In THE WHARTON PLOT, Mariah Fredericks turns her meticulous eye for plot and rigorous research to post–Gilded Age New York City, in which bestselling author Edith Wharton has stumbled upon a mystery for the ages.

It is 1911, and it has been six years since Wharton’s explosive novel, THE HOUSE OF MIRTH, released to rave reviews and a ravenous public. Since then, Wharton has shilled out a few new stories, but her publisher, Scribner, is hungry for her next big book. There’s just one problem: Wharton, heralded for sharing her insider's knowledge of upper-class New York and realistic portrayals of the Gilded Age, has grown tired of New York. She fears that the city has sped past her and that she no longer has the boots-on-the-ground knowledge to depict it accurately. Electric motors abound, glamorous old buildings are being knocked down for new monstrosities, and the city is just so crowded that there seems to be no room for inspiration. Add to that her husband’s bad health, the rumors of her own affair, and her age (a whopping, practically dead 49 years), and you have a serious case of writer’s block.

"Fredericks clearly had a great deal of fun writing her protagonist, but her research and ability to craft entire worlds in only a few sentences ground this fun while making readers feel right at home."

When we meet Wharton, she is being observed by her editor, Mr. Brownell, who drew the short straw in deciding which of Scribner’s representatives would be forced to dine with the incorrigible author. He notes, with a critical but warm gaze, her effusive furs and jewels --- not to mention the dismissive attitude she takes with the waitstaff --- and prepares for battle. However, no sooner than the two have begun to discuss her future at Scribner than Mr. Brownell is distracted by another guest at the restaurant: David Graham Phillips.

An avowed muckraker journalist and author, Phillips has been both praised and criticized for his unwavering dedication to uncovering corruