The Wharton Plot

By: Mariah Fredericks

Narrated by: Kitty Hendrix

New York City, 1911. Edith Wharton, almost equally famed for her novels and her sharp tongue, is bone-tired of Manhattan. Finding herself at a crossroads with both her marriage and her writing, she makes the decision to leave America, her publisher, and her loveless marriage.

And then, dashing novelist David Graham Phillips—a writer with often notorious ideas about society and women’s place in it—is shot to death outside the Princeton Club. Edith herself met the man only once, when the two formed a mutual distaste over tea in the Palm Court of the Belmont hotel.

When Phillips is killed, Edith's life takes another turn. His sister is convinced Graham was killed by someone determined to stop the publication of his next book, which promised to uncover secrets that powerful people would rather stayed hidden. Though unconvinced, Edith is curious. What kind of book could push someone to kill?

Inspired by a true story, The Wharton Plot follows Edith Wharton through the fading years of the Gilded Age in a city she once loved so well, telling a taut tale of fame, love, and murder, as she becomes obsessed with solving a crime.

©2024 Mariah Fredericks (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

Critic reviews

"For fans of Wharton, this book is worth the listen as Fredericks, in an interview with careerauthors.com, said she strived to for it to "have the feel of a Wharton novel," even mirroring passages after "The House of Mirth." Indeed, the book feels like a Wharton novel. Kitty Hendrix is one of those narrators who adds to the quality of the work, as she captures each character's personality while not distracting from the central text. She truly brings the story to life." - The Berkshire Eagle

"Inspired by a true event—the 1911 murder of muckraking writer David Graham Phillips—this well-researched mystery casts author Edith Wharton as a reluctant detective probing the death and life of a man she abhorred. Kitty Hendrix performs in a low-register breathy voice that emphasizes Wharton’s mix of high-society manners and fierce determination. Her moderate pace allows listeners time to soak up the book’s many period details. It also underscores the formality of the writing, which sometimes seems to reflect Wharton’s own style." - Audiofile Magazine

Interesting yet ultimately unsatisfying

An exploration of the time and relationships of Edith Wharton is certainly worth a read, however, dim her deductions were. Really, wasn’t she brighter than this? Also some of the writing was a bit overblown, and the narrator seemed like she was barely on top of the language. Barely. Some mispronunciations. 

Women of means

I loved the characters and the struggles of women to know their own mind. Edith had compassion and still was true to herself.

Cannot Get Enough…

It’s become my favorite combination. This era and this author…always time well spent. Just marvelous.

A Marvelous Mystery

What a marvelous mystery! Such a beautifully painted picture of Gilded Age New York-- and Edith Wharton solving a crime-- well, what more could one want. An incredibly tight mystery, that has inspired me to read more Wharton. I loved THE LINDBERGH NANNY by Mariah Fredericks, but it might be possible that I love this book more.

I listened to this book on Audible, and the narration is absolutely fantastic.

Nails on a chalkboard narrator

The hissing of the narrators “ssss” sounds and audible breathing at the end of every sentence made it hard to focus on what turned out to be a mundane plot anyway.