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readingwithstardust's review against another edition
5.0
I love her, I love Mumsfield, I loved getting a contemporaneous view of race and class in the early '90s from the perspective of a Black woman working in domestic care in the South. I can't wait to read the rest of this series.
coeste's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
katy82's review against another edition
5.0
Barbara Neely brings a fresh perspective to the traditionally white genre of cozy murders and amateur detectives. Set in the “post-racial south” of the United States, Blanche White is an African American maid who risks being accused of murder by asking too many questions. Great story - I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
berlinbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
I really really liked Blanche and her whole style. She was awesome as a protagonist. I didn't really like the ending though. Not who the murderer was, that was fine and I was rooting for that. But how it was revealed rubbed me the wrong way, it seemed too easy. But on the way there, we got a really awesome plot twist, which I didn't guess in advance! A bit of a mixed bag in the end. The prose was really beautiful though, and the country house in which the book is set is almost another character.
beemini's review against another edition
4.0
“He was a rich white male. Being in possession of that particular set of characteristics meant a person could do pretty much anything he wanted to do, to pretty much anybody he chose. Like an untrained dog, chewing and shitting all over the place. Blanche was sure having all that power made many men crazy.” [Barbara Neely, 1992]
Well, I’m glad THAT has changed in the intervening 28 years! (Sigh.)
The audiobook is very well done. This is a fresh take on the “domestic servant who no one takes seriously solves all the crimes” format with a Southern racial backdrop. Blanche is complicated and not as blandly good as most main characters in books like these.
Well, I’m glad THAT has changed in the intervening 28 years! (Sigh.)
The audiobook is very well done. This is a fresh take on the “domestic servant who no one takes seriously solves all the crimes” format with a Southern racial backdrop. Blanche is complicated and not as blandly good as most main characters in books like these.
aderby's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
zermeena's review against another edition
I hate to mark this book as did not finish, but I'm so glad I did. It is well written and there is an interesting story. The problem was that the book made me feel uncomfortable. I had to think long and hard about why that was. I finally realized Blanche's fear, discomfort and mistrust of white people resonated with me because of emotional abuse that I have experienced. This kept me from enjoying the book, so I abandoned it. It was a relief when I put it down!
morganaimee12's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
brighthappyness's review against another edition
4.0
A little slow at first but the masterful writing and brilliant denouncement had me absorbed until the very end
annaavian's review against another edition
1.0
Poorly paced plot and too much buildup. Halfway into the book the murder still hadn’t occurred. Not that interesting overall.