The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress

A Novel

De: Ariel Lawhon

Narrado por: Ann Marie Lee, Mark Bramhall, Ariel Lawhon

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Frozen River, this “genuinely surprising whodunit” (USA Today) reimagines the tantalizing suspense surrounding a scandalous murder mystery that rocked the nation.

“This book is more meticulously choreographed than a chorus line. It all pays off.”—The New York Times Book Review

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, seedy backstage dressing rooms, and shadowy streets beneath the Art Deco skyline.

It’s ok

I tried to follow story and started to like it but am confused with the ending and feel I’m left hanging. The narration was ok - her voice is beautiful but had a hard time figuring out which characters were talking as not much different.

Fabulous Story!

Murder, intrigue, romance depicting 1930s America in New York City. I had a hard time walking away from the book. A must read.

What an Incredible Novel!

Lawhon delivers a dazzling story of the politically powerful elite, the lifestyles of Broadway showgirls, and gangsters that controlled both in the 1930s. This fascinating novel will hold you in its grips long after you read the last page.

Excellent novel

This is a fascinating twisty turvy story about a true scandal in history in the new government / gangster time of the 1930s , well written and executed/ performed extremely well. I highly recommend the book

Suspense

Lots of suspense. I liked it a lot. Good plot, believable characters. Interesting to hear a prohibition story too.

Entertaining Listen for NYC History Fans

Two caveats for anyone considering this audio book:

1) If you don't have a particular interest in New York City history and/or the Jazz Age/Prohibition era, the story alone might not be enough to keep your interest. For me, much of the pleasure from this book was derived from the setting and the notorious cast of real-life characters.

2) The story is told out of chronological sequence, so you'll need to pay attention to the month and day at the beginning of each chapter. (I wish I'd realized this from the start--it's easy to miss at first when listening instead of seeing the chapter headings in print.)

Overall, Ariel Lawhon weaves a nice narrative and Ann Marie Lee does a masterful job of bringing the characters to life, especially Stella Crater and Sally Lou Ritz. (The transition from the cut-glass elegance of Stella to the street-smart showgirl of Sally is truly impressive!)
The time-shifting narrative is a little hokey and clunky at times but on the whole I think it was effective in making the progression of the story more interesting.
And Lawhon's final reveal, while highly improbable, is still satisfying enough for me to hope it's actually true!

Good writer but little hard to follow

This is my second book by this writer (I loved Frozen River) But I found it harder to follow because the timeline jumps around so much. Audiobooks don’t necessarily translate well for me in that way because I’m usually doing other things in life while I listen. This book would’ve been better for reading an actual hardcopy than listening to an audiobook. I found it very dark, as well, in that there was a little joy or laughter in the story. Once again, a good writer I think but this wasn’t a favorite of mine.

The end will blow your mind!

Loved this book from start to finish. Ariel, please bring us more like this. Incredible story with a great twist at the end.

As usual, Ariel Lawhon’s details are incredible to the period that she’s writing to

Very intriguing story, bounces between the ‘30-60’s night life in New York, cops, wives, dance girls. Super heartwarming and heartbreaking story

Enjoyed the voices and the story

I like this book as I live near New York City and I love anything about the history of the city