Publisher: Brash Books
Received from: purchased
Read from June 24 to August 28, 2022
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Barbara Neely’s Smart, Sassy and Groundbreaking Crime Novel
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.
Review:
I'm back with a review of another book that I read as part of the Branching Out Book Club on Discord.
At the start of Blanche on the Lam, Blanche is told that she's going to be sent to jail after being accused to writing bad checks. She ends up escaping and ends up working with a rich white Southern family as a housekeeper. Her plan is to stay until she has her IRS refund, and then she'll escape to Boston. However, while she's with the family, she slowly realizes that some members of the family have secrets and that her own life is in danger.
Mystery isn't a genre that I read often, but when I do pick them up, I do tend to enjoy them. That being said, I felt a little like this book was lacking the things that I really love about mystery. It didn't feel like there was a trail of clues to follow. There were aspects of the ending that I guessed pretty early on in the story, but other aspects felt like they came out of nowhere with little to know evidence.
And here's where I'm going to start talking about spoilers.
The majority of the book actually felt like exposition. I know I wasn't the only one in the book club who was surprised at how late in the book the murder happened despite the murder being an important part of the synopsis on the back of the book. (The synopsis also mentions Blanche becoming a prime suspect, and unless I missed something, that never happens.)
While there's clearly something up with the family, they mostly just seem like a stuck up family with a lot of money for the bulk of the book. Yes, they seem to be cheating Emmeline out of her money, but if I hadn't known from the synopsis that there was a murder, I wouldn't have suspect anything more from them until extremely late in the game.
Grace was my prime suspect from quite early on in the book. When Blanche noted that Grace's room seemed different than she expected, I was absolutely sure that it was her.
On the flipside, Emmeline being a different person felt like it was out of nowhere. While her behavior seemed strange, I didn't pick up on anything in the story that made me think she was a completely different person. It seemed more like she was Emmeline and just being held captive by her niece and her niece's husband. So when it was revealed that Emmeline had a half-sister that looked exactly like her, I have to admit that I had a hard time believing it.
Blanche on the Lam is actually a start of a series, but I don't think I'll be continuing on with the other books. All in all, I did find it a fun read at times, but I didn't find myself that drawn in by the story.
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