If you didn’t get a chance to read about my latest new release, take a look at Thrice Spared. The latest installment in the Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator paranormal cozy mystery series is sure to captivate with its thrilling plot and unexpected turns—don’t miss out!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I am currently reading Blanche on the Lam, an engaging and entertaining read. In this first-in series, Barbara Neely introduces her main character, a Black woman whose parents gave her two names that mean white. A domestic contractor who is on the run from the law (or at least hiding out) for getting caught kiting bad cheques, because three of her employers went on vacation without paying her first. Forced to leave her children (actually, her dead sister’s children who she now mothers) with their grandmother. Blanche ends up stuck in a summer cottage with a suspicious bunch of reprobates who, apparently, are murderers. Fun and games ensue, and Blanche tries to untangle the threads of this mystery while staying under the radar.
Neely’s writing is lyrical and beautiful, full of fresh and interesting similes. This novel offers readers an exciting and suspenseful story along with thought-provoking themes about race, class, and identity. It’s an excellent choice for fans of mystery and suspense!
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.
Barbara Neely, Blanche on the Lam
Amazon Blurb
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.
