This is the second in a series, and the second in ebook format, and once again our protagonist finds herself distinctly different from those around her. Blanche is an African-American domestic worker whose children attend a private school and have made connections to spend vacation time at an exclusive upperclass African-American retreat in Maine, including Blanche for a 2 week visit. Once there Blanche is exposed to prejudice and elitism from within the African American community. How she handles herself, her children’s changing beliefs and the barbs and arrows of the other guests makes for fascinating reading. And, of course, there is a mystery to solve amidst all of the tumult. Once again, this book is a fascinating twist on a cozy mystery; with history, characters and details that combine to make this a unique and wonderful book. Barbara Neely is a gifted author and her characters and stories come alive in ways you will long remember.

This is a racist book: “Colorstruck” as the author would say. Only it's about degrees of color, myriad complexions of darkness and light within America's African American people, dividing the Haves from the Have Nots. Exactly what shade of brown or black or “high yellow” do you have to be, to be accepted among one race of people, divided by hue?

The “Talented Tenth” referred to in the title is a reference to W.E.B. Dubois who said that, “The Talented Tenth of the Negro race must be made leaders of thought and missionaries of culture among their people... The Negro race, like all other races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men.” And here are our black brothers and sisters, trying to parse out intelligence and charisma and leadership among themselves on the basis of the melanin in their skin.

As a Caucasian female, this book made me extremely uncomfortable. The whole race issue makes me uncomfortable, because it seems that the lack of pigment in my skin makes me sneered at and despised, as if somehow I was directly responsible for slavery and poverty and violence in urban America. Granted, it may have started out differently, but segregation was confronted in the Sixties, Jim Crow laws have long been abolished and affirmative action, equal opportunity employment mean the divisions can mingle, become friends, become families.

So... Here is this blatantly racist book and my feelings, my viewpoint as a reader, is completely at odds with the story. I am made to feel an outsider, almost an intruder.. And I wonder: is this the way that black people have felt when they are marginalized and under-represented in white media? In movies, on television, in books? Because this is a really awkward feeling.

But I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. Because the author may roll her eyes and cut me shade, but I learned something. I learned several somethings. And I would like very much to read more African American race-biased books. Tell me what it's like and don't pull any punches. Tell me about how your families get along, how your elders are treated, how you can laugh without judgment and step up for yourselves. Tell me how girlfriends stick closer than sisters and how they help you strip away lies to yourself, and keep you grounded while helping you soar. Don't tell me because I'm white and somehow demand it; tell me because I want to know. Because, in the end, we are all members of the same race: the human race. Let that be enough.

I love Blanche. Can't wait to read more of Neely's books.

I have read all of Barbara Neely's "Blanche" mysteries before, and have published on them as well. Neely's series is really a political manifesto masquerading as detective fiction--and I really mean that as a huge compliment. Neely takes a character whose whole profession depends on her existing in the margins, as a housekeeper, and shows us how powerful such "invisibility" can be. Blanche is nobody's fool but she knows how to manipulate the stereotypes that are supposed disempower her so that they in fact empower her.

In the first book, _Blanche on the Lam_, Blanche hides in plain sight in the house of a rich white family and quickly discovers that all is not as it seems. In the process, she dissects the way that racism and sexism render people invisible. In this, the second book, Blanche takes on the problems of class and colorism with a similarly insightful and unflinching effect.

I am *thrilled* to see Neely's work back in print, and accessible to digital readers. I hope many more people discover this wonderful, funny, and truth-telling character.

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?

Loved this book. Very different in such a good way and will be recommending widely

Nancy Cunningham's review Feb 11, 15 · edit

4 of 5 stars bookshelves: netgalley

Read in February, 2015

Barbara Neely has pulled off a rather challenging feat: she has managed to introduce the serious issues of color, class and race to readers who would not wittingly pick up a book on those subjects. And, she certainly managed to seriously engage me in the subjects.

The reader who wants a complex and heady mystery story may be disappointed in this novel because that aspect of the book is clearly secondary to Neely's interest in raising the subject of how we judge and perceive each other.

This is my second introduction to Blanche White and I was not disappointed. I really loved Blanche on the Lam and this book was equally engaging for me, but in a totally different way. I spent many years in Detroit so I have been exposed to Black culture from the outside looking in. Blanche turned that around for me and opened my eyes in many ways.

I was fascinated by her careful preparations for vacationing in a fancy Black resort and interested in every step along the way as she met and mingled with the residents and transient visitors. The relationships she formed---or didn't form, felt very real and I loved understanding a bit more about the "light bright" culture she was encountering.

The first half of the book was riveting to me and I felt the story lost some of its steam as the author tried to fold in the mystery with the message. There is no doubt that the book "has an attitude," but don't we all? I am a fan of Barbara Neely's and was thoroughly intrigued by Blanche's adventure.

