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Death of a Showman
Named one of Broadway Direct's "Top Theatre Books to Read This Summer 2021"
"Fredericks offers up a cast of original, fully human characters, even the most villainous of whom have backstories that evoke at least a little understanding. Those who think they know where the story is going will be pleasantly surprised. This witty, empathetic foray into the world of Broadway will leave readers eager for Jane’s next adventure."―Publishers Weekly (Starred)
It is the summer of 1914 and lady’s maid Jane Prescott is back in New York with the Tylers after a glittering society wedding. On their return, Jane learns her old dancing partner, Leo Hirschfeld, has married a chorus girl in his new Broadway musical. Jane is pulled into the sparkling and scandalous world of Broadway, as a star struck Louise invests in Leo's show, and Jane chaperones her at rehearsals. But behind the glittering facade of the theater, there are rivalries, secret romances, and some very dodgy business practices. When the show's abusive producer, Sidney Warburton, is murdered, the list of suspects is long. Was it the comedic star or her gambler boyfriend? The disgruntled costume designer? The beautiful, blond dancer, her jealous husband? Or was it Leo himself, who had more reason than anyone to hate Sidney Warburton?
Death of an American Beauty
Nominated for the 2021 Mary Higgins Clark Award
"Ms. Fredericks's tour of old New York - from a seedy Bowery dive to the gilded palace of a department store - is eye-opening, and her mystery well-spun. But what makes this book a stand-out is its affecting depictions of interactions that transcend race, creed, gender and generations." - Wall Street Journal
Jane Prescott is taking a break from her duties as lady’s maid for a week, and plans to begin it with attending the hottest and most scandalous show in town: the opening of an art exhibition, showcasing the cubists, that is shocking New York City. A woman is found murdered outside Jane’s childhood home―a refuge for women run by her uncle.
Her uncle falls under suspicion. Haunted by memories of a woman she once knew, Jane―with the help of reporter Michael Behan and music hall pianist Leo Hirschfeld―is determined to discover who is making death into their own twisted art form.
Death of a New American
"Ms. Fredericks places Jane's investigation neatly within the larger context of the suffrage movement, and the results are unexpectedly thrilling."—The Wall Street Journal
"Wonderfully moving...Fredericks has a sharp eye for the complexities of human nature and how even good people are capable of committing terrible deeds to protect the ones they love. This is a touching portrait of early-20th-century New York in all its glory and ugliness."―Publishers Weekly (starred and boxed)
In 1912, as New York reels from the news of the Titanic disaster, ladies’ maid Jane Prescott travels to Long Island with the Benchley family. Their daughter Louise is to marry William Tyler, at their uncle and aunt’s mansion; the Tylers are a glamorous, storied couple. Jane quickly befriends the Tyler children’s nanny, Sofia—a young Italian-American woman. However, one unusually sultry spring night, Jane is woken by a scream from the nursery—and rushes in to find Sofia murdered, and the carefully locked window flung open.
A Death of No Importance
Nominated for the 2019 Mary Higgins Clark Award
One of Marie Claire's "13 Best Beach Reads of All Time"
A Library Journal Best Book of 2018
New York, 1910—a time of great wealth and greater inequality. Orphan Jane Prescott is a lady’s maid for the nouveau riche Benchley family. When Charlotte Benchley becomes engaged to the socially prominent Robert Newsome Jr., murder is in the air. And when the groom-to-be is found battered to death, Charlotte tops the list of suspects. As the woman few people notice, but who notices everything, Jane scrambles to keep the Benchleys out of a scandal—and Charlotte out of the electric chair.
Praise for A Death of No Importance
"Murder in the ranks of high society provides heady entertainment for the servants who toil in obscurity in A Death of No Importance, a lively upstairs/downstairs mystery by Mariah Fredericks set in New York City in 1910."―New York Times Book Review
"A sparkling mystery”—Publishers Weekly (starred)