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Blanche White #1
Blanche on the Lam
Blanche White lends a refreshing African-American, female twist to the mystery tradition, as she turns from domestic worker to insightful--if reluctant--sleuth. A middle-aged housekeeper with a strong sense of humor, Blanche becomes an unlikely yet ingenious sleuth when murder disrupts the wealthy household of her employers.
215 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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6603 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Neely
9 books293 followersBarbara Neely was a novelist, short story writer, and author of the popular Blanche White mystery novels. The first book in this series, BLANCHE ON THE LAM, won the Agatha, the Macavity, and the Anthony -- three of the four major mystery awards for best first novel -- as well as the Go On Girl! Book Club award for a debut novel. The subsequent books in the series, BLANCHE AMONG THE TALENTED TENTH, BLANCHE CLEANS UP and BLANCHE PASSES GO have also received critical acclaim from both fans and literary critics. Books in the Blanche White series have been taught in courses at universities as varied as Howard University, Northwestern, Bryn Mawr, Old Dominion, Boston College, Appalachian State University, Washington State University and Guttenberg University in Mainz, Germany. Books in the series have been translated into French, German and Japanese.
Neely’s short stories have appeared in anthologies, magazines, university texts, and journals including: Things that divide us, Speaking for Ourselves, Constellations, Literature: Reading and Writing the Human Experience, Breaking Ice, Essence, and Obsidian II.
Ms. Neely has also had an extensive public sector career. She designed and directed the first community-based corrections facility for women in Pennsylvania, directed a branch of the YWCA, and headed a consultant firm for non-profits. She was part of an evaluative research team at the Institute for Social Research, the Executive Director of Women for Economic Justice, and a radio producer for Africa News Service. For her activism Neely has received the Community Works Social Action Award for Leadership and Activism for Women's Rights and Economic Justice, and the Fighting for Women's Voices Award from the Coalition for Basic Human Needs.
Series:
* Blanche White
Neely’s short stories have appeared in anthologies, magazines, university texts, and journals including: Things that divide us, Speaking for Ourselves, Constellations, Literature: Reading and Writing the Human Experience, Breaking Ice, Essence, and Obsidian II.
Ms. Neely has also had an extensive public sector career. She designed and directed the first community-based corrections facility for women in Pennsylvania, directed a branch of the YWCA, and headed a consultant firm for non-profits. She was part of an evaluative research team at the Institute for Social Research, the Executive Director of Women for Economic Justice, and a radio producer for Africa News Service. For her activism Neely has received the Community Works Social Action Award for Leadership and Activism for Women's Rights and Economic Justice, and the Fighting for Women's Voices Award from the Coalition for Basic Human Needs.
Series:
* Blanche White
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 739 reviews
March 15, 2015
https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2014/...
Remember how I said I grew up on Christie? It took college to really open my eyes to the insight that I had read very few books by authors who were not white and from an American or British tradition. It became a personal project to increase the diversity of my reading (while still hanging in my favorite genres of mystery, sci-fi and fantasy). I was scanning through my college’s small bookstore, looking for my books for the semester when I saw the Penguin paperback edition of Blanche, no doubt on the list for some literature class. I quickly grabbed it and settled down for a read. Blanche on the Lam held my attention, but even more than that, it shares and affirms an experience seldom portrayed in literature.
Blanche is an African-American domestic worker, recently moved to North Carolina after unsettling events in NYC. She’s barely making ends meet, living with her opinionated mother and taking care of her deceased sister’s two children. When called into court for a bounced check, nerves and claustrophobia get the best of her and she makes a run for it before she can be taken into jail for a multiple-month sentence. Needing someplace to stay, she decides to show up at a temporary agency job she had already refused, claiming to be her replacement. It turns out a couple, their elderly aunt and disabled cousin will be traveling to their country retreat for a week, giving the normal servants a week off. As she tries to mitigate the idiosyncrasies of her new employers and come up with a strategy to deal with being a fugitive, she realizes her employers are acting extremely strange, even for white people. When an elderly black gardener shares his own concerns with Blanche, she starts to fear for her safety.
Once I got past my struggle with the idea that Blanche would become a fugitive over a check-cashing case, I enjoyed the plot. It begins more like literary fiction, with Blanche primarily focused on solving her current problem, as well as developing a strategy for caring for herself and the children. Tempted to go AWOL from her life, the story is about her as much as the mystery. In fact, while she notes the oddness in her employer’s household, she isn’t really drawn into their troubles until the black gardener is found dead. Unlike many amateur sleuths, Blanche is a reluctant investigator, adding a more realistic angle to the story.
“Blanche had learned long ago that signs of pleasant stupidity in household help made some employers feel more comfortable, as though their wallets, their car keys, and their ideas about themselves were all safe. Putting on a dumb act was something many black people considered unacceptable, but she sometimes found it a useful place to hide.”
Characterization is interesting, and clearly a strong point of the mystery. Blanche is a practical, straight-forward person that has realized that sometimes the best way to get along is to keep her mouth shut, but she’s only able to do that for so long. Despite her own relative poverty, Blanche has had a wealth of experiences providing insight into human nature. Neely stated in an interview that she started the Blanche story as a way to deal with writer’s block on another project and was surprised by the enthusiastic reception Blanche received. As a lifelong activist, she was interested in presenting “political fiction” as she wrote from the perspective of the underrepresented, that of a “poor black woman (a nice interview with Ms. here).
There’s aspects that do make this feel like a first book. Although the plotting and characterization are quite good, the tone can be a bit didactic, with Blanche doing a great deal of ‘telling’ through her inner voice. While insightful, it could have been less heavy-handed, done through memories or experiences. During my second read, I found myself far less tolerant of it; not that I minded the message, but that it could have been so much meaningfully relayed through action. Otherwise, the writing style is sophisticated, with nice variety. Blanche’s observations give a nice sense of the opulent homes and the Carolina setting.
A number of the reviews I’ve seen mentioned that they found this book through criticism of The Help, and I’d definitely encourage reading about Blanche over the moviefied version. I recommend the series it if you are a mystery fan interested in broadening your reading experience.
Remember how I said I grew up on Christie? It took college to really open my eyes to the insight that I had read very few books by authors who were not white and from an American or British tradition. It became a personal project to increase the diversity of my reading (while still hanging in my favorite genres of mystery, sci-fi and fantasy). I was scanning through my college’s small bookstore, looking for my books for the semester when I saw the Penguin paperback edition of Blanche, no doubt on the list for some literature class. I quickly grabbed it and settled down for a read. Blanche on the Lam held my attention, but even more than that, it shares and affirms an experience seldom portrayed in literature.
