Blanche Cleans Up: A Blanche White Mystery by Barbara Neely

If Blanche was as good at keeping out of trouble as she was at cleaning up, she'd be better off.  But I wouldn't change her.  Her sneaky ways can help solve murder cases and she has a good way of finding out information the cops never would.

Brash Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review.  It was published May 5th, so you can find a copy now.

Blanche is filling in.  One of her relatives is going on vacation for the first time in eighteen years and Blanche is asked to take her place.  How did she know that the Mister of the household would declare his candidacy for Governor that week?  Or that people who visited or lived in the household would be murdered?  Or that even Blanche herself would be threatened?

Blanche has enough of her own problems without more.  Her sister's children that she's raising and loves dearly are getting to teen years and the troubles that come with them.  She's got another relative staying with her temporarily and that young teen is pregnant.  She still wonders about Leo, who's married to someone else.  And she's always worrying about how she reacts to things.  She doesn't want to be like her mother.  She wants to be a kind, good mother.  Easier to say than to do.

This story is a mish-mash of sex, politics, environmental hazards and power with damage control being an important part of the politician's game.  If some folks get killed along way, so what?

One thing I can say is that Blanche has seen it all.  She's a bit scandalized here and there but she takes it all in stride and stoically doesn't show it on her face.  Ms. Neely has made a very interesting character who makes housecleaning life threatening.  I wonder where Blanche will end up next.

Blanche Among the Talented Tenth A Blanche White Mystery by Barbara Neely

Blanche is going on "vacation" for the first time in a long time.  She's let the kids go first with their friends and she's coming to join them on the beach.  It doesn't take long before she gets drawn into the family fights at the hotel and even the family she is staying with has it's problems.  When she finds out a few days before her arrival a woman was electrocuted in her bathtub, she wishes she'd never come...

Brash Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published, so you can grab a copy now.

Growing up in Washington state, I came from a white community.  My mother taught me to accept people of all colors (even green) and all beliefs.  Her idea was that we could all get along if we set our differences aside and celebrated the sameness.  I think it's possible, too, but not probable.  Too many embrace their differences.

To me, black was black.  Then we visited New Orleans and by listening to the history and culture there, I found out it wasn't that simple.  This book explores that concept in depth and I found it interesting reading.

Blanche is a dark Negro, almost purple skinned.  The folks at the hotel were relatives of the original owners, very rich Negros, a few whites, and all had their places.  The dining room was even segregated, with one side for those who had ownership or rights; the other side was for the "outsiders."  Blanche didn't belong to either set.

Not only is the hotel full of different "classes" of people, her niece she's raising is starting to worry about how dark she is.

While Blanche is worrying about all that, she's almost sure that lady's death in the bathtub was not accident and she's being pursued by an attractive male.  There's something sly about him but he makes her heart sing.

Blanche does find out what happened to the woman but the other information she learns is hard to take.  No one was really her friend there; she was being used.

I find Blanche fascinating as a character.  She believes in basic goodness, is cynical enough to get by, and she loves the children she's raising even if she feels herself losing them to their own lives.  She's not super thin, she likes her food, and I like her.  Why not give it a read and see what you think?