Blanche on the Lam

by Barbara Neely

REVIEW BY MEREDITH MCKINNIE

“This is how we’ve survived in this country all this time, by knowing when to act like we believe what we’ve been told and when to act like we know what we know.

Blanche White is a black domestic worker with a sharp tongue, keen intuition, and an inability to stay in one place. When she finds herself at the mercy of the city judge due to a bounced check, Blanche chooses to ignore the demands of an unjust justice system and flee to the safety of her new employers, accompanying the family to the country house. Blanche’s responsibilities include caring for the house and preparing meals for the family, but she senses an uneasiness in this extravagantly wealthy environment and discomfort around her white employers. She refuses to connect personally with people whose circumstances prevent them from ever truly seeing her beyond her functionality for the household. 

Her employers, Grace and Everett, live with and off Grace’s wealthy Aunt Emmeline, a recluse with an affinity for gin and a short temper. Cousin Mumsfield is set to inherit Aunt Emmeline’s estate, and Grace and Everett treat the legitimate heir as more hired help. Blanche reluctantly connects with Mumsfield, as his mental disorder makes him as invisible in this space as Blanche. When mysterious circumstances arise, Blanche relies on her quick wit and instinct to transform herself from lowly housemaid to crime detective. 

Blanche’s primary responsibility is her adopted kids, who are adjacent characters to where the plot happens, but no less relevant to Blanche’s motive and survival. Blanche is a unique combination of an ambitious woman, limited by circumstances, and a loving maternal figure reluctant to show love to people who can’t adequately give love in return. Her identity conflict is being human with an inclination toward humanity towards others, and avoiding the pitfalls of working with her heart. Neely writes Blache’s character with perception and a nod to the often overlooked in our society, showcasing their ability to step out of the shadows and claim the spotlight.

The crime novel genre is flooded with alcoholic male detectives whose instincts overcome their personal shortcomings just in time to solve complicated mysteries. In this novel, Barbara Neely takes a different approach to crime fiction, instead placing the responsibility of crime solving on the shoulders of a black female domestic worker, hesitant to get involved and compromise her paycheck, but unable to deny knowing what she knows. While this novel is a mystery, it’s comical, as Blanche’s smart retorts and social commentary provide a welcome reprieve from the weight of theft and murder. Blanche is a character to root for, not only for her own safety, but for being the sleuth no one saw coming