Blanche is an African-American domestic worker, recently moved to North Carolina after unsettling events in NYC. She’s barely making ends meet, living with her opinionated mother and taking care of her deceased sister’s two children. When called into court for a bounced check, nerves and claustrophobia get the best of her and she makes a run for it before she can be taken into jail for a multiple-month sentence. Needing someplace to stay, she decides to show up at a temporary agency job she had already refused, claiming to be her replacement. It turns out a couple, their elderly aunt and disabled cousin will be traveling to their country retreat for a week, giving the normal servants a week off. As she tries to mitigate the idiosyncrasies of her new employers and come up with a strategy to deal with being a fugitive, she realizes her employers are acting extremely strange, even for white people. When an elderly black gardener shares his own concerns with Blanche, she starts to fear for her safety.
Once I got past my struggle with the idea that Blanche would become a fugitive over a check-cashing case, I enjoyed the plot. It begins more like literary fiction, with Blanche primarily focused on solving her current problem, as well as developing a strategy for caring for herself and the children. Tempted to go AWOL from her life, the story is about her as much as the mystery. In fact, while she notes the oddness in her employer’s household, she isn’t really drawn into their troubles until the black gardener is found dead. Unlike many amateur sleuths, Blanche is a reluctant investigator, adding a more realistic angle to the story.
“Blanche had learned long ago that signs of pleasant stupidity in household help made some employers feel more comfortable, as though their wallets, their car keys, and their ideas about themselves were all safe. Putting on a dumb act was something many black people considered unacceptable, but she sometimes found it a useful place to hide.”
Characterization is interesting, and clearly a strong point of the mystery. Blanche is a practical, straight-forward person that has realized that sometimes the best way to get along is to keep her mouth shut, but she’s only able to do that for so long. Despite her own relative poverty, Blanche has had a wealth of experiences providing insight into human nature. Neely stated in an interview that she started the Blanche story as a way to deal with writer’s block on another project and was surprised by the enthusiastic reception Blanche received. As a lifelong activist, she was interested in presenting “political fiction” as she wrote from the perspective of the underrepresented, that of a “poor black woman (a nice interview with Ms. here).
There’s aspects that do make this feel like a first book. Although the plotting and characterization are quite good, the tone can be a bit didactic, with Blanche doing a great deal of ‘telling’ through her inner voice. While insightful, it could have been less heavy-handed, done through memories or experiences. During my second read, I found myself far less tolerant of it; not that I minded the message, but that it could have been so much meaningfully relayed through action. Otherwise, the writing style is sophisticated, with nice variety. Blanche’s observations give a nice sense of the opulent homes and the Carolina setting.
A number of the reviews I’ve seen mentioned that they found this book through criticism of The Help, and I’d definitely encourage reading about Blanche over the moviefied version. I recommend the series it if you are a mystery fan interested in broadening your reading experience.
March 10, 2017
Blanche White is not exactly a fairy tale heroine like her near namesake, Snow White. She is a strong-minded, kind-hearted woman, who is also a housekeeper in the "post-racial" South. Blanche likes her job and is good at it. One of the many joys of this detective book are the mouth watering descriptions of Blanche's superb Southern cooking. My diet was sorely tempted by these sections!
While on the run for a minor check cashing incident, Blanche ends up at a creepy Southern mansion. She is surrounded by a satisfyingly dysfunctional cast of characters: a frail blonde second wife, a drunken matriarch, a bullying womaniser, a racist Sheriff, and an elderly gardener who knows more than he lets on. It's not long before the bodies are piling up, and Blanche is in fear of her life.
This is skilful writing that seamlessly combines a pacy plot with sharp observations on racism, sexism, and poverty. I laughed out loud in recognition of some of Blanche's strategies for dealing with these issues. The whodunnit aspect is a little superficial hence only 4 stars. But I've bought all the remaining Blanche books, so I'm now a fully paid up Blanche White fan. This is perfect light reading.
While on the run for a minor check cashing incident, Blanche ends up at a creepy Southern mansion. She is surrounded by a satisfyingly dysfunctional cast of characters: a frail blonde second wife, a drunken matriarch, a bullying womaniser, a racist Sheriff, and an elderly gardener who knows more than he lets on. It's not long before the bodies are piling up, and Blanche is in fear of her life.
This is skilful writing that seamlessly combines a pacy plot with sharp observations on racism, sexism, and poverty. I laughed out loud in recognition of some of Blanche's strategies for dealing with these issues. The whodunnit aspect is a little superficial hence only 4 stars. But I've bought all the remaining Blanche books, so I'm now a fully paid up Blanche White fan. This is perfect light reading.
July 8, 2015
I first read Blanche on the Lam in the 1990s, when I devoured all four of the books in the series. Blanche White was unlike any other amateur sleuth anywhere: resilient, generous, comfortable in her own skin, savvy, determined — well, sometimes downright too stubborn for her own good — but absolutely a gem.
Imagine my dismay when, after 2000’s Blanche Passes Go, author Barbara Neely went silent. No more Blanche! No more candid observations about race, gender, body image, or class! No more incredibly original mysteries! Desperate, I even emailed some university where Neely was teaching a course in the hopes that so many of us were begging that she’d reconsider.
So imagine my delight when I saw that Blanche on the Lam was being re-released in the Kindle format! An entire new generation can discover the opinionated, clever zaftig domestic worker for themselves!
In the debut novel, Blanche takes refuge in Hokeysville, N.C., as a maid in a home right out of Southern Gothic Monthly: the privileged but nervy Miz Grace, Grace’s shifty husband Everett, the feeble-minded cousin Mumsfield, and Aunt Emmeline, the reclusive, rich crone. Like a modern-day Amanda Wingfield, Miz Grace tries to pretend that everything’s just peachy on the plantation, but Blanche doesn’t take long to figure out that something murderous is afoot.
Readers will love the humor, the clever plotting, and, most of all, the irrepressible Blanche herself. Here’s to hoping that the rest of the series makes it onto the ebook format soon.
And, Ms. Neely? It’s still not too late to continue the series. Just sayin’.
Imagine my dismay when, after 2000’s Blanche Passes Go, author Barbara Neely went silent. No more Blanche! No more candid observations about race, gender, body image, or class! No more incredibly original mysteries! Desperate, I even emailed some university where Neely was teaching a course in the hopes that so many of us were begging that she’d reconsider.
So imagine my delight when I saw that Blanche on the Lam was being re-released in the Kindle format! An entire new generation can discover the opinionated, clever zaftig domestic worker for themselves!
In the debut novel, Blanche takes refuge in Hokeysville, N.C., as a maid in a home right out of Southern Gothic Monthly: the privileged but nervy Miz Grace, Grace’s shifty husband Everett, the feeble-minded cousin Mumsfield, and Aunt Emmeline, the reclusive, rich crone. Like a modern-day Amanda Wingfield, Miz Grace tries to pretend that everything’s just peachy on the plantation, but Blanche doesn’t take long to figure out that something murderous is afoot.
Readers will love the humor, the clever plotting, and, most of all, the irrepressible Blanche herself. Here’s to hoping that the rest of the series makes it onto the ebook format soon.
And, Ms. Neely? It’s still not too late to continue the series. Just sayin’.
March 6, 2021
She didn't doubt that she could find out what he was hiding. A family couldn't have domestic help and secrets.
A woman whose biggest crime was writing a few bad checks - surely Blanche didn't deserve thirty days in jail, and so when the opportunity knocked . . . Blanche took off. Now a wanted fugitive, she finds herself mistaken for a missing housekeeper.
A wry smile lifted the corners of Blanche's mouth. Life did seem to be poking fun at her, sometimes. Even on the run she had to clean up after people.
Though not an ideal situation, it's the perfect place to lie low for a while until she can get her tax refund and leave town. Unfortunately her new employers are an unpleasant family - one that might just include a murderer. But, unfortunately for them, they suffer from the mistaken belief that hired hands didn't think, weren't curious, or observant, or capable of drawing the most obvious of conclusions. Blanche plays it cool, keeping her observations to herself.
She had plenty of experience not seeing what went on in her customer's homes, like black eyes, specks of white powder left on silver-backed mirrors, cuff links with the wrong initials under the bed, and prescriptions for herpes.
Until . . . someone goes too far, and Blanche will need to find a way to expose the wrong-doing without having the blame fall squarely on her own shoulders.
I really enjoyed this one. Blanche is a detective with an unusual perspective, and unique opportunities for finding clues, and her wry commentary made the book refreshing and fun. I hope to continue exploring more of her adventures.
This book is our March group read in the Pulp Fiction Group - https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... - if you'd care to read along and discuss.
A woman whose biggest crime was writing a few bad checks - surely Blanche didn't deserve thirty days in jail, and so when the opportunity knocked . . . Blanche took off. Now a wanted fugitive, she finds herself mistaken for a missing housekeeper.
A wry smile lifted the corners of Blanche's mouth. Life did seem to be poking fun at her, sometimes. Even on the run she had to clean up after people.
Though not an ideal situation, it's the perfect place to lie low for a while until she can get her tax refund and leave town. Unfortunately her new employers are an unpleasant family - one that might just include a murderer. But, unfortunately for them, they suffer from the mistaken belief that hired hands didn't think, weren't curious, or observant, or capable of drawing the most obvious of conclusions. Blanche plays it cool, keeping her observations to herself.
She had plenty of experience not seeing what went on in her customer's homes, like black eyes, specks of white powder left on silver-backed mirrors, cuff links with the wrong initials under the bed, and prescriptions for herpes.
Until . . . someone goes too far, and Blanche will need to find a way to expose the wrong-doing without having the blame fall squarely on her own shoulders.
I really enjoyed this one. Blanche is a detective with an unusual perspective, and unique opportunities for finding clues, and her wry commentary made the book refreshing and fun. I hope to continue exploring more of her adventures.
This book is our March group read in the Pulp Fiction Group - https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... - if you'd care to read along and discuss.
April 7, 2023
I enjoyed reading about a Black woman in the world of crime. Looking forward to reading book two. Blanche appears to be a woman on a criminal mission.
January 4, 2015
I received a copy of Blanche on the Lam: A Blanche White Mystery through Netgalley, offered by Brash Books, in exchange for an honest review.
Blanche on the Lam, Barbary Neely, First Ed., St. Martin's Press, New York, New York, 1992
Barbara Neely, Social Activist, and Author, born 1941, Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Still hoping to find an employer willing to pay for a full service domestic instead of the bunch of so-called genteel Southern white women for whom she currently did day work. Most of them seemed to think she ought to be delighted to swab their toilets and trash cans for a pittance."
Blanche White, a savvy and independent black woman finds herself in Farleigh, North Carolina, living with her mother and the two children she had promised her sister, Valerie, dying of breast cancer, she would raise and see to their well being. It's not an easy life.
This is not the life Blanche had planned for herself. She never intended on marrying. Children weren't in the picture. A practical woman, she knew her services as a full time domestic were valuable. Up north, in New York, she had earned a good living. But that was before her sister died and she made a promise she was committed to keep.
About Farleigh, North Carolina. I didn't find it on the North Carolina map. Perhaps Ms. Neely changed the location to protect the guilty. However, other North Carolina locations are bantered about without concern. For Neely's purposes, the name suffices, establishing Blanche the domestic, a resident of the South, whose importance is of little note to the white citizens of the community, authoritarian, social or otherwise.
Farleigh was still a country town, for all its pretensions. The folks who lived here and had money, even the really wealthy ones, thought they were still living slavery days, when a black woman was greateful for the chance to work indoors. Even at the going rate in Farleigh she'd found no black people in town who could afford her--not that working for black people ensured good treatment, sad to say.
Things really turn sour for Blanche when she's arrested on warrants for bad checks. Checks she wrote for groceries to support her niece and nephew, counting on her employers making good on her payday. However her employers decided to take a powder, uhm, vacation, to Topsail Beach, or some other likely vacation spot.
Blanche ends up before a Judge who got up on the wrong side of the bed, mistakenly reads her record, and becomes indignant to find her before the Court a fourth time. Thirty days in jail, plus restitution. It crosses one's mind how anyone makes restitution while incarcerated.
Blanche panics. Away from her children, yes, she's come to look on them as her own, for thirty days? The County's liable to come calling and her children will be in the State Foster Care system. At the first opportunity when a brouhaha breaks out in the courtroom, Blanche goes on the lam.
That's when things get interesting. Blanche was scheduled to take a placement through an employment service. What better way to go into hiding working for wealthy white folks. And Blanche only thought she was in trouble.
One Cranberry Way. A week long job. Time to figure out how to handle this check problem. Get a lawyer. That's what she should have done.
The occupants of One Cranberry Way are the Carter family. Aunt Emmaline is the family matriarch. Who would have thought it? She parlayed a $50,000.00 inheritance from her late husband into a fortune in the stock market. Do we need a reminder that money is the root of many evils?
Niece Grace's parents are dead. She's a likely heir upon Emmaline's death. She is married to Everett, a villain from the point of being introduced into the cast of characters. Grace is his second wife. His first was murdered. Having a cast iron alibi, Everett, reaps the benefit of wife One's legacy. But that money is gone.
