Review: The Secret Life of Anna Blanc

• Title: The Secret Life of Anna Blanc
• My Rating: 3.5
• Genre: Mystery
• Format: Audiobook*
• Publication Date: November 3, 2015
• Author: Jennifer Kincheloe

~Book Blurb~

It’s 1907 Los Angeles. Mischievous socialite Anna Blanc could match wits with Sherlock Holmes, but in her world women are not allowed to hunt criminals. Determined to break free of the era’s rigid social roles, she buys off the chaperone assigned by her domineering father and, using an alias, takes a job as a police matron with the Los Angeles Police Department. There she discovers a string of brothel murders, which the cops are covering up. Seizing her one chance to solve a crime, she takes on the investigation herself. 

If the police find out, she’ll get fired; if her father finds out, he’ll disown her; and if her fiancé finds out, he’ll cancel the wedding.

Anna must choose–either hunt the villain and risk losing her father, fiancé, and wealth, or abandon her dream and leave the killer on the loose.

~My Thoughts~

The Secret Life of Anna Blanc is a historical fiction mystery with a lot of heart, extremely funny situational comedy, and a complex heroine. Fun to listen to, but I might have preferred the print edition for one reason: the voice of Anna.

The overall story was very good, if a little long and rambling at times. For instance, I could have done with a few less of the back and forth situations between Anna and her love interests. When the action was taking place, Jennifer Kincheloe really shined as an author. Each scene was vivid in my mind, thanks to the amount of detail, the hilarity of the action and the spot on narration by Moira Quirk.

I could easily see this being adapted for Netflix or Amazon prime. Extremely good content plus the costumes would be amazing! Why only 3.5 stars?

As I said before, the voice of Anna was too much for me. I think Moira Quirk did a fantastic job of voicing the character, but the more Anna spoke the more frustrated and a little annoyed I became. I just wanted her to be as smart in her dialogue as she was at noticing small details or figuring things out.

I also felt like Anna spent most of the book reacting to everything around her and not taking definitive action. The best part of the book was her deciding to become a police matron, because she took initiative and action. Whenever her character acted instead of reacted, I really enjoyed the book.

I also cannot stand a couple going back and forth multiple times, especially not in such extremes. Kissing one guy then deciding to go back to your fiance in the same night was too much for me. I know she didn’t have many choices, given her status as a woman at the time, but her reactions to the men (nearly killing her fiance then kissing him all over his face in front of her kind of ex as if she was in love) weren’t genuine.

Now, after reading this far, you might assume I hated this book. I did NOT! This was an extremely enjoyable read that I do think would make a great series, especially to binge. I just wanted a little editing and less waffling from out heroine.

The mystery and the plot in The Secret Life of Anna Blanc were a mystery lovers gold. I would definitely recommend this one!

*Special thanks to Jennifer Kincheloe, Seventh Street Books, and Jessthe Audiobookworm for a copy of The Secret Life of Anna Blanc in exchange for an honest review.