The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress: A Novel [Unabridged] [Audible Audio Edition] Author: | Language: English | ISBN:
B00HG1GWEY | Format: PDF, EPUB
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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 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?
Direct download links available for The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress: A Novel Epub Download
- Audible Audio Edition
- Listening Length: 12 hours and 1 minute
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Unabridged
- Publisher: Random House Audio
- Audible.com Release Date: January 28, 2014
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00HG1GWEY
As usual, I didn't pay anything for this book but instead received it for free directly from the publisher. Also as usual, despite that kindness I will proceed to be completely honest about it.
At a high level, this book is the speculative history of the disappearance of Joseph Force Crater in 1930. At the time the story kept the world riveted to their newspapers and was the object of much editorial speculation. This narrative cobbles the story together from the perspective of the women in Judge Crater's life.
On the positive side, Lawhon's novel is set in a wonderfully provocative period in history and gives us a story as capable of captivating an audience as it was 80 years ago. Lawhon's characters are believable and sympathetic and she renders them wonderfully. She also very skillfully weaves her fictional threads through the facts of the case in a way that gives it great credibility. In her ending notes, she describes some of the liberties she took with the story and based on these tiny provisos, she has been very true to the tale which inspired her.
To the negative, despite the above, the novel does seem to take a while to get started. It took a week to get through the first half and a day to get through the last half. This is not the sort of novel that immediately inspires one to long persistent reading, though it does eventually gain momentum. Also, despite the wonderfully entertaining locale and time period, one cannot help but think it was not put to as great a use as it could be. While it was easy to tell we were in the 1930s, the story didn't take full advantage of that fact. I would have anticipated greater use of the language of the times and a truer rendering of the culture.
In summary, a great story set in a grand part of history.
Hooray! This is the first book of the year that I have absolutely loved and it will definitely make an appearance on my "Best Books of 2014" List come December (click here for previous "Best Books of the Year" Lists). The "true crime" angle reminded me of Sutton by J.R. Moehringer, while the setting of 1930 NYC is reminiscent of Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. Both books that I loved!
Apparently, this still unsolved crime was a huge story when it happened - in both hard news and the gossip rags. Many theories surrounded Crater's disappearance, which is easy to imagine given the cast of characters in his life (gangsters, prostitutes, Broadway showgirls, and various other crooked characters). These characters, along with Stella (his wife), Ritzi (his mistress), and Maria (his maid), also lend themselves to a great story! Some are real people from the case and that time in NYC and some are fictional characters that the author included as composites of multiple people or for the purpose of the narrative. The "Author's Note" at the end of the book clearly lays out what/who is real vs. fiction, but I recommend saving it until after you've read the story - it makes it more fun!
The story builds slowly at first, setting the scene, allowing the reader to get to know the characters, and really making you feel that time period in NYC. Once I hit the halfway point, I couldn't put it down! Lawhon expertly releases bits of information at the perfect times and I was dying to know how everything fit together. However, I was thankful that she didn't rush things because the initial focus on the time period and characters added more power to the story in the end.
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