A Death of No Importance by Mariah Fredericks

A Death of No Importance by Mariah Fredericks

"A taut, suspenseful, and complex murder mystery with gorgeous period detail."--Susan Elia MacNeal

Through her exquisite prose, sharp observation and deft plotting, Mariah Fredericks invites us into the heart of a changing New York in her remarkable debut adult novel, A Death of No Importance.

New York City, 1910. Invisible until she's needed, Jane Prescott has perfected the art of serving as a ladies' maid to the city's upper echelons. When she takes up a position with the Benchley family, dismissed by the city's elite as "new money", Jane realizes that while she may not have financial privilege, she has a power they do not--she understands the rules of high society. The Benchleys cause further outrage when their daughter Charlotte becomes engaged to notorious playboy Norrie, the son of the eminent Newsome family.

But when Norrie is found murdered at a party, Jane discovers she is uniquely positioned--she's a woman no one sees, but who witnesses everything; who possesses no social power, but that of fierce intellect--and therefore has the tools to solve his murder. There are many with grudges to bear: from the family Norrie was supposed to marry into, to the survivors of a tragic accident in a mine owned by the Newsomes, to the rising anarchists who are sick of those born into wealth getting away with anything they want. Jane also knows that in both high society and the city's underbelly, morals can become cheap in the wrong hands: scandal and violence simmer just beneath the surface--and can break out at any time.

Mariah Fredericks grew up in the city of New York. She is the author of The Girl in the Park, a poignant, insightful meditation on what it means to grow up in the age of Facebook, as described by Publishers Weekly in a starred review. The bestseller The Real Meaning of Cleavage, as well as Head Games, Crunch Time, and the In the Cards series, are among Mariah's other works. Mariah Fredericks' website is mariahfredericks.com.