The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress

The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress (2014) is a work of historical fiction by Ariel Lawhon. It follows the lives of three women: Stella Crater, wife of crooked New York State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Crater; Sally Lou Ritz, Crater’s mistress and a Broadway chorus girl caught in the web of notorious gangster, Owney Madden; and Maria Simon, the Craters’ maid, a talented seamstress and the wife of newly minted NYC police detective, Jude Simon. Each woman attempts to move within the corrupt system, with varying degrees of success. When Crater disappears one night from a Coney Island hotel, the women must deal with the fallout. The novel explores Female Solidarity as a Means of Empowerment and Survival, The Corruption in Politicized Power Dynamics, and The Importance of Appearances Over Truth.

Lawhon’s novel is based on her reimagining of the real-life Justice Crater’s disappearance, which took place in the summer of 1930.

This guide uses the 2014 Vintage Books paperback edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of gender discrimination, sexual violence, pregnancy termination, sexual content, cursing, illness and death, and physical and emotional abuse.

Plot Summary

The Prologue is set 39 years after Joe Crater’s disappearance. His wife, Stella, sits in a booth at Club Abbey, a former Jazz Age-era “speakeasy” (club that illegally served alcohol during Prohibition). Tonight, she deviates from her usual “ritual” and is joined by Detective Jude Simon.

The novel jumps back 39 years before to 1930. Crater, a New York State Supreme Court justice, is carrying on an affair behind Stella’s back. Their maid, Maria, finds Crater in bed with Sally Lou Ritz (nicknamed “Ritzi”), an aspiring Broadway actress. Crater warns Maria to remember that he got Jude Simon, her husband, his promotion to detective. When she leaves, Maria goes to her other job as a seamstress, where she is introduced to a new client, the notorious gangster Owney Madden.

Later that day, at Owney’s “speakeasy,” Club Abbey, Crater is there with Ritzi and his close friend, William Klein. Crater and Ritzi then spend the night together at a Coney Island hotel. During the night, Ritzi hears men entering their room and hides. The intruders accuse Crater of talking to police, then beat and kidnap him. The next day, Ritzi asks Klein to lie to police, saying they were together the night Crater disappeared and that they watched Crater get in a taxi alone. 

A few days later, Stella launches a search for Joe in New York, but she realizes his associates are covering up his disappearance. Stella eventually finds two business cards in Joe’s jacket: one for Simon Rifkind, an associate, and one for Owney Madden. She leaves a message for Owney, then calls Rifkind, who offers to deposit Joe’s paycheck, advising Stella not to speak of Joe’s disappearance since his reelection is soon.

The next time Maria is at the Craters’ place, her husband and his partner, Leo Lowenthall, arrive, forcing her to hide. She sees Jude deposit four manila envelopes in a drawer. Maria wonders if she should say anything to Jude. When she later asks him about Owney Madden, he gets upset and accidentally breaks her rosary. Maria remembers Jude once saying after his promotion that his new job came with “strings.” 

Maria goes to a doctor to discuss her fertility issues. While waiting for her appointment, she hears another patient begging the doctor to terminate a pregnancy. When the woman leaves, Maria recognizes her as Ritzi, Crater’s mistress. When left alone in the examination room, Maria steals Ritzi’s information. 

Ritzi meets with a reporter, George Hall. Almost a month earlier, Ritzi and Crater saw a show in Atlantic City, and Ritzi snuck away to inform Judge Samuel Seabury that Crater paid a year’s salary for his position; then she tipped off Hall. Now, Ritzi tells the reporter that Crater got into a cab on August 6 and hasn’t been seen since. She says she’ll be in touch with more details. 

Maria goes back to the Craters’ and opens the first envelope, which is stuffed with cash. She worries she won’t get paid if Crater is dead and steals $500. Later, at her other job, Owney arrives and tells her that he knows who she is.

Stella goes to the city and finds the envelopes in the drawer. The first contains $12,619 cash. The others contain Joe’s life insurance policies, his will, and a list of everyone who owes him money. Stella recalls her life with Joe and how he pressured her to keep up appearances. 

Jude and Maria go to see a show, where Maria identifies Ritzi in the chorus. Stella goes to the same theater to look for Klein, who tells her he hasn’t seen Joe in weeks. Stella meets both Ritzi and Maria in the bathroom. Stella commends Ritzi’s performance and compliments Maria’s appearance. Stella then takes a cab to Club Abbey, where she asks Owney to return the deed to her cabin, which Joe gave him as collateral. Stella promises she won’t tell police that Joe returned to the city to meet with Owney. Lowenthall and Jude visit Stella, and she lets them look around her apartment. Leo opens the drawer where Jude put the envelopes, but it’s empty. Stella says nothing. The detectives leave, suggesting she return to Maine.

