Blanche on the Lam

Blanche on the Lam is the first in the Blanche White mystery series by Barbara Neely. I am not finishing this one. This book doesn't have enough going on to entice me to continue. It won the 1993 Macavity Award, the 1992 Agatha Award and the 1993 Anthony Award for Best First Novel, but I'm having trouble understanding what made this particular effort outstanding enough to win. Ah, well, I'm not finding it interesting enough to keep reading and discover its more hidden qualities.

from the back of the book:

It's hard enough making ends meet on the pittance Blanche White earns doing day work for the genteel Southern families of North Carolina. But when her fourth bad check lands her a jail sentence, Blanche goes on the lam.

Inadvertently, she finds work at the summer home of a wealthy family, the members of which have plenty of their own secrets. And when a dead body is discovered, Blanche finds herself the prime suspect. Using her wit and intelligence — not to mention the remarkably efficient old-girl network among domestic workers — she gets to work uncovering the real killer before she lands in more hot water.