The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress

Narrator Ann Marie Lee's raspy yet melodic voice is an excellent match for Lawhon's fictional solution to a sensational real-life unsolved crime. On August 6, 1930, New York City Judge Joseph Crater got into a cab and was never seen again. Lee's consistent and distinct vocalizations, complete with a variety of accents and dialects, guide listeners through this absorbing story of the three eponymous women and what they may have known about the judge's disappearance. Lee's careful use of emphasis and drama leaves it up to listeners to decide whom to trust while they decipher the clues and spot the red herrings. The waning days of the Roaring Twenties, with their speakeasies, mob bosses, and Tammany Hall, are brought to life in this character-driven mystery. C.B.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

September 9, 2013
Lawhon’s disappointing debut novel reimagines the 1930 disappearance of justice Joseph Crater, an unsolved crime that fixates armchair detectives to this day. Set among the speakeasies and society soirees of Jazz Age Manhattan, the story also winds its way through the cramped tenements of the Lower East Side and goes behind the scenes of Broadway spectaculars. One August night, Joseph Crater leaves Club Abbey, a speakeasy owned by notorious gangster Owney Madden, and is never seen again. There are rumors of political corruption and shady connections with the criminal underworld, but the story centers on three women in his life—his wife, Stella; his mistress, showgirl Ritzi; and his maid, Maria. The three of them, all severely affected by his disappearance, must deal with the unexpected consequences, while trying to decide if there is a chance that he might still be alive. Stella hides in her Maine vacation home to avoid being harassed by police detectives and journalists. Ritzi shoulders a grueling life that is nothing like the glamorous starlet’s existence that she dreamed of. Maria, whose husband is a detective assigned to the Crater case, works on starting a family while managing two jobs. These women do everything they can to protect themselves and their families from the malevolent men who let nothing stand in the way of them and their money. A fascinating story, but rendered colorless by its lack of momentum and stock characters.