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.
© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy