Blanche on the Lam: A Blanche White Mystery - Softcover

Neely, Barbara

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1941298389 ISBN 13: 9781941298381

Publisher: Brash Books, 2014

Synopsis

“One of the best fictional detectives conjured up in years,” Library Journal

BLANCHE ON THE LAM

Barbara Neely’s Smart, Sassy and Groundbreaking Crime NovelWINNER OF THE AGATHA, ANTHONY & MACAVITY AWARDS

Blanche White is a plump, feisty, middle-aged African-American housekeeper working for the genteel rich in North Carolina. But when an employer stiffs her, and her checks bounce, she goes on the lam, hiding out as a maid for a wealthy family at their summer home. That plan goes awry when there’s a murder and Blanche becomes the prime suspect. So she’s forced to use her savvy, her sharp wit, and her old-girl network of domestic workers to discover the truth and save her own skin. Along the way, she lays bare the quirks of southern society with humor, irony, and a biting commentary that makes her one of the most memorable and original characters ever to appear in mystery fiction.

“Blanche not only solves the crime, but exhibits familiar foibles and strengths, believes in kitchen-table wisdom, and possesses a wicked sense of humor,” Ms. Magazine

“A quirky mystery debut that pits Blanche against a Faulknerian cast of oddballs who may be trying to kill each other off to claim a southern fortune,” Kirkus Reviews

“Endlessly entertaining,” Publisher’s Weekly

“The uproarious Blanche White, the Southern housekeeper who knows her own mind, opened doors to the nuances of black life for readers and writers alike. Barbara Neely is a trailblazer,” Naomi Hirahara, Edgar Award-winning author

About this title

About the Author

Barbara Neely is a multiple award-winning writer and much-admired community activist best known for her innovative and popular Blanche White mystery novels. Neely launched the acclaimed series with Blanche on the Lam, which won the Agatha, Macavity, and Anthony Awards, and followed up with three equally-beloved mysteries featuring her fearless and feisty amateur sleuth, all of which are proudly published by Brash Books.

From Kirkus Reviews

Blanche, a street-smart black domestic on the run from the sheriff for passing a bad check (again), winds up cooking and caring for edgy Miz Grace, her husband Everett, her wealthy, reclusive Aunt Emmeline, and her somewhat retarded Cousin Mumsfield at their summer home in Hokeysville, North Carolina--in a quirky mystery debut that pits Blanche against a Faulknerian cast of oddballs who may be trying to kill each other off to claim a southern fortune. Did Everett murder his first wife for her money, and does he have similar plans for his second? Is Grace trying to con her feeble auntie into signing a new will discounting Mumsfield and exalting her? Does auntie have a drinking problem, or is she the sweet, old woman Mumsfield remembers? Is the sheriff blackmailing Everett or vice versa? As Blanche wrestles with these problems, including what's in the cellar of the family's winter home, she communes telepathically with Mumsfield, phones home regularly to make sure her Mama and her two kids are all right, and ties in several other murders before heading off for the peace (she hopes) of Boston. Prickly view of class-clashes, race relations, and family foibles, in a somewhat forced, folk-talk style. Primarily for southern gothic aficionados. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Brash Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1941298389
• ISBN 13: 9781941298381
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 204