely hard. Blackmail. Torn between wanting to help the women in the brothel and having her identity revealed (and thus most likely losing her fiancee which would enrage her father), Anna has some hard decisions to make.
February 4, 2020
Normally I don’t read much historical fiction but the synopsis caught my eye right away.A strong female lead who is breaking the norm and doing what she wants to do. Yes please!!
Heading into this story I wasn’t sure what to expect but almost straight away I was hooked with this story. The main character Anna Blanc is a very mischievous, stubborn, strong female lead who takes no shit from anyone especially men who tell her she can’t do something. Anna is also very innocent in the sense of men, she doesn’t really understand sex which was really intriguing to follow her though process as she is trying to fall in love with her fiance.
This book was really intriguing and kept me hooked the whole way through. I loved the tension and mystery that the author created throughout this investigation and following Anna as she tries to save the brothel women.
I loved the reveal at the end of this story. I never would have guessed who the murderer was although I was 90% sure I knew who it was but I was very wrong.
I listened to this as an audio book and I really loved the narrator. She did a great job at distinguishing the characters and doing many different voices and accents which I loved! It was a superb audio book.
This was a fantastic novel and I truly loved following Anna and I would love to read more from this wonderful author.
http://www.foreverthewanderer.ie/the-...
Heading into this story I wasn’t sure what to expect but almost straight away I was hooked with this story. The main character Anna Blanc is a very mischievous, stubborn, strong female lead who takes no shit from anyone especially men who tell her she can’t do something. Anna is also very innocent in the sense of men, she doesn’t really understand sex which was really intriguing to follow her though process as she is trying to fall in love with her fiance.
This book was really intriguing and kept me hooked the whole way through. I loved the tension and mystery that the author created throughout this investigation and following Anna as she tries to save the brothel women.
I loved the reveal at the end of this story. I never would have guessed who the murderer was although I was 90% sure I knew who it was but I was very wrong.
I listened to this as an audio book and I really loved the narrator. She did a great job at distinguishing the characters and doing many different voices and accents which I loved! It was a superb audio book.
This was a fantastic novel and I truly loved following Anna and I would love to read more from this wonderful author.
http://www.foreverthewanderer.ie/the-...
September 24, 2017
I genuinely enjoyed this book. One of the reviews I read before I started it described Anna as irritating and when I started the book I could see what she meant. The character very quickly grew on me though. Anna is a girl of her time and class trying desperately to be something else and her determination in the face of overwhelming odds is really engaging.
The book has a good sense of period and is very funny in places, fast paced and easy to read. I’m not going to give any spoilers about the plot and how it goes, but Anna has got me hooked and I’m looking forward to reading book two. I’m a fan of historical mystery series, especially those with a sense of humour, and I’m hoping that Anna runs and runs - I’d like to see how she grows up.
The book has a good sense of period and is very funny in places, fast paced and easy to read. I’m not going to give any spoilers about the plot and how it goes, but Anna has got me hooked and I’m looking forward to reading book two. I’m a fan of historical mystery series, especially those with a sense of humour, and I’m hoping that Anna runs and runs - I’d like to see how she grows up.
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