Mariah Fredericks

What a disappointment. I just couldn’t read any longer and stopped at page 147. The premise sounded clever and there were many rave reviews, but this just didn’t work for me. I love a good mystery, and all the better if it’s historical fiction. But the main character has to be likable, and this fictional version of the famous writer Edith Wharton was definitely not likable. The author made Wharton a depressing and negative character, and I didn’t care about her or any of the other characters. The story moved very slowly, and overall it was boring.

I can’t recommend this one.… (meer)

There are mysteries where the investigator is there mostly to move forward the plot, and then there are mysteries where the investigator also learns something about themselves. The Wharton Plot is absolutely the latter -- in investigating the death of then-famous novelist David Graham Phillips, Edith Wharton considers the nature of being a writer, as well as some hard truths about her own personal life. She is marvelously in character -- not always likable, but someone well worth knowing. Many historicals that incorporate real life historical figures as sleuths feel at least a little forced--this one never does. Wharton's natural curiosity and the circumstances that Fredericks sets up make perfect sense. I closed the book feeling like I'd spent time with Wharton herself, and feel inspired to return to her works soon!… (meer)