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A review by edshara
Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely
4.0
This was exactly what I was expecting and I loved it. Blanche is sassy, funny, caring and with the exception of going on the run, she's smart too.
Blanche's profession doing day work, while necessary, is one that is usually looked down upon. I loved the fact that Blanche was unashamed of her job and I'm glad that the author chose to specifically highlight that. Blanche had very different relationships with her mom and her best friend, however, I liked how they both rallied to help her when she really needed it.
The writing style immediately draws you into the story. The mystery was well developed and had many layers. This is one of those books that allows you to try and figure things out or just go along for the ride and see how it is all going to unfold. I enjoyed being able to do a bit of both.
The author did choose to use the "R" word to refer to a character that has a form of Down's Syndrome. Even though, I think she attempted to use it more as a description(by a character who lacked knowledge and education about disabilites) and not a slur, its still an insensitive term and dates the book. It did however, also end up being a lesson learned for Blanche, because she did question the word and its usage later in the book. Other than that I think the character was positively represented. Blanche was able to see him as more than just his disability and treated him as such. I listened to the audiobook, while following along in the physical copy, and the audiobook omits the usage of that word in those instances. The audiobook by itself was really good and made the reading experience better.
I do plan to continue the series and I'm curious to see if Barbara Neely is going to expand on certain aspects of Blanche's past that were mentioned in the book. Really glad to have found what appears to be a great mystery series featuring an African-American woman as the main protagonist. I can't wait to see what Blanche is up to next.
Blanche's profession doing day work, while necessary, is one that is usually looked down upon. I loved the fact that Blanche was unashamed of her job and I'm glad that the author chose to specifically highlight that. Blanche had very different relationships with her mom and her best friend, however, I liked how they both rallied to help her when she really needed it.
The writing style immediately draws you into the story. The mystery was well developed and had many layers. This is one of those books that allows you to try and figure things out or just go along for the ride and see how it is all going to unfold. I enjoyed being able to do a bit of both.
The author did choose to use the "R" word to refer to a character that has a form of Down's Syndrome. Even though, I think she attempted to use it more as a description(by a character who lacked knowledge and education about disabilites) and not a slur, its still an insensitive term and dates the book. It did however, also end up being a lesson learned for Blanche, because she did question the word and its usage later in the book. Other than that I think the character was positively represented. Blanche was able to see him as more than just his disability and treated him as such. I listened to the audiobook, while following along in the physical copy, and the audiobook omits the usage of that word in those instances. The audiobook by itself was really good and made the reading experience better.
I do plan to continue the series and I'm curious to see if Barbara Neely is going to expand on certain aspects of Blanche's past that were mentioned in the book. Really glad to have found what appears to be a great mystery series featuring an African-American woman as the main protagonist. I can't wait to see what Blanche is up to next.