BOOK REVIEW: Death of a New American by Mariah Fredericks @mariahfredericks @Minotaurbooks #minotaurbooks #deathofanewamerican #bookreview

A socially-conscious, atmospheric, historical mystery exploring issues of ethnicity, class, and gender equality in the backdrop of early 1900s New York City. The novel is set right after news of the Titanic hits New York, and just before tens of thousands of women march the streets in support of women’s suffrage. With an explosive mystery and fascinating social commentary among the leading characters, I found Mariah Frederick’s book Death of a New American to be a fascinating addition to the historical mystery genre!

About the Book

Death of a New American by Mariah Fredericks is the atmospheric, compelling follow-up to the stunning debut A Death of No Importance, featuring series character, Jane Prescott.

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, their past filled with travel and adventure. Now, Charles Tyler is known for putting down New York’s notorious Italian mafia, the Black Hand, and his wife Alva has settled into domestic life.

As the city visitors adjust to the rhythms of the household, and plan Louise’s upcoming wedding, 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.

The Tylers believe that this is an attempted kidnapping of their baby gone wrong; a warning from the criminal underworld to Charles Tyler. But Jane is asked to help with the investigation by her friend, journalist Michael Behan, who knows that she is uniquely placed to see what other tensions may simmer just below the surface in this wealthy, secretive household. Was Sofia’s murder fall-out from the social tensions rife in New York, or could it be a much more personal crime?

Reflection

Death of a New American is the second book featuring Jane Prescott, and it can be completely read as a standalone. I didn’t read the first book Death of No Importance (though I did purchase it after LOVING this book), and I had no trouble following this charming and magnetic mystery!

In all of the books and films I’ve experienced about the Titanic, I must admit this is the first time I considered what it was like to receive news of the Titanic from America. It must have been shocking and bewildering, particularly because news trickled out much slower than it does now. The context of the book was fascinating, and placed me right in the time with Jane.

Jane Prescott is the lady’s maid to wealthy, kind, and introverted Louise Benchley. In a fascinating take on the issue of class, we see Jane who is intelligent, bold, and open-minded limited by her wealth and upbringing contrasted with the wealthy Louise who is kind but child-like, sheltered from the types of life experiences and knowledge that I think many of us take for granted. And the contrast is fascinating because Jane doesn’t really begrudge her status in life, but we do learn more about her childhood and what it was like for her—so different from Louise.

As Louise Benchley prepares for her wedding to the attractive and socially-connected, yet less-wealthy William Tyler, Jane accompanies her to Long Island for the preparations. Louise and William are so naïve despite their social standing. At times it felt that Jane was forced to act as matchmaker, counselor, and motivator to remind them that they are a rare socially-connected couple of the time that actually did fall in love. Even without the mystery, I was captivated by the three of them.

And Jane herself has an interesting relationship with a male journalist who is her intellectual equal, but spoken for in marriage. I wasn’t sure what to make of this connection at first, but ultimately found it to be a delightful element to the story, and an important catalyst in the central mystery.

When the nanny to William Tyler’s niece and nephew is murdered not long before the wedding is to take place at his Aunt and Uncle’s home, things get much more complicated. Sofia was an Italian-American at a time when Italians were considered a dirty social class by many Americans. Sofia’s murder causes an interesting conversation around issues of class, heritage, and gender, and Jane is right in the middle of it.

I found Mariah Fredericks had a keen take on the social complexities of human nature and the trials and tribulations of being a woman in the early 20^th century America. The mystery itself seemed straight forward, but got more complex as the story progressed until the conclusion was nothing short of explosive! The pending march for women’s suffrage added a rich context to the novel that I immensely enjoyed. This book is feminist, intriguing, and unique—readers will love it!

Thank you to Minotaur Books for my copy. Opinions are my own.