this was like watching a show, cocktail or popcorn in hand i'm not quite sure which would fit better. because sometimes you felt the movie style to it all, and sometimes you felt like you were sat amongst a crowd in a darkened bar, each with their own reason to being their. to watch this dance, this show-tune, this shining cast of characters tell you their tale on their own stages. Ariel is such a go-to author of bringing her stories to life. i don't know he she keeps doing it. i read on of her books and the way she takes up stories and brings them to life but with her own skill set is just stunning. you might know of the stories, you might not. but you soon will, and will soon want to. and you'll soon need to know more of Ariel's stories as they take on a meaning all of their own.
this story take us to a true crime cold case from decades ago. and like with any unsolved event there is always more going on that people aren't telling. characters lying, characters with their own agendas, characters willing to do what to get their ways? we focus on three characters in the life of the man who disappeared. but we also get a great cast of others. some are based on true people but as the author states many are not so she can bring her own taste and fresh take on things. and this is what Ariel does so well.
with this book i thought many people could be responsible. this was a time where corruption was rife. dark dealing were all around especially in the circles and people we meet within this book like Gangsters,showgirls and prostitutes and other shady characters to name a few.
we get to know the time period and the location of New York City so you truly feel immersed in this story and are both rushing to know more and what comes next but also just want to sit within Ariel's storytelling and scene setting.
i love how we see the three main woman in this book looking out for how to survive and willing to do what they must to do so. they are bright sparks all the way through the books and i loved each time we got to know more about them. each so different but somehow similar and linked. especially during this time period and what it meant for them and what they had to go through and put themselves through. you might not agree with some things they do but you come to understand them.
this was a brilliant book. Ariel took it and kept it true but also completely made it her own. and i ended up needing to know her own take on wrapping this story up. and i was hugely satisfied with how she did this.
another superb read from this author. just brilliant.

Compulsive reading, elegantly written and the characters are beautifully crafted. 1930’s come alive with all the social hierarchy that was prevalent at the time.

I loved the characters and wasn’t bothered at all by the split time line.

An excellent read!

Wow, what a brilliant book. Beautifully crafted and wonderfully scripted. It kept me hooked to the very end. I’m very much looking forward to reading more from this author.

The 1930's came alive in this brilliant and descriptive read.

I loved how the story unfolded and the writing is just sublime.

When a judge goes missing never to be heard from again, mystery and intrigue collide.

The story sets on the three women in the judges life..hence the title of the book and what happens is a scandelous and brilliant plot that is based upon a true event.

The glamour and the criminal enterprise of the 30's is told in amazing form. it is like watching a drama unfold and I bloody loved every word..

The Wife, the Maid and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon is a stylish, compelling and beautifully written book that reimagines the disappearance of Judge Joseph Crater in 1930s New York. Told through the eyes of three women connected to him, his wife Stella, his maid Maria and his mistress Ritzi, this story unravels in a world of jazz clubs, backstage dressing rooms and political corruption.

The atmosphere is superb. Lawhon captures the glamour and grit of the era with ease, creating a vivid picture of New York at its most dazzling and dangerous. The story moves between timelines, but the structure is handled with skill and clarity, adding tension rather than confusion. Each of the women has her own secrets and ambitions, and their lives weave together in ways that are both believable and surprising.

The characters are the heart of the book. All three women are flawed but deeply human, driven by love, loyalty and survival. Their voices feel authentic, and it is easy to empathise with each of them even when they make questionable choices. The final reveal is clever and satisfying, providing a conclusion that feels earned without being predictable.

Richly atmospheric, emotionally intelligent and full of intrigue, this is a captivating story about power, betrayal and the women history often overlooks. I loved it from start to finish.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I loved how the story unfolded and the writing is just too good. Very smooth
enjoyed the ways the women's lives intertwined and how each of them was hiding secrets from everyone else including the book's readers.
Loved the characters, plot, and especially the writing

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

The elegant cover drew me in
The write up was intriguing

OMG This was an absolute treat
I could not put this down

Added that it is based on a true story, I was absolutely blown away by it

Highly recommended read

The Frozen River is one of my favourite reads of the last year. So I was eager to read through Ariel Lawhon’s back catalogue.

The title; The Wife, The Maid and The Mistress perfectly describes our three main female characters. All are connected with Judge Joseph Crater, a man on the up in 1930s Maine and New York. In a second timeline, in 1969, Jo’s wife Stella and a retired police detective Jude Simon, sit in a bar discussing the Judge’s disappearance all those years ago.

As with the author’s other books, she blends real life historical characters with a little bit of fictional magic, to create a gripping and absorbing story.
I felt like I had traveled back to the Golden Age of glamour, being privy to the dark underbelly of the time too. The book itself feels so elegant and smooth.

Readers who love historical fiction, featuring strong female characters will thoroughly enjoy The Wife, The Maid and The Mistress, along with Ariel’s other books too.

I really enjoyed reading The Wife, the Maid and the Mistress. It was a story I knew nothing about but I had previously read two of Ariel Lawhon's other books and enjoyed her writing style so thought I'd give it a go. The story is set mainly in 1930's New York but does jump backwards and forwards quite a bit as the story unfolds. It tells the story of the disappearance of Judge Joseph Crater who was known by the dubious title of the Missingist Man in the World! Although based on fact a lot of the story told in this book is the author's imaginings but it reads as very plausible and certainly makes for a fascinating read. Based on the three books I've read I'll be downloading the rest of the authors books to read. If you love a good juicy story you can get your teeth into, that has it's basis in fact I can't recommend this enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This book read like a murder mystery novel set in prohibition New York. In fact it was a reconstruction of a historic disappearance of a high court judge that has horrified yet enthralled public opinion since it happened. Judge Joe Crater is given a concrete overcoat and dumped in the river by Coney Island as he may be willing to testify in a corruption case against a Liverpool born hoodlum. Three women have to live with the fall out from this incident and the book speculates on the degree of their involvement. To my mind this was therefore a clever novel that had some historic integrity yet was open with what was fictional licence making it a well worth read.

IF you are in the mood for a real in 1930ties New York of speakeasies and gangsters,  with three very strong female characters at the center of the book,  based on a real cold case around the disappearance of Judge Joe Carter, "The wife, the maid and the mistress" by Ariel Lawhon would be a perfect pick.

 I loved this atmospheric, mesmerizing mystery, told through the voices of the three women in corrupt Judge Joe Carter' s life: Stella Carter his tough, clever wife, Maria Simon, the maid who is married to detective Jude Simon who will be handling the case when Carter goes missing , and his mistress Ritzi, Sally Lou Ritz, a street-smart show girl. Great read, excellent writing , will not reveal more about the book. Thanks for the proof Swift Press