The other likely heir is Mumsfield, cousin to Grace. Mumsfield is the most sympathetic character in the novel. With a diagnosis of Mosaic Mongolism, Mumsfield functions quiet highly. Derided constantly by Everett, Mumsfield is drawn to Blanche who treats him kindly.
Blanche intuitively recognizes that Everett and Grace mean to gain Aunt Emmaline's estate. If appointed Mumsfield's guardians, Emmaline's fortune is at their disposal.
Blanche and Mumsfield share a kind of invisibility in the Carter household. A black domestic and an adolescent deemed incapable of understanding the manipulations of Aunt Emmaline going on underneath their noses are things that Everett and Grace are confident will not be unraveled before the money is safely in their hands.
However, events take a turn toward violence. Everett and the Sheriff apparently are at odds of serious import to one another. Blanche overhears a sharp interchange between the two. The following morning, the radio news carries the story that the Sheriff committed suicide the previous night, driving his car over O'man's bluff.
Old Nate, the long time Carter gardener, drops by the kitchen to talk to Blanche over a cup of coffee.
"Hear about the Sheriff?" He asked her without a 'Hello' or 'How are you?' He didn't even wait for Blanche to answer. 'Shame, ain't it?' he added. But the huge grin that turned his face intho that of a much younger, more carefree man didn't match his words. It was probably events like the sheriff's death that got her slave ancestors a reputation for being happy, childlike, and able to grin in the face of the worst disaster. She could just see some old slaver trying to find a reason why the slaves did a jig when the overseer died.
But Blanche knows there are things better ignored.
It would be better to forget about the sheriff's visits, his conversations with Everett, and the limousine rolling silently down the drive that shouldn't be a problem. She had plenty of experience not seeing what went on in her customer's homes, like black eyes, specks of white powder left on silver backed mirrors, cufflinks with the wrong initials under the bed, and prescriptions for herpes. She was particularly good at not seeing anything that might be dangerous or illegal. But as good as she was at being blind, there were certain things she couldn't overlook.
However, the sheriff is only the first to go. The body count increases. Will Blanche herself leave her job safely? And what about Mumsfield? Who's to take care of him. Or will she "be murdered over some white people's shit that didn't have a damned thing to do with him?" It would be easier to skip town and head to Boston, lose herself back up North. Send for the kids when it was safe. But things just happen to fast.
Neely knows how to spin a yarn. This is not your conventional mystery. Rather, Neely relies on building characterization of the main players in this tale of a family divided by its greed for the family fortune. The dialog is sharp. Blanche is a refreshingly savvy investigator, though a reluctant one. Interwoven into a well plotted story is a starkly honest portrayal of black anger in the face of a heritage of white oppression.
It's no spoiler that Blanche survives. This is the beginning of a series. Neely's debut drew the attention it deserved. The Agatha Award for Best First Novel, 1992. The Andrew Award for Best First Novel, 1993. And the Macavity Award for Best First Novel, 1993.
The novel's ending may leave some readers conflicted. Be warned. I won't reveal anything more than to quote the old saw, "Two wrongs don't make a right." I leave it to the reader to determine how the conclusion of this novel strikes them.Blanche on the Lam: A Blanche White Mystery
To state there is no racial divide in our country would be specious at best. Neely clearly establishes the suspicion with which the races warily eye one another. There's an infinite degree of sadness that this divide seemingly has no end.
Kudos to Brash Books for reprinting Blanche on the Lam: A Blanche White Mystery. It's good to see Blanche White back in print.
One last thought:
March 28, 2018
This was light hearted, funny and surprisingly intersectional/feminist. I loved the narrator as well. They were perfect for this story.
February 20, 2022
I was worried for about the first half of reading this one because I really want to love this series and it wasn't happening. I felt lost in what time period this was actually taking place in for a while. The things that were happening, the atmosphere and sense of place made me think at first that this was happening in the late 50's or 60's but it is really taking place in the late 80's early 90's (I think). I still don't actually know. If you know the actual decade please let me know! The last of the book is where I really got invested in how the story was going to unfold. All of my issues could be do to this story being the first in a series. I definitely enjoyed the last third or so-it just took me a while to get in the groove of what was going on. I will continue on with the series and hopefully I'll have a better sense of when these adventures are taking place.
Where you can find me:
•(♥).•*Monica Is Reading*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @monicaisreading
Instagram: @readermonica
Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase
Where you can find me:
•(♥).•*Monica Is Reading*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @monicaisreading
Instagram: @readermonica
Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase
February 18, 2021
Poorly paced plot and too much buildup. Halfway into the book the murder still hadn’t occurred. Not that interesting overall.
April 28, 2010
I read about this in a recent article in "The Root" about Kathryn Stockett's "The Help." The Root article said that Stockett isn't the first to write from the perspective of black Southern maids, and mentioned Neely's series about amateur (or accidental) detective and professional housekeeper Blanche White. The article suggested that Blanche is the counterpoint to Mosley's better-known Easy Rawlins.
Based on "Blanche on the Lam," I'd say Neely's novels aren't as complex, and are definitely more domestic. But they're not "cozy", and they have a strong black, feminist, realist perspective. Blanche deals with the same racial, social, economic issues, but in a different environment than Mosley's hard-boiled LA.
It was a quick, enjoyable read, and I really appreciated Blanche's perspective, her commentary on her employers, her information sources, and the structure of the world she lived in. I'll likely check out another Blanche novel in the future.
Based on "Blanche on the Lam," I'd say Neely's novels aren't as complex, and are definitely more domestic. But they're not "cozy", and they have a strong black, feminist, realist perspective. Blanche deals with the same racial, social, economic issues, but in a different environment than Mosley's hard-boiled LA.
It was a quick, enjoyable read, and I really appreciated Blanche's perspective, her commentary on her employers, her information sources, and the structure of the world she lived in. I'll likely check out another Blanche novel in the future.
October 20, 2023
This was published in 1992 so it should have SO MANY more ratings here on GR than it does. It was very good! Mystery/crime junkies, consider this your notice. A fun series is waiting for you. There are only four books in it, and this is the first. And if you have KU or Audible, it's free! I highly enjoyed the audiobook experience, if you are an audiobook person.
The book opens with Blanche—who I now love with all my heart—sitting in court waiting to hear her sentence for bouncing a couple of checks. She's in trouble but it's not her fault. She only bounced those checks because her employers (she's a domestic worker) didn't pay her when they should have, and she lives literally paycheck to paycheck. She is given thirty days in jail, a situation that is undesirable in every way, not least because it would financially ruin her and her kids would get taken away by her mother. (Her kids are adopted; her sister made her promise to take care of them before she died.)
