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Loading... The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress: A Novel (original 2014; edition 2014)by Ariel Lawhon
Work InformationThe Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon (2014)
   Books Read in 2015 (2,465) ALA The Reading List (338) No current Talk conversations about this book.   ) ellink | Jan 22, 2024 |   ) pgabj | Feb 11, 2023 | ) duchessjlh | Nov 1, 2020 | Justice Joseph Crater disappeared in 1930, leaving behind debts, bribery allegations, and powerful “friends” in high and low places, an angry society wife and a pregnant showgirl mistress, investigators weren’t looking for someone who might have a motive to do away with the corrupt judge, as much as wondering who didn’t want the guy dead. Lawhon’s fictional account imagines yet another possibility in this historical whodunit, set in the glamorous and scandalous speakeasies of Prohibition-era New York City. Historical figures and landmarks give this novel even more realism, connecting Coney Island attractions and Broadway shows of the day with invented speakeasies. Neckless mob henchmen, Tammany Hall fat cats and their society wives, classic mob boss Owney Madden, a backalley doctor and a callous newspaperman complete the pulp novel scene. A bit heavy on the New Yawk dialect, but a rich setting. Read the rest (mild spoilers) here ( ) TheFictionAddiction | Aug 12, 2020 | https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/663440785?book_show_action=true&from_r... ( ) stephanie_M | Apr 30, 2020 |
Lawhon's novel reimagines the 1930 disappearance of justice Joseph Crater, an unsolved crime that fixates armchair detectives to this day. Set among the speakeasies and society soirees of Jazz Age Manhattan, the story also winds its way through the cramped tenements of the Lower East Side and goes behind the scenes of Broadway spectaculars. One August night, Joseph Crater leaves Club Abbey, a speakeasy owned by notorious gangster Owney Madden, and is never seen again. There are rumors of political corruption and shady connections with the criminal underworld, but the story centers on three women in his life—his wife, Stella; his mistress, showgirl Ritzi; and his maid, Maria. The three of them, all severely affected by his disappearance, must deal with the unexpected consequences, while trying to decide if there is a chance that he might still be alive. Stella hides in her Maine vacation home to avoid being harassed by police detectives and journalists. Ritzi shoulders a grueling life that is nothing like the glamorous starlet's existence that she dreamed of. Maria, whose husband is a detective assigned to the Crater case, works on starting a family while managing two jobs. These women do everything they can to protect themselves and their families from the malevolent men who let nothing stand in the way of them and their money. AwardsNotable Lists
Fiction.
Mystery.
Romance.
Historical Fiction.
HTML:â??Inspired by a real-life unsolved mystery, this mesmerizing novel features characters that make a lasting impression.â?ťâ??PEOPLE MAGAZINE "More meticulously choreographed than a chorus line. It all pays off."â??THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW They say behind every great man, there's a woman. In this case, there are three. Stella Crater, the judge's wife, is the picture of propriety draped in long pearls and the latest Chanel. Ritzi, a leggy showgirl with Broadway aspirations, thinks moonlighting in the judge's bed is the quickest way off the chorus line. Maria Simon, the dutiful maid, has the judge to thank for her husband's recent promotion to detective in the NYPD. Meanwhile, Crater is equally indebted to Tammany Hall leaders and the city's most notorious gangster, Owney "The Killer" Madden. On a sultry summer night, as rumors circulate about the judge's involvement in wide-scale political corruption, the Honorable Joseph Crater steps into a cab and disappears without a trace. Or does he? After 39 years of necessary duplicity, Stella Crater is finally ready to reveal what she knows. Sliding into a plush leather banquette at Club Abbey, the site of many absinthe-soaked affairs and the judge's favorite watering hole back in the day, Stella orders two whiskeys on the rocksâ??one for her and one in honor of her missing husband. Stirring the ice cubes in the lowball glass, Stella begins to tell a taleâ??of greed, lust, and deceit. As the novel unfolds and the women slyly break out of their prescribed roles, it becomes clear that each knows more than she has initially let on. With a layered intensity and prose as effervescent as the bubbly that flows every night, The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress is a wickedly entertaining historical mystery that will transport readers to a bygone era with tipsy spins through subterranean jazz clubs and backstage dressing rooms. But beneath the Art Deco skyline and amid the intoxicating smell of smoke and whiskey, the question of why Judge Crater disappeared lingers seductively until a twist in th No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.75)
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