Blanche Passes Go - Hardcover

Neely, Barbara

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670891657 ISBN 13: 9780670891658

Publisher: Viking Adult, 2000

Synopsis

Tired of Boston and cleaning houses, maid-turned-sleuth Blanche White hads home to Farleigh, North Carolina, where she encounters the man who had once raped her and who is suspected in the murder of a young girl. By the author of Blanche Cleans Up.

About this title

Review:

Blanche White, Barbara Neely's smart, queen-sized, middle-aged African American sleuth, is a no-nonsense dame who's carrying some old baggage when she takes the summer off from cleaning houses for rich Boston matrons and returns to her North Carolina hometown. Almost a decade ago, Blanche was raped by David Palmer, scion of the town's leading family. Although she never brought charges against him, Blanche hasn't forgiven or forgotten. Now Palmer's sister is engaged to a sweet, mildly retarded young man for whom Blanche has a deep affection. When asked by his guardian to investigate the girl by using her connections with the domestics who know everything about the private lives of the town's most prominent families, Blanche sees an opportunity to bring the man who raped her to justice. The fact that he's been implicated in the murder of another woman makes revenge an even sweeter prospect.

What's most interesting about this lively series is the point of view of its heroine, a woman with a strong and clearly depicted perspective on the uneasy truce between blacks and whites in American society. Neely has created a true original in Blanche. With every new outing in this snappy series(Blanche Cleans Up, Blanche Among the Talented Tenth, Blanche on the Lam), she peels back more layers to reveal her heroine's emotional depths, her hard-earned wisdom, and her difficult but ultimately rewarding connection with the people she loves. Add love, hate, race, and homicide to Neely's expert characterizations, and you get a great read from a terrific, award-winning writer. --Jane Adams

About the Author:

BarbaraNeely is also the author of Blanche Cleans Up, Blanche on the Lam, and Blanche Among the Talented Tenth, for which she won awards that include the Agatha, the Anthony, and the Macavity.

About this edition

• Publisher: Viking Adult
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0670891657
• ISBN 13: 9780670891658
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272