I was so taken with Blanche's narrative voice right away that when she takes the opportunity to just leg it out onto the street before they can haul her off to jail, I literally cheered out loud instead of what I normally would have done, which is groan out a "nooooo" and bemoan the fates of stupid characters. But Blanche is no fool. She hides out in the last place anyone would look: her work. A job she had canceled with her employment agency was never filled, so she shows up anyway for the week long job out in the country with the agency not knowing she's there. She figures this will give her some breathing room (and some cash) to figure out what she's going to do next.
But this job takes all of Blanche's patience and powers of nosiness, because something weird is going on. There are dead bodies, but they don't turn up until about halfway. That doesn't stop Blanche from investigating a priori. I thought for sure I had the mystery figured out, and so does Blanche, but I was absolutely tricked. Blanche in the end, was not.
I had so much fun with this book, and I have the other three books ready to go and downloaded for when I have the time. I'm already sad that there are only four, because the author started publishing later in life, and died in 2020, before she could write any more. (Although it looks like the last thing she published was a short story in 2005. I wonder why she stopped writing?)
Chipping Away at Mt. TBR, Spooky Season Edition — Book 5/31
The book opens with Blanche—who I now love with all my heart—sitting in court waiting to hear her sentence for bouncing a couple of checks. She's in trouble but it's not her fault. She only bounced those checks because her employers (she's a domestic worker) didn't pay her when they should have, and she lives literally paycheck to paycheck. She is given thirty days in jail, a situation that is undesirable in every way, not least because it would financially ruin her and her kids would get taken away by her mother. (Her kids are adopted; her sister made her promise to take care of them before she died.)
I was so taken with Blanche's narrative voice right away that when she takes the opportunity to just leg it out onto the street before they can haul her off to jail, I literally cheered out loud instead of what I normally would have done, which is groan out a "nooooo" and bemoan the fates of stupid characters. But Blanche is no fool. She hides out in the last place anyone would look: her work. A job she had canceled with her employment agency was never filled, so she shows up anyway for the week long job out in the country with the agency not knowing she's there. She figures this will give her some breathing room (and some cash) to figure out what she's going to do next.
But this job takes all of Blanche's patience and powers of nosiness, because something weird is going on. There are dead bodies, but they don't turn up until about halfway. That doesn't stop Blanche from investigating a priori. I thought for sure I had the mystery figured out, and so does Blanche, but I was absolutely tricked. Blanche in the end, was not.
I had so much fun with this book, and I have the other three books ready to go and downloaded for when I have the time. I'm already sad that there are only four, because the author started publishing later in life, and died in 2020, before she could write any more. (Although it looks like the last thing she published was a short story in 2005. I wonder why she stopped writing?)
Chipping Away at Mt. TBR, Spooky Season Edition — Book 5/31
September 9, 2015
"Don't worry, darling, she'll cooperate. I promise you." Why not just insert "BBWWWwaaaaa Hhhaaa Hahaha" here, with some hands rubbing together?
I like Blanche. She is resourceful and observant. I do not need the nitty gritty details of her every thought to get that. She is worried about the kids. I GOT IT. Stop bringing it up and MOVE ON. The baby steps she takes to describe her characters is maddening. Like this:
"Blanche studied him. She noticed the folds in the corner of his eyes, the thickness of his fingers. Of course, she thought. Now she remembered who he'd reminded her of earlier. It was Baby Joe, Miz Harriet's son. But Baby Joe had serious mental problems from Down's syndrome. Could you have Down's syndrome but show it only a little bit?"
I had to stop reading. Too many books, too little time, and this one was going to be no end of irritation.
Also - it's Down Syndrome, not Down's syndrome.
I like Blanche. She is resourceful and observant. I do not need the nitty gritty details of her every thought to get that. She is worried about the kids. I GOT IT. Stop bringing it up and MOVE ON. The baby steps she takes to describe her characters is maddening. Like this:
"Blanche studied him. She noticed the folds in the corner of his eyes, the thickness of his fingers. Of course, she thought. Now she remembered who he'd reminded her of earlier. It was Baby Joe, Miz Harriet's son. But Baby Joe had serious mental problems from Down's syndrome. Could you have Down's syndrome but show it only a little bit?"
I had to stop reading. Too many books, too little time, and this one was going to be no end of irritation.
Also - it's Down Syndrome, not Down's syndrome.
March 29, 2016
I'm giving this book 4 stars because I really like Blanche. However, the story is really slow. The pace didn't pick up until the last 50 pages.
February 13, 2025
4.5 ★
this was a funny and insightful mystery book that delves deep into the oppression of black people, particularly black women, face in the south, touching upon the history of slavery, classism, and the steadfastness of the black community.
i really liked the setting and characters. barbara neely did an especially good job writing the main character blanche. they were very intentional and self aware and did some interesting things to deconstruct and subvert the mammy and strong black woman stereotype.
the mystery itself was fairly straightforward, but the way neely tied it with social commentary on the dynamics between white women and black women, class, and narratives of victimhood was really great.
this was a funny and insightful mystery book that delves deep into the oppression of black people, particularly black women, face in the south, touching upon the history of slavery, classism, and the steadfastness of the black community.
i really liked the setting and characters. barbara neely did an especially good job writing the main character blanche. they were very intentional and self aware and did some interesting things to deconstruct and subvert the mammy and strong black woman stereotype.
the mystery itself was fairly straightforward, but the way neely tied it with social commentary on the dynamics between white women and black women, class, and narratives of victimhood was really great.
March 10, 2017
This could have easily been an average cozy/mystery book. Barbara Neely's ability to grasp and convey race and class issues while also delivering a fun mystery make this book much more than average.
February 13, 2025
3 stars = Good and worthwhile.
“A family couldn’t have domestic help and secrets.”
This was a fun contemporary mystery with cozy vibes that features an intelligent, bold and sassy MC. It touches on race and class relations, providing both thoughtful content and laughter. I saw the ending coming from very early on, but enjoyed every page of the story regardless.
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First Sentence: “Have you anything to say for yourself?” The judge gave Blanche a look that made her raise her handbag to her chest like a shield.
Favorite Quote: This is how we’ve survived in this country all this time, by knowing when to act like we believe what we’ve been told and when to act like we know what we know.
“A family couldn’t have domestic help and secrets.”
This was a fun contemporary mystery with cozy vibes that features an intelligent, bold and sassy MC. It touches on race and class relations, providing both thoughtful content and laughter. I saw the ending coming from very early on, but enjoyed every page of the story regardless.
