Posts Tagged: Barbara neely

Barbara Neely Named Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster

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Barbara Neely Mystery Author

We have big news! Brash author Barbara Neely has been named this year's Grandmaster by the Mystery Writers of America, the organization's highest honor. Here is their announcement: "Mystery Writers of America is thrilled that Barbara Neely is MWA's 2020 Grand Master," MWA board president Meg Gardiner said. "Neely is a groundbreaking author, and MWA is delighted to recognize her work, in which she tackles tough social issues with an unflinching eye and a wry sense of humor." MWA's Grand Master Award represents the pinnacle of achievement in mystery writing and was established to acknowledge important contributions to this genre, as well as for a body of work that is both significant and... more

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The Washington Post Celebrates The Return of Barbara Neely’s “Blanche White” Books

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The Washington Post ran a terrific piece today about our reissues of Barbara Neely's ground-breaking "Blanche White" mystery novels. The series explores race, culture, politics and sexism through the prism of a compelling, entertaining, and highly-original crime story. These books are prime examples of our dedication to publishing "the best crime novels in existence." The article includes interviews with Barbara and Brash Books co-founder Joel Goldman. Here's an excerpt: Before “The Help” there was Blanche White, an African American housekeeper with a knack for getting tangled up in murder mysteries. Yet as fascinating as the character Blanche White is, the story of Barbara Neely,... more

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How “Blanche On the Lam” Inspired Naomi Hirahara

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Our guest blogger Naomi Hirahara is the award-winning author of the mysteries featuring gardener-sleuth Mas Arai: Summer of the Big Bachi, Gasa-Gasa Girl, Blood Hina, and the Edgar Award-winning Snakeskin Shamisen. Hirahara is the past president of the Southern California chapter of Mystery Writers of America. Today she talks about how much she loves Barbara Neely's Blanche on the Lam. Before Mma Precious Ramotswe came on the American scene, there was another “traditionally built” sleuth who had been introduced to mystery readers here--Barbara Neely’s Blanche White, an African-American housekeeper in the South who is on the run for writing some bad checks in the first book in the... more

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