Terrified at the prospect of prison, Blanche uses a distraction at the courthouse as an opportunity to escape, but then she has no idea what to do next. She makes a living as a domestic worker for white people, but times have been tough since she moved back to her home town of Fairleigh in North Carolina where employers have been less than punctual with her wages. I’d been looking for a new mystery to read and it sounded interesting, so I thought I’d check out the first book in the series.īlanche on the Lam begins with Blanche being sentenced to thirty days in jail for inadvertently passing bad cheques. I didn’t know anything about Barbara Neely until I read an article following her death in March this year. Barbara Neely is a trailblazer.Barbara Neely was a lifelong activist and a writer who was best known for her Blanche White mystery novels which feature a black female detective. '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

'Endlessly entertaining.' – Publisher's Weekly '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 '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. 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. 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. That plan goes awry when there's a murder and Blanche becomes the prime suspect. 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. 'One of the best fictional detectives conjured up in years.' – Library Journalīlanche White is a plump, feisty, middle-aged African-American housekeeper working for the genteel rich in North Carolina.

Blanche on the lam