---------------------
First Sentence: “Have you anything to say for yourself?” The judge gave Blanche a look that made her raise her handbag to her chest like a shield.
Favorite Quote: This is how we’ve survived in this country all this time, by knowing when to act like we believe what we’ve been told and when to act like we know what we know.
August 20, 2020
The protagonist of this mystery is not what one would typically expect: a maid on the lam from the law for writing bad cheques. The woman at the centre of this mystery is Blanche White, and she's been stiffed by her employer of her wages; Blanche is arrested when her cheques bounce and is sentenced. Blanche escapes the courthouse during a moment of confusion, and decides to hide from the law by taking on a new position as a temporary cook and housekeeper for a family.
Blanche quickly sees things are off kilter in the house. The elderly aunt, Emmeline, is an alcoholic, the husband, Everett, and wife, Grace, have problems, and the nephew Mumsfield has a developmental disability, for which he's underestimated and mistreated. As Blanche quickly sees,Mumsfield is actually quite aware of some of the feelings directed at him, and Blanche also sees that he’s much more capable than everyone thinks.
Things, of course go wrong in the house, and Blanche begins sleuthing, and uses her smarts and her personal connections (mother and friend and the family's gardener Nate) to get her the family's gossipto keep herself aware and safe from the increasingly unpleasant feelings bubbling around her.
Blanche’s resolution to the situation had me smiling. Her dry assessment of her situation within the household, as well as how she immediately understands and plays to the racist assumptions Grace and Everett have about her shows someone long used to being talked down to and concerned for her personal safety. Barbara Neely's analyses of the relations of Blacks and Whites are well woven into the story, and Blanche's exhaustion with the limitations and constant dangers she and other Blacks live with were conveyed well.
I figured out who the culprit was, and as previously stated, liked how Blanche dealt with the immediate situation, and her and her adoptive childrens' well-being had me glad, and looking forward to what Blanche would encounter next.
Blanche quickly sees things are off kilter in the house. The elderly aunt, Emmeline, is an alcoholic, the husband, Everett, and wife, Grace, have problems, and the nephew Mumsfield has a developmental disability, for which he's underestimated and mistreated. As Blanche quickly sees,Mumsfield is actually quite aware of some of the feelings directed at him, and Blanche also sees that he’s much more capable than everyone thinks.
Things, of course go wrong in the house, and Blanche begins sleuthing, and uses her smarts and her personal connections (mother and friend and the family's gardener Nate) to get her the family's gossipto keep herself aware and safe from the increasingly unpleasant feelings bubbling around her.
Blanche’s resolution to the situation had me smiling. Her dry assessment of her situation within the household, as well as how she immediately understands and plays to the racist assumptions Grace and Everett have about her shows someone long used to being talked down to and concerned for her personal safety. Barbara Neely's analyses of the relations of Blacks and Whites are well woven into the story, and Blanche's exhaustion with the limitations and constant dangers she and other Blacks live with were conveyed well.
I figured out who the culprit was, and as previously stated, liked how Blanche dealt with the immediate situation, and her and her adoptive childrens' well-being had me glad, and looking forward to what Blanche would encounter next.
December 18, 2018
I started this expecting a cosy mystery but got something slightly different.
It has some of the elements of cosy; an amateur sleuth, a domestic situation set in a mansion and some humour...
...but Blanche is not really in the mood to be humoured!
The book is permeated with sadness from Blanche's personal situation through to the mystery and the people affected by it.
I enjoyed seeing how Blanche played the parts expected of her being a black housekeeper in a rich white family's house whilst informing us what she is really thinking.
Blanche is feisty and strong-willed but can do meek and stupid if called for.
Her detecting skills are very different from your usual mystery but I think it worked really well.
To sum up this is a good murder mystery with melancholic undertones and a 'that's life' attitude.
It has some of the elements of cosy; an amateur sleuth, a domestic situation set in a mansion and some humour...
...but Blanche is not really in the mood to be humoured!
The book is permeated with sadness from Blanche's personal situation through to the mystery and the people affected by it.
I enjoyed seeing how Blanche played the parts expected of her being a black housekeeper in a rich white family's house whilst informing us what she is really thinking.
Blanche is feisty and strong-willed but can do meek and stupid if called for.
Her detecting skills are very different from your usual mystery but I think it worked really well.
To sum up this is a good murder mystery with melancholic undertones and a 'that's life' attitude.
January 28, 2020
Wish I'd read this series years ago, when I first heard of it! Blanche White is a terrific character -- smart and insightful, using both innate skills and observations gleaned from years working as a cook and housekeeper to probe a spate of murders and other misdeeds. The 2020 Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster, Neely blends smart social commentary with entertaining story-telling. A generation of mystery writers of color cite Neely as their inspiration, with good reason. Fans of the traditional mystery who haven't met Blanche yet should take the opportunity sooner rather than later -- I may have waited, but you don't have to!
October 23, 2023
Actual rating 3.5
September 3, 2020
I picked up this book after reading a tribute to Barbara Neely on the Crime Reads website, written by Kellye Garrett (author of the "Detective By Day" series). I figured it would be a quick read because it was only 215 pages. Boy was I wrong!
Neely's first novel about African-American domestic worker Blanche Lam is a pure delight from start to finish. Garrett's piece did not prepare me for how good Neely's writing is, or for her insights into human nature and race relations in the South. There's also a major character with Down's syndrome, something I've never seen before in a mystery, and she treats him with the dignity he deserves. It took me a while to read this book just because it was so darn good.
Blanche starts off the novel in trouble. Some of her checks have bounced because an employer left town without paying her what he owed, and because her income tax refund check has been slower arriving than she expected. Because she has bounced checks before, a judge sentences her to jail, and she's too scared and flummoxed to speak up. But as a matron is leading her away, there's a distraction in the hallway and Blanche takes the opportunity to slip away.
Her flight leads to her accidental employment at a country estate that contains four people -- nervous Grace, her slick husband Everett, the elderly invalid Emmeline and Mumsford, an adult with Down's syndrome who's obsessed with cars. Blanche and Mumsford get along well, but Blanche is wary of the others, and soon sees she has good reason to be careful with them. And just when you think you know what the twist is going to be, Neely surprises you by -- well, I don't want to give it away. But my jaw dropped.
Watching Blanche figure out what's going on and how to handle it without being hauled off to jail herself is a pure delight, especially at the ened when she gives one major character a well-deserved comeuppance. The journey to that point is even better as Blanche's memories of her life show us what a smart and resilient and ultimately compassionate character she is.
