Blanche Passes Go: A Blanche White Mystery by Barbara Neely

Blanche is still trying to find herself.  Leo wanted to get married and she let him, but not to her.  Her sister's children are growing up and have summer plans.  She's decided to move home and see if she likes the catering business her friend has created.  She could be partners with her and she's getting tired of cleaning houses.  The only problem is that the man who raped her years ago still lives there.  Can she face him?

Brash Books and Net Galley allowed to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published August 4th, so you can snag a copy then.

I like Blanche as a character.  She has her own sense of right and wrong, prays to her ancestors instead of to a god, and she'll do what she needs to do to keep her children safe.  Going home means she's going to have to face her mother again as well as her past and she's going to need all the strength she can gather.

She meets a new man on the train home and a tentative love life starts to grow.  However, when she hears a young woman was raped and murdered, she thinks the man who raped her is still being a predator.  She begins digging for the truth by talking to the help and asking questions they will answer.  No one wants to be involved and most are afraid to talk about their employers.

During this story, Blanche finds out things about her father that she never knew, begins to understand her mother a bit better, and learns quite a few things about herself.  She realizes that the reason she's never wanted to marry has been the result of that rape.  She's still not sure about her current relationship, but she has hope.  

These stories are not cut and dried.  Blanche does what she can and accepts the consequences.  That's about the best you can do with life and not everybody learns that.  I hope to see more of Blanche; her journey isn't over yet.