The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress

Author: Ariel Lawhon
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Doubleday, 2014
Pages: 320
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: One summer night in 1930, Judge Joseph Crater steps into a New York City cab is never heard from again. Behind this great man are three women, each with her own tale to tell: Stella, his fashionable wife, the picture of propriety; Maria, their steadfast maid, indebted to the judge; and Ritzi, his showgirl mistress, willing to seize any chance to break out of the chorus line.

As the twisted truth emerges, Ariel Lawhon's wickedly entertaining debut mystery transports us into the smoky jazz clubs, the seedy backstage dressing rooms, and the shadowy streets beneath the Art Deco skyline.

Review: I was a few chapters into this novel, and was watching Mysteries at the Museum one evening with my husband and they did a segment on Judge Carter. Lawhon wrote a 320 page story that took the show 10 - 15 minutes to tell. This is why books are (almost) always better.

I found this author when I read The Frozen River in December 2023, and I hope to read the rest of her books in 2024.

Other Ariel Lawhon Novels
The Frozen River