I particularly liked her meditations on how people (including Everett) sometimes treat her name as a joke, because far from being blanched and white, she is very dark-skinned. She used to brood about that until an aunt told her to be happy about it because it gave her the power of invisibility -- she could walk around in the night and no one would see her. As a child, Blanche recalls embracing that power, dubbing herself "Night Gal" and walking around her neighborhood peeking in windows, unseen and unnoticed. By the end of this book, you'll be glad you gained the power to see "Night Gal," and watch her work.
Garrett says Neely wrote just four of these books. I now have to go find the other three to see if they can possibly match the wonders of this first one.
Neely's first novel about African-American domestic worker Blanche Lam is a pure delight from start to finish. Garrett's piece did not prepare me for how good Neely's writing is, or for her insights into human nature and race relations in the South. There's also a major character with Down's syndrome, something I've never seen before in a mystery, and she treats him with the dignity he deserves. It took me a while to read this book just because it was so darn good.
Blanche starts off the novel in trouble. Some of her checks have bounced because an employer left town without paying her what he owed, and because her income tax refund check has been slower arriving than she expected. Because she has bounced checks before, a judge sentences her to jail, and she's too scared and flummoxed to speak up. But as a matron is leading her away, there's a distraction in the hallway and Blanche takes the opportunity to slip away.
Her flight leads to her accidental employment at a country estate that contains four people -- nervous Grace, her slick husband Everett, the elderly invalid Emmeline and Mumsford, an adult with Down's syndrome who's obsessed with cars. Blanche and Mumsford get along well, but Blanche is wary of the others, and soon sees she has good reason to be careful with them. And just when you think you know what the twist is going to be, Neely surprises you by -- well, I don't want to give it away. But my jaw dropped.
Watching Blanche figure out what's going on and how to handle it without being hauled off to jail herself is a pure delight, especially at the ened when she gives one major character a well-deserved comeuppance. The journey to that point is even better as Blanche's memories of her life show us what a smart and resilient and ultimately compassionate character she is.
I particularly liked her meditations on how people (including Everett) sometimes treat her name as a joke, because far from being blanched and white, she is very dark-skinned. She used to brood about that until an aunt told her to be happy about it because it gave her the power of invisibility -- she could walk around in the night and no one would see her. As a child, Blanche recalls embracing that power, dubbing herself "Night Gal" and walking around her neighborhood peeking in windows, unseen and unnoticed. By the end of this book, you'll be glad you gained the power to see "Night Gal," and watch her work.
Garrett says Neely wrote just four of these books. I now have to go find the other three to see if they can possibly match the wonders of this first one.
April 25, 2015
I would never have found this book, if not for one of my reading groups on Goodreads.com. It was first published in 1992, and first of a series of Blanche White mysteries. We're fortunate to have the series now available on Kindle, as the paperback and hardcover versions are out of print and available as used books.
Blanche is a feisty character who gets into legal trouble for writing bad checks, but manages to sneak out of the courthouse, escaping from a sentence of 30-days in jail. And that's just the first chapter. From then on she is "on the lam," as "the help" for a wealthy white family. While she watches a mystery unfolding in the household, she imparts tidbits of wisdom, survival skills for black people in the Jim Crow South, and how to maintain your dignity in spite of those who might put you down.
It's a great read, even in 2015.
Blanche is a feisty character who gets into legal trouble for writing bad checks, but manages to sneak out of the courthouse, escaping from a sentence of 30-days in jail. And that's just the first chapter. From then on she is "on the lam," as "the help" for a wealthy white family. While she watches a mystery unfolding in the household, she imparts tidbits of wisdom, survival skills for black people in the Jim Crow South, and how to maintain your dignity in spite of those who might put you down.
It's a great read, even in 2015.
August 20, 2021
I believe this was Barbara Neely’s first mystery. Quite enjoyable!
January 5, 2021
4.5 stars rounded down.
This 1993 novel uses the mystery genre for an intricate, nuanced look at racial discrimination against and its pervasive impact on black folks in small-town North Carolina.
The protagonist is wily, sassy, smart, and resourceful. I'm definitely continuing this series!
This 1993 novel uses the mystery genre for an intricate, nuanced look at racial discrimination against and its pervasive impact on black folks in small-town North Carolina.
The protagonist is wily, sassy, smart, and resourceful. I'm definitely continuing this series!
April 28, 2019
Sometimes you come across a little gem. This is one of those. Thanks again to @browngirlreading for putting my nose on this series. Neely, the author, said she was inspired by Toni Morrison and P.D. James and I certainly could see both influences. A cosy mystery this may be, but it’s a cosy with a difference. Blanche is a black housemaid in the South and used to walking the fine line that marks her “place”, but she is also not willing to give anymore of herself than she must. As she says, she is no one’s Mammy. Her observations on her interaction with her employer, the frustration of being underpaid and overworked... excellent! These books were published in the 90ies and have a 1980ies feel to them. I thought this was great.
January 30, 2021
If you're looking for a cozy mystery, I'm not sure whether this book will meet your requirements. However, if you're looking for a book that lets you peer into the psyche of a Black domestic servant working in the thick of the Civil Rights movement South, this may fit the bill.
The time period in which this book is set is never explicitly mentioned but it does mention the 1960s in the past tense. This initially threw me for a loop because Blanche was treated as if she were a slave and not paid for her household help. Blanche on the Lam made me think of The Help if The Help were written from a Black perspective. Having not grown up in the South nor experienced the Civil Rights movement, it surprised me how Black domestic servants were treated in the not so distant past. It shouldn't have surprised me but it did.
As the book's protagonist, Blanche was no shrinking violet and she definitely had her reasons for not trusting whites, employer or otherwise. While I questioned some of her choices, the biggest thing this book has going for it was allowing me to see the world from a different perspective. I wouldn't say that the mystery in this book was top rate. The character study in this book is the most interesting part of it.
The time period in which this book is set is never explicitly mentioned but it does mention the 1960s in the past tense. This initially threw me for a loop because Blanche was treated as if she were a slave and not paid for her household help. Blanche on the Lam made me think of The Help if The Help were written from a Black perspective. Having not grown up in the South nor experienced the Civil Rights movement, it surprised me how Black domestic servants were treated in the not so distant past. It shouldn't have surprised me but it did.
As the book's protagonist, Blanche was no shrinking violet and she definitely had her reasons for not trusting whites, employer or otherwise. While I questioned some of her choices, the biggest thing this book has going for it was allowing me to see the world from a different perspective. I wouldn't say that the mystery in this book was top rate. The character study in this book is the most interesting part of it.
October 2, 2022
Blanche is on the lam for a minor misdemeanor heavily punished by the juducial system, and finds herself hiding as a hired help in a rich white people’s home, who can literally get away with murder.