Owney sends for Maria so she can help the actresses with their costumes. Ritzi says she might need Maria’s help when her pregnancy becomes obvious. 

Maria tries to return the Craters’ money, but the envelopes are gone. She realizes that she and Jude are no longer honest with each other. While she’s there, Lowenthall arrives and his men ransack the place. Lowenthall says he heard Maria begged Crater for Jude’s promotion. Lowenthall saw Maria hiding the day Jude hid the envelopes, and he threatens her safety if she talks. Meanwhile, Jude goes to Maine to interview Stella, but she cannot answer many of his questions.

Jude interviews Ritzi, who realizes he’s married to Maria. Later that night, Jude asks Maria if she ever saw anything useful at the Craters’, and she says no. Ritzi tells her roommate, Vivian, that Crater didn’t take the pregnancy well—he ended their relationship—and she’s still hiding it from Owney. Vivian has a plan to testify for Seabury, and she vows never to return to her life of sex work afterwards. She tells Ritzi to get a corset to hide her pregnancy, promising to help Ritzi escape.

Maria opens a letter from the district attorney, Thomas Crain, asking her to report to the court on October 29th. Ritzi and Stella get similar letters. Stella fears prosecution for Joe’s corruption. The next day, Stella decides that she is going to Portland to “disappear” for a while. Ritzi and Klein agree to keep lying and say they’re together. Ritzi tells the court the same story she told Jude: That she and Klein bid Crater goodbye after dinner, and she assumes Crater got into a cab. 

Later, Maria waits outside the stage door for Ritzi, who gives her five costumes to alter. Maria offers to take Ritzi’s baby, saying she can pay her medical bills and rent, and that Ritzi can keep whatever’s left of the $500. George Hall sees them talking and recognizes them both, until another actress, Elaine, distracts him. Ritzi agrees to Maria’s offer and they plan to meet the next day. Ritzi withdraws all her money from the bank, and Maria meets Ritzi with the costumes and cash.

Owney tells Ritzi he’s not fooled by her corset, and he plans to take her for terminate the pregnancy after the show. They go to a man he obviously paid to kill her, and she tries to bribe him. The abortionist takes all Ritzi’s money, then lets her go, telling Owney he “handled” it. When Ritzi gets home, she calls Maria, and then goes into hiding at Maria’s mother’s house. Vivian tells Ritzi that Owney took all her things, except the wedding band. Ritzi longs to return to her old life. She’s the one who told Owney that Crater would testify before the Seabury Commission, hoping Owney would kill him. 

Meanwhile, Maria goes back to the obstetrics office and learns that she has ovarian cancer. She later goes to Club Abbey and leaves an anonymous letter for Owney, implicating Crater.

Stella returns to New York and puts the envelopes back into the drawer. Maria tells Jude that she saw him plant the envelopes. She says she knows Lowenthall and Mulrooney are corrupt, and that she took some of the money and gave it to Ritzi for the baby. Jude says Ritzi’s been missing for a month. Stella calls Thomas Crain and tells him of the envelopes she “just found.” Stella learns that Joe will have to be missing for seven years before he can be declared legally dead, but Rifkind helps her gain control of Joe’s estate.

Vivian is strangled the night before her Seabury Commission testimony, and Ritzi flees. She writes that staying would endanger Maria’s family. Ritzi also sends Stella a letter describing Joe’s death. In Iowa, Ritzi’s husband takes her back. Ritzi names her daughter Vivian. Jude has Maria’s rosary fixed, and they plan to spend every minute together. Stella gets a job as a switchboard operator.

On the anniversary of Joe’s disappearance, Stella goes to Club Abbey. She sits in Owney’s booth, deciding she will do this annually as “penance.” She recalls a party the Craters hosted to celebrate Joe’s election. Ritzi attended; Maria was serving. Privately, Stella chastised Joe for draining their savings to buy his seat; he told her she could leave him. When he disappeared into the office, Stella said she wished he were dead. Ritzi and Maria agreed. Stella suggested they get rid of him, and that’s what they did. 

Jumping ahead to 1969, Jude opens the envelope Stella has left him. It contains Ritzi’s letter. He reads how Ritzi tipped off Seabury after Stella located him in Atlantic City, how Maria delivered an incriminating letter to protect Jude. Ritzi says she planned to give the baby to Maria, but then Vivian was killed and Ritzi had to run. Jude burns the letter to protect Maria’s name.

Jude narrates the Epilogue in 1977, describing his trip to Hart Island to locate Crater’s body. It was found under the Coney Island pier 22 years ago. The skeleton was unidentifiable, but evidence suggests it was Crater. Jude locates the right office in the abandoned building and finds the man’s file and burial location. Jude burns the folder, dropping it, and the entire place catches fire. He feels he has finally succeeded in protecting Maria. He grieves her death.