Reviews

Blanche Passes Go by Barbara Neely

daniellesalwaysreading's review against another edition

4.0

The mystery almost wasn't important to the story at all. This book was the culmination of Blanches' story arc, and that was what was important here.

smemmott's review against another edition

3.0

4th Blanche White mystery. Blanche returns to her hometown in North Carolina for the summer to help her best friend Ardell in her new catering business. She encounters the white man who raped her 8 years ago, and has an opportunity to learn more about him and possibly seek revenge. Warning: there are a few brief but graphic descriptions of this rape. Blanche's relationships with Ardell, her mother, and the new man in her life feel very real - they are all complicated and interesting people.

mbondlamberty's review against another edition

4.0

Blanche is an enjoyable listen again as usual. I like the development in the story and characters and their backstory.

siria's review

4.0

I'm sad that this is the last book featuring Blanche, but while there are some unresolved story arc, Blanche Passes Go is otherwise a fairly satisfying conclusion to Barbara Neely's series. As with previous installments, this is technically a murder mystery in that a murder occurs and Blanche is interested in finding out who committed it, but there's no real hunting for clues and not a single cop appears. Neely instead uses Blanche's trip back to her home town in North Carolina as a backdrop for her exploration of domestic violence, generational trauma, and racism. At times a tough read, but Blanche's voice is always distinct and clear enough to keep me reading on.

knunderb's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I really liked the plot. I really wanted to figure out who did it.  But I did not like Blanche. She was spiteful, vindictive, and totally fine with sleeping with married men. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Racism, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism

lizzycaitlin's review

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I was happy to have finally finished the Blanche series, I found them slow and strange

lit_stacks's review against another edition

mysterious 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

korilondon's review against another edition

4.0

Bitter sweet to see this series end . And I loved how this mystery closed out. It’s not what you expect .

Although I will miss reading what Blanche White thinks about the world . Her judgements , her opinions , and experiences . It always feels like you’re meeting up with an older auntie or friend sitting down with these books!

Blanche White is a real person as far as I’m concerned lol and I really am so sad there won’t be another book for me to read!

In order to really love this mystery be sure to read the series in order because things come full circle in this book where it felt like Ms. Neely knew there would be another one!

raesofsun's review

emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.0

amandajeanne's review

challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0