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

I recently blogged about The Frozen River, another novel by Ariel Lawhon. I am not sure why I have not heard of this author before, but this is the second book I have liked by her (actually, I liked this one way more than The Frozen River). Here is a synopsis:

One summer night in 1930, Judge Joseph Crater steps into a New York City cab and 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.

First, let me say I love historical fiction. Now, one thing she discusses at the end of her books (well, with these two, anyway) is how she researches something that happened in history then gives it a fictional twist…a story that is plausible. That is the “fictional” part of the “historical fiction” genre. From some reviews I have read, that bothers some. Not me. I love reading the what-ifs, especially if the “what if” gives a happier ending that what could have been.

Second, I am including some images of a few of the real people in this story. Why am I doing this? Because I totally read the book with two of the main characters looking one way in my head and they actually looking vastly different! I had Stella looking like Greta Garbo and her husband (that goes missing) looking like Jimmy Stewart. Those two could not have looked any different. I will put these images below.

Last, I am not going to share the details of a blog post the author wrote which updated us on one of the characters (real people); however, if you read this book, come back to this post and click on this link (UPDATE). You will love to read how family reached out to Lawhon and updated the story on one of the characters.

Do yourself a favor and read this book, especially if you like historical fiction on unknown people/events. I love reading about gangsters during Prohibition days, and this book gives a great glimpse into that time period. You will also probably NOT watch movies like Ziegfeld Girls the same again.

Judge Joseph Force Carter