The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon

Publisher: Doubleday

Publish Date: January 14, 2014

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 304

ISBN: 978 0385537629

A tantalizing reimagining of a scandalous mystery that rocked the nation in 1930-Justice Joseph Crater’s infamous disappearance-as seen through the eyes of the three women who knew him best.

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 rumours circulate about the judge’s involvement in wide-scale political corruption, the Honourable 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 favourite watering hole back in the day, Stella orders two whiskeys on the rocks-one for her and one in honour of her missing husband.  Stirring the ice cubes in the lowball glass, Stella begins to tell a tale-of greed, lust, and deceit.  As the novel unfolds and the women slyly break out of their prescribed roles, it becomes clear that each know more than she has initially let on.

My Thoughts

A fictional story based of the actual life of Joseph Crater and his disappearance back when corruption was the only way to the top.  I had never heard of this mysterious tale prior to reading this novel and found myself becoming so interested in the true story itself.  Many times I would stop reading and start googling Joseph Crater to get the real story.  Although no one knows what actually happened to him, it is one still one of the greatest disappearance mysteries in American history.

I loved the way Lawhon wove together fact and fiction and what she thought MIGHT have happened to Crater, as it is still unknown to this day.  My opinion - after doing much research - Owney Madden offed him and buried him beneath the pier of Cony Island.  But that's just my opinion.  He could have remained in hiding for the rest of his life.  Who knows.

I was quickly hooked to this compelling tale and couldn't put it down.  It started slow and quickly gained momentum and didn't slow down.  I really enjoyed the multiple point of views the story was told by, this is always one of my favourite writing styles  as you get everyone's perspective.  I also like the back and forth to past and present, which sometimes can be confusing but in this case worked very well for the execution of this story.  I thought this was such an excellent novel that was well written and highly entertaining.  I love a good gangster mystery set in the 30's - one of the greatest eras for scandal, corruption and love.

I always like when historical fiction novels include an author's note at the end to explain why they chose the writing direction they did and to explain any characters that might be fictional and which are actual people that shaped the history of the story.

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.