I thought this book was better than the first one. It was easy for me to absorb the story plot and the mystery was an incredible read. This time finds Blanche White going through a personal crisis and trying to find answers as to how to proceed with her life. Her children are growing up and she has to acknowledge that being a parent is never easy. Along the way she tries to find answers for herself while vacationing in a place she never thought she would ever visit, Amber Cove. She makes the acquaintance of a prominent African American author, the local "insider and outsider" residents, and finds a potential suitor for her affections. However, all is not as it seems in Amber Cove (the name alludes to more than the coastline as the book title suggests) when the death of one of their own uncovers hidden secrets that some people would rather have stayed buried.

“Everybody in the country got color on the brain…white folks trying to brown themselves up and looking down on everything that ain’t white at the same time; black folks puttin’ each other down for being too black; brown folks trying to make sure nobody mistakes them for black; yellow folks trying to convince themselves they’re white.”

Timely? Why yes! So isn’t it interesting that this book was initially published in 1994?

My many thanks go to Net Galley and Brash Books for a fascinating DRC.

The Blanche White series is a mystery series, but Neely uses this approachable medium as a forum to discuss race, primarily the unspoken caste system that has developed about and among people of color in the United States.

In our story, Blanche is invited to visit a black resort on the coast of Maine. Her sister is dead, and Blanche is now a parent to her two children. This book is the second in the series, and we are told that during the first, Blanche had come away from a bad situation with a bundle of money that she dedicated to the excellent education of her two elementary-aged children. Now Taifa, her daughter, is anxious that she use a hair “relaxer” to straighten her ‘fro. It’s bad enough that Mama Blanche is eggplant-dark. Bad enough that she is not part of the black petit bourgeoisie, but a working class woman…a maid, no less! And so Taifa’s loyalty is divided; she wants to fit in with these pale, wealthy folk, but she also loves her Mama Blanche. Blanche in turn is torn. She doesn’t fry her hair, but she does have a conversation about it with the children.

Meanwhile we learn that a woman named Faith is dead, and it may not have been accidental. Like Agatha Christie’s Murder On the Orient Express, it seems just about everyone here has a reason to want Faith dead. That isn’t Blanche’s business, of course…until it is.

I do love a good mystery, and will cheerfully sit down to a tower of Blanche books if I can find them.

The cover is what drew me initially; I looked at the wide hips and thought this was surely my kind of woman.

But race is more than academically interesting for me; my own family is blended and my Caucasian children grown and gone, which has left me the only white person in the house. Most days I don’t think about it, but for years, planning the family vacation was both eye-opening and interesting. One child at home is Caucasian and Japanese; the other (was) African-American. We enjoyed Yellowstone, but heartily regret having been forced to stop for gas in the Idaho panhandle, an experience we will avoid in the future. Now my African-American son is grown and out of the house, but I will never look at the world the same way. It’s been a real education.

Surely anyone who looks at this book’s title understands that s/he is in for more than just a mystery story. The depth of analysis kept me flagging pages and rereading passages. I love the feminist spirit our hero embodies.

I did find it interesting that although skin, hair, and attitude were discussed freely, African immigrants never even made it into the discussion, let alone into the exclusive resort.

The social message somewhat dominates the plot, but the mystery is also a fun read. Highly recommended for those willing to confront today’s issues.

As for me, I loved the blend of story and message. Because really, until the United States deals with the escalating issue of racial inequality, particularly regarding African-Americans… I can’t breathe.

Blanche is a wonderful main character. I did not read book one of this series but had no problems getting involved in this book. Blanche's children have been spending the summer with school mates at a resort in Maine and Blanch is heading north to give the parents a 10 day vacation of their own. The only reason I didn't give this story 5 stars is the tedious detail of all the characters skin color.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery, especially the elements of class and color that were skillfully woven into the story. The characters were well drawn. The pace lagged now and then, but that may have been necessary to take time to explore the characters' lives and attitudes. The protagonist's struggles with life and love were interesting and lively.

Perhaps unintentionally funny, but it is. I love Blanche, she is a hoot. For fans of the feisty women in The Help, this will be a real treat.

Refreshingly down to earth writing with no sugar coating about the life of a black woman and her associations with others both black and white. This story reminds me of life growing up in the south amongst black and white folks. There did not seem to be the racial attitudes prevalent in the today’s world. People simply tolerated and got along doing what was necessary to get by. Granted there was separation between colors as there was separation between classes no matter the color. I believe the work to be the actual reflections of the author expressed in a manner that brings out the best and the worst in people as seen through the eyes of Blanche White. Blanche White, the ironic moniker of a black woman who has taught herself through life experience what some people never learn in a lifetime of educational pursuit. This is my second Blanch White mystery and I would be hard put to choose which I favored most. This very human side of life expressed through the wit and humor of Barbara Neely provides enjoyment and a soothing of the mind as a break away from the Armageddon and mercenary heroic war exploits of so many of the current market offerings. Like a cold beer to a parched throat. Easy to recommend.

I wrote in an earlier entry about how revolutionary the Blanche detective stories were in the 1990s, and how they are being republished as ebooks by Brash Books.

The title of this one comes from a quote by W.E.B DuBois:

The Talented Tenth of the Negro race must be made leaders of thought and missionaries of culture among their people… The Negro race, like all other races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men.
Blanche (because of the events related in Blanche on the Lam) is able to send her adopted children to a very upmarket school, while herself still working as a cleaner and housekeeper. She and the children are invited to join another family at a very upscale resort on the Maine Coast: one used by Black families, and very wealthy ones at that: it is exclusive. But Blanche knows that ‘in black America, exclusive could, even now in 1994, still be about not only wealth and social position, but also skin color.’

