Fictionalization of the real life disappearance of Judge Crater in the 1930s. The peak into the lives of 3 women surrounding him are relatable and give great insight into the sexism and classism of the time.

Wow. Very smoothly written, and unpredictable. Would highly recommend to those who dream about a glitzy 1930s NYC.

A cleverly contrived mystery set in 1930's New York. Wonderfully woven stories of the three women involved.

3.5 stars. I enjoyed it. It was a fast and engaging read.

Another book that tells the story in out of sequence chunks. Its effective, but when listening to such a book you have to pay close attention to the date of the sequence. This technique was very good for this story. I liked the three women characters and the story.

4.5 stars! Really loved this “true” story!

Intriguing fictional account of a historical mystery

This debut novel by Ariel Lawhon is a biographical historical fiction book that tells an imagined account of what happened to New York Supreme Court judge Joseph Force Crater when he disappeared in 1930. The case of his disappearance has never been solved, although many have speculated as to what happened. I had never heard of Crater or of his disappearance before discovering this book, although the case was heavily publicized in the national news for awhile. Lawhon has very cleverly woven a story together that imagines the roles the three most prominent women in Crater’s life might have had in his disappearance. Other reviews have critically mentioned that the novel needs a better structure, perhaps due to the non-chronological presentation of events. I don’t feel that this is a negative aspect of the book; to the contrary, I think Lawhon successfully used this narrative device to allow the reader to piece together the mystery’s details and “solve” the case alongside the characters. Leaving out any spoilers, the novel ends with the events wrapped up in a neat little package, which I always appreciate in a book. If you want to learn more about Crater’s disappearance, or of 1930’s New York, or if you like fictional accounts based on actual events, then you might like this book. After reading the story, make sure that you read the author’s notes at the end to learn what was fact and what was fiction, and read the epilogue to get the final bit of how it all turned out.

2.5. Not sure how this book ended up on my TBR list, but I found it to be very average

An unusual take on a whodunit story, told through the voices of the three women who were closest to New York Supreme Court Judge Joseph Crater, who really disappeared in the 1930s. The author is genius in the way that she weaves the narration and time line between the three women and comes up with what I felt was a very plausible explanation to this unsolved crime. It was so well written that I was shocked to realize that it was based on an actual event. Two thumbs up from this reader!