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.

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

About this book: 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?

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 favorite watering hole back in the day, Stella orders two whiskeys on the rocks—one for her and one in honor 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 knows more than she has initially let on.

With a layered intensity and prose as effervescent as the bubbly that flows every night, The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress is a wickedly entertaining historical mystery that will transport readers to a bygone era with tipsy spins through subterranean jazz clubs and backstage dressing rooms. But beneath the Art Deco skyline and amid the intoxicating smell of smoke and whiskey, the question of why Judge Crater disappeared lingers seductively until a twist in the very last pages.

About the author: Ariel Lawhon is co-founder of the popular online book club, She Reads, a novelist, blogger, and life-long reader. She lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and four young sons (aka The Wild Rumpus). Ariel believes that Story is the shortest distance to the human heart. 

Genre: Fiction

Judge this book by its cover? It artfully captures the 1930s/noir-ish tone and content of the story.

If this book were a movie, I would rate it: R for some language; also some sex and violence, though none graphic.

You’ll want to buy this book if …you’re a fan of She Reads, Ariel Lawhon, noir fiction, literary mysteries

A word about the publisher: Doubleday. In her “Author’s Notes,” Ariel Lawhon recounts that Stella Crater was a real person who published a memoir in 1961 telling her version of the story. This book, The Empty Robe, was also published by Doubleday.

Would I read another by this author? Though this novel’s subject and its noir-ishness didn’t especially appeal to me, I would gladly read anything this skilled and gracious writer writes. You can see what other bloggers are saying about this book here, where you can also enter a drawing to win a copy of your own.

Thanks to Doubleday for providing me a free copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

I’ve been thinking about how cover art affects my opinion of a book. Of course we all know that the right cover can make or break our decision to even pick up a book in the first place. But how much does it affect you after you’ve read it? If a novel is an art form–which it is–shouldn’t the cover be something not separate from the story but intrinsic to it? Even though another artist is responsible for the cover, she must work hand-in-hand with the writer to ensure that the cover is an accurate reflection of the writer’s idea of her story. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work this way.

There are exceptions. In this case, for instance, the author was evidently delighted with the cover for her book, in her acknowledgements giving thanks to the cover designer and declaring that “I’m not sure there’s ever been a prettier book.” It is a pretty cover, and its art deco flair definitely complements the story.

Now your turn: Do you think publishers should make more of an effort to cooperate with their writers on the covers of their books? How much does the cover influence your enjoyment of a story?