This is a very important part of the book: Blanche and Barbara Neely look hard at the choices and decisions of Black people. Blanche was bullied as a child because she is so dark, and she knows that many other Black people look down on her because of her colour. She is worried that her children are taking on these attitudes, preferring light skin and straightened hair.

She could picture herself a hundred shades lighter with her facial features sharpened; but she couldn’t make the leap to wanting to step out of the talk, walk, music, food, and feeling of being black that the white world often imitated but never really understood. She realized how small a part her complexion played in what it meant to her to be black. I knew a little of this milieu from the novels of Stephen Carter, otherwise the world was completely unfamiliar to me, and I found it to be absolutely fascinating. Neely unpacks the issues at length, and convincingly, and I thought this worked well within the framework of the murder story. It works somewhat better as a novel in fact – the murder plot was of the Murder She Wrote kind. An unpopular woman has died, and it turns out that every single person in the vicinity had an equal motive to knock her off – though the motives are quite extreme and unusual. I’m not completely sure I really understood everything that had happened by the end, though Neely produced a couple of good surprises. I did feel considerably better-informed about the issues dealt with in the book.

In a recent entry on a Laurie R King Mary Russell book I complained about authors giving too much detail of the characters’ meals. In Blanche on the Lam I quite enjoyed the cooking the heroine did – it was part of her life, there was more justification – but in this one Neely let herself down by actually telling us which menu items Blanche and a friend didn’t choose:

They both decided to skip the shrimp toast or pate appetizers, as well as the vichyssoise or curried cream of pea soup. They both has the broiled monkfish as opposed to the fettucine alfredo, or the grilled chicken breast in honey-mustard sauce. She has a slight point to make – that this is white people’s food – but it is still a bit much…

The pictures are from a Maryland resort called Carr’s Beach: not an exclusive upscale resort as in the Blanche book, but a segregated beach from the 1950s and early 60s.

Having dealt with the retrograde condition of interracial relations in the debut novel of this series, author Barbara Neely turns her gimlet eye to the state of relations with the African-American community in Blanche and the Talented Tenth.

The title refers to W.E.B. Dubois’ prediction that one-tenth of the Negro race would rise, through education and good character, to be the leaders who would buoy up the rest of the race. The term became conflated with light-skinned blacks, those with straight hair and skin no darker than a paper bag, as if intelligence, industry, or leadership were something based on having traces of Caucasian blood!

At the heart of Blanche and the Talented Tenth are the light-skinned, well-bred, and well-connected African Americans who regularly summer at Amber Cove, Maine, a stand-in for wealthy African-American resort villages like Oak Bluff on Martha’s Vineyard or the Azurest section of Sag Harbor, N.Y. Doctors, lawyers, authors, well-known professors — the crème of the African-American crème — litter the landscape at Amber Cove in Maine. And when Blanche White — a maid who wants to appear more at ease with her dark skin, natural hair, and job position than perhaps she really feels — comes to Amber Cove, she finds the old prejudice of so-called “high yellow” blacks against their darker brothers and sisters alive and well, a prejudice as strong as that of any racist white.

Blanche will be spending a few days at Amber Cove with her sister’s children as the guest of two well-heeled African-American doctors, Drs. David and Christine Crowley. (Blanche’s niece and nephew, Taifa and Malik, attend school with the Crowley children.) Just before her arrival, a particularly unpleasant regular died under very suspicious circumstances. And Blanche intuitively realizes that lots of unsavory goings-on amongst the Talented Tenth of Amber Cove, despite their money, Ivy League educations, and privilege.

Neely weaves a most intriguing mystery. But what really made this book special was the penetrating look it took at the black ruling class and at the self-deceptions that help the privileged of any race able to keep looking at themselves in the mirror.

Blanche thinks she is getting away from detective work. As she is going on a vacation going to Amber Cove, a seaside resort in Maine. However, a guest, Insider gossip Faith Brown is found dead. Her husband flees and leaves a note saying he killed her. Blanche looks into it and discovers Faith had a lot of enemies! Who killed Faith?

In this mystery, segregation is part of the novel. The author manages to do this quite skillfully. You are exposed to segregation among the African-American community --light skin vs. dark skin. l did enjoy this book. The series is excellent! I look forward to the next book!

This was an interesting read, and for me explored racism from a new viewpoint, as well as having a good story to set the theme to.

After having to suffer through reading The Help, Hulk Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird its nice to read a book about a black domestic that is told from the point of view of that black woman. And not a docile black woman content to let the white folks run things. This woman knows that she wants and she works hard for all that she has in life. She sends her children to the best school she can, even if she has to put up with the "uppity" attitudes they pick up.

Not only that, she is called upon in Jessica Fletcher style to help solve a crime. Its easy to overlook the racial tension and overtones as you sit back and just enjoy this book, but I did and I had to go back and reread it to pick up those undertones.