A Death of No Importance

 

A Death of No Importance

Mariah Fredericks

Meira.Elena

Ages: 14+

Lexile: 1000L-1200L

Journey to New York City, in 1910, to the scene of a gruesome murder with all too many probably suspects. Jane Prescott, maid to the Benchley sisters, must put together the clues and solve the murder to protect the innocent- but who is innocent? And can innocence be easily defined? Written with stunning details, engaging language, and well-developed characters, Mariah Frederick’s novel will grab and hold your attention from the very first chapter!

 

Jane Prescott works for Charlotte and Louise Benchley—newcomers to New York City’s high society. With her charges at the center of a scandal, and with everyone out to fulfill their own agendas, Jane Prescott must become a detective herself, to solve such a conspicuous murder before the wrong party takes the fall. With an engaging Irish reporter, new discoveries in the science of crime, and rising tensions between the anarchists fighting for worker’s rights and unions and the upper class men and women determined to retain their positions in the human hierarchy, Jane Prescott doesn’t have much time or support. But then again, what lady’s maid ever succeeded at the first signs of hardship?

I read this book in one afternoon, it was delicious! While I suspected the murderer, I did not know for certain until they were revealed, just as it should be in a well-written mystery novel! Prescott’s character was engagingly imperfect, and Fredericks wove issues of worker’s rights, women’s rights, child labor, sexual assault, and class differences into the story with both grace and honesty. And as other reviews have said, you will truly feel as though you have stepped into 1910s America.

          Today, this book reminds us that not all cases are cut and dry; not all villains are truly evil; and life is not black and white. There are nuances and circumstances that make judgment difficult, and there are rarely easy answers. Definitely a book that is relevant to today.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries, histories, and well-written characters.