Death of a showman : a novel

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Title:

Death of a showman : a novel

Author:

Fredericks, Mariah, author.

ISBN:

9781250210906

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

278 pages ; 25 cm.

Series:

Jane Prescott ;

Subject Term:

Lady's maids -- Fiction.

Social classes -- Fiction.

Theater -- New York (State) -- New York -- Fiction.

Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction.

Nineteen tens -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

New York (N.Y.) -- History -- 1898-1951 -- Fiction.

Genre:

Mystery fiction.

Historical fiction.

Summary:

It's the summer of 1914 and Jane Prescott-lady's maid to Louise Tyler, daughter of a wealthy New York society family-has just arrived home from Independence Day celebrations to find musician Leo Hirschfeld playing the Tylers' piano. Jane's brief courtship with Leo had ended before the Tylers' vacation to Europe earlier in the summer, so she isn't entirely surprised to see him. She is, however, shocked to learn that he's been engaged to write a new Broadway show-and that he's married a chorus girl in his musical. Jane and Louise Tyler are pulled into the sparkling and dramatic world of Broadway, with Louise becoming an investor in the show, and Jane accompanying her to rehearsals as her chaperone. But behind the glittering facade of costumes and love songs, the cast is restless and prone to deception, culminating in the death of the show's producer: Sidney Warburton. The accusation that Leo was involved jolts Jane, and her old friend and tabloid reporter Michael Behan, into action. Determined to close the curtain on these murders, Jane must strip back the masks of these consummate actors until she knows the truth. --

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	MYSTERY FRE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	MYSTERY FRE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Wildwood Library (Mahtomedi)	MYSTERY FRE	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

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Summary

In Mariah Fredericks's Death of a Showman , the fourth in this absorbing series set in Gilded Age New York, lady's maid Jane Prescott is thrust into the world of show business, where a killer is stalking Broadway.

"A lively upstairs/downstairs mystery."-- New York Times Book Review on A Death of No Importance

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 in Europe. On their return, Jane learns another wedding has taken place. Her old dancing partner, Leo Hirschfeld, has married a chorus girl in his new Broadway musical.

Jane and Louise Tyler are 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?

As the First World war looms in the distance, Jane and tabloid reporter Michael Behan must strip back the masks of these consummate performers before one of them kills again.

Author Notes

MARIAH FREDERICKS was born and raised in New York City, where she still lives with her family. She is the author of several YA novels. A Death of No Importance was her first adult novel.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Set in 1914, Frederick's lyrical fourth Jane Prescott mystery (after 2020's Death of an American Beauty) finds lady's maid Jane Prescott, after a year in Europe with young society matron Louise Tyler, back in New York, where she learns her former sweetheart, composer Leo Hirschfeld, has gotten married and is about to open his first musical revue on Broadway. After Louise becomes one of the show's patrons, Jane is assigned to assist the wardrobe mistress and is soon immersed in the theater's tumultuous backstage life. When the musical's despicable producer is murdered and Leo is pegged as the main suspect, astute, observant Jane goes on the hunt for the killer. 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. Agent: Victoria Skurnick, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary. (Apr.)

Kirkus Review

Backing a theatrical extravaganza has serious consequences for a New York socialite and her maid in 1914. The news that songwriter Leo Hirschfeld, her former not-quite-boyfriend, is rehearsing a Broadway-bound play gives lady's maid Jane Prescott a pleasant tingle, followed by a heart-wrenching thud at the news that Two Loves Have I features the lovely Violet Tempest, who's now Leo's wife. After lady of the house Louise Tyler warns the rest of the staff to be mindful of Jane's tender feelings, the young matron is intrigued when Leo turns up to see not Jane, but Louise herself. Hoping to interest her in making a modest investment, the enterprising young man invites her to a rehearsal. Since propriety demands that Louise can't be backstage alone at a place as disreputable as a theater, Jane accompanies her. As her employer falls head over heels for the magic of the stage and invests in the show, Jane develops a grudging affection for the theater folk, befriending over-the-hill comedian Roland Harney and his dog, Peanut. She especially appreciates the faces behind the scenes, from Harriet Biederman, who keeps the show's complicated finances straight, to Adele St. John, whose costumes make Violet and leading lady Blanche Arden into the magical creatures they appear onstage. The person Jane bonds with least is producer Sidney Warburton. So she feels no great loss when the tyrannical moneyman is shot dead in the men's room at Rector's, where the cast is having a late supper. It's only when Detective Harrison J. Fullerton begins to ask pointed questions about Leo's relationship with Warburton that Jane realizes the full impact of the murder on both her newfound theater friends and her faithful employer. There's no upstairs or downstairs backstage. The show must go on. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Jane Prescott is by now a well-loved character, with readers having followed the maid through several Gilded Age New York mysteries, including Death of an American Beauty (2020). Prescott is becoming renowned for sleuthing, and at the end of this book, she just might be leaving the servant's life for detective work. It helps Jane's growing reputation that the mystery this time is high-profile, involving actors and the moneyed backers behind their shows. The first victim is Sidney Warburton, producer of a Broadway show in which Prescott's somewhat naive employer has invested. Prescott herself is more worldly but is still shocked by the cutthroat world of the theater, especially when Warburton's death is not the last one attached to the show. Fans may wish for more Jane Prescott here, as her character can be a little overshadowed by the multitude of others parading the boards, but they'll still be satisfied by the upstairs-downstairs world the protagonist inhabits and her understated canniness at crime solving. For fans of the series and of any fiction set in the Gilded Age.

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Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

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