This is less of a murder mystery than a deep-dive into the consciousness of a black woman trying to make ends meet and trying to survive among people who treat her like a dumb serving machine. Blanche’s thoughts and commentary on how she sees her employers and deals with a long collective trauma that is still going on are the focus of the story.
This is among several books that I have read recently that use the format of a murder mystery to explore a certain theme. The mystery gives a story, an excuse to hang onto a
the examination of certain issues, like a racial and class difference here, and the Jewish collective trauma in the The Yiddish Policemen's Union. Mysteries are not just for entertainment - they are a powerful tool to express hard issues and yet provide entertainment and action as well.
Blanche is a great character and her voice is powerful and worth hearing. The mystery is ok but really just a vehicle for Blanche.
This is less of a murder mystery than a deep-dive into the consciousness of a black woman trying to make ends meet and trying to survive among people who treat her like a dumb serving machine. Blanche’s thoughts and commentary on how she sees her employers and deals with a long collective trauma that is still going on are the focus of the story.
This is among several books that I have read recently that use the format of a murder mystery to explore a certain theme. The mystery gives a story, an excuse to hang onto a
the examination of certain issues, like a racial and class difference here, and the Jewish collective trauma in the The Yiddish Policemen's Union. Mysteries are not just for entertainment - they are a powerful tool to express hard issues and yet provide entertainment and action as well.
Blanche is a great character and her voice is powerful and worth hearing. The mystery is ok but really just a vehicle for Blanche.
March 22, 2022
I'd call this a bit of a hidden gem. It took a while to grab me, and did so a little at a time, with a beautiful description here and an insightful observation there. I'd call the observations revelatory, in addition to insightful, as the perspective of the author and main character here is a different one than my own. I appreciate the presentation of experiences that I am unable to have. At the same time, Neely's Blanche was endearing and relatable. I went looking for the next in the series, and was saddened to see that Barbara Neely passed away in 2020. Just four of these books in the series, and they look to be under-read and not widely available. I sometimes like to buy books and donate them to the library with the hopes of getting them in more hands, and this series might be a good candidate for just such a thing.
January 8, 2016
I was already a Barbara Neely fan when I received this DRC, courtesy of the Brash Priority Reviewers Circle, in exchange for an honest review. I’ve been reviewing books for Brash Books and others for the past couple of years, and had read three other Blanche White mysteries out of order, so when I saw that the first in the series—which I think was the only one I hadn’t read yet—was up for grabs, I nailed it right away. It’s available for purchase now.
The amazing thing to me is that although these novels were originally published in the ‘90s, they are extremely relevant right now. For those new to this Anthony, Macavity, and Agatha Award winning book and series, Blanche White is author Barbara Neely’s foil for a number of social issues that are best approached with humor, yet also with absolute, stark clarity. Those that have supported the #BlackLivesMatter movement should order this fantastic book right away. It’s a double win, treating those of us that favor social justice and also enjoy strong fiction. On the other hand, those that don’t understand the current of Black anger that pumps through the small towns, fields and cities of the United States may want to read this book and catch a clue.
She makes everything crystal clear.
Here’s the premise: Blanche, who does domestic work and also has custody of her late sister’s children, is in trouble with the law. She has written some checks she can’t cover, and the fact that they’ve all been paid in full by the time she stands before the court doesn’t make much difference to the judge. She is given two months in the slammer, but a much greater disturbance distracts the officer who’s supposed to lock her up, and without a moment’s hesitation, Blanche slips out a side door to freedom. She knows she has to get gone and figures on leaving the state as soon as she has the money for travel, but in the meantime she escapes by using the greatest camouflage possible…because nobody looks a domestic worker in the face.
The family that has hired her has problems of its own, and Blanche can’t leave once the shit hits the fan, because if a domestic worker suddenly disappears when a crime has been committed, the thing will automatically be blamed on them. Instead, she is pinned like a butterfly, stuck in the kitchen of a horribly dysfunctional—and criminal—family. But Blanche is a born survivor, and the cynical things she does in order to keep herself from harm’s way, and ultimately to avenge the death of a nice man that didn’t deserve his fate are both amusing and riveting.
It is here that we meet Mumsfield, an engaging character who will turn up later in the series.
Blanche’s attitude toward the sheriff and the situations that feature him made me want to stand up and cheer!
I took the opportunity to read Blanche White mysteries as they became available, and I am glad I did. Reader, you have the chance, if you haven’t begun the series yet, to read them in order. Neely’s writing is both politically on-point and also seriously funny. What more could you ask for? Once you read this one, you’ll want to continue the series.
Highly recommended!
The amazing thing to me is that although these novels were originally published in the ‘90s, they are extremely relevant right now. For those new to this Anthony, Macavity, and Agatha Award winning book and series, Blanche White is author Barbara Neely’s foil for a number of social issues that are best approached with humor, yet also with absolute, stark clarity. Those that have supported the #BlackLivesMatter movement should order this fantastic book right away. It’s a double win, treating those of us that favor social justice and also enjoy strong fiction. On the other hand, those that don’t understand the current of Black anger that pumps through the small towns, fields and cities of the United States may want to read this book and catch a clue.
She makes everything crystal clear.
Here’s the premise: Blanche, who does domestic work and also has custody of her late sister’s children, is in trouble with the law. She has written some checks she can’t cover, and the fact that they’ve all been paid in full by the time she stands before the court doesn’t make much difference to the judge. She is given two months in the slammer, but a much greater disturbance distracts the officer who’s supposed to lock her up, and without a moment’s hesitation, Blanche slips out a side door to freedom. She knows she has to get gone and figures on leaving the state as soon as she has the money for travel, but in the meantime she escapes by using the greatest camouflage possible…because nobody looks a domestic worker in the face.
The family that has hired her has problems of its own, and Blanche can’t leave once the shit hits the fan, because if a domestic worker suddenly disappears when a crime has been committed, the thing will automatically be blamed on them. Instead, she is pinned like a butterfly, stuck in the kitchen of a horribly dysfunctional—and criminal—family. But Blanche is a born survivor, and the cynical things she does in order to keep herself from harm’s way, and ultimately to avenge the death of a nice man that didn’t deserve his fate are both amusing and riveting.
It is here that we meet Mumsfield, an engaging character who will turn up later in the series.
Blanche’s attitude toward the sheriff and the situations that feature him made me want to stand up and cheer!
I took the opportunity to read Blanche White mysteries as they became available, and I am glad I did. Reader, you have the chance, if you haven’t begun the series yet, to read them in order. Neely’s writing is both politically on-point and also seriously funny. What more could you ask for? Once you read this one, you’ll want to continue the series.
Highly recommended!
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