The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress: A Novel Author: | Language: English | ISBN:
B00HG1GWEY | Format: PDF
The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress: A Novel Description
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?
- 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.
Our story begins on 8/2/1930 in Belgrade Lakes, ME, at the summer cottage of Judge Joseph F. Crater, recently appointed to the NY Supreme Court and his wife of 13 years Stella. She confronts him about his affair with his mistress Sally Lou Ritz, affectionately referred to as Ritzi, and in the process slams the car door on his hand. Soon after on 8/6/1930 the judge disappears from sight supposedly as he entered a taxi outside a fancy club called Club Abbey, owned by the notorious gangster Owney Madden, who bought the judge his appointment through Tammany Hall. What really happened to the judge, his mistress, his wife, and the maid is what the story is all about.
I should mention that much of the story is true and was followed for many years by various newspapers. The fictitious characters and their back stories are explained at the end by the author, so that a brief read of that short section will clue you in on what is fact and what is fiction. If you don't want to know simply don't read the final chapter until the end.
The story was easy to follow as each chapter is given a date and place where the action takes place and is further identified when either of those two things change.
Sally Lou Ritz originally named Sarah was born on dairy farm in Wisconsin but moved to NYC at age 19, three years before our story begins, to find fame and fortune, but ended up working as a high priced escort for the infamous gangster Owney Madden, who put her in touch with the judge so he would have an inside person to let him know what the judge's plans were at all times. He backs some Broadway shows and gets her the starring role in one musical, but she accidentally gets pregnant shortly before the judge disappears and she can tell him he is about to be a father.
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