Mystery writer BARBARA NEELEY

2: Mystery writer BARBARA NEELEY. She's brought a strong African-American female voice to the genre. The heroine of her debut book "Blanche on the Lam," is Blanche White, a 40-year old housekeeper with big thighs, a wry sense of humor, and a jaundiced view of the rich. Blanche is "on the lam" from a 30-day jail sentence for a bad check when she accidentally falls into a position of housekeeper with a wealthy white family. She can hide in plain sight, because of her "invisibility" as a black housekeeper. One reviewer writes though the book works well as a crime novel, it's "less about a mysterious murder. . . than it is about social injustice, race relations, and the unique position African-American women hold in our society." (published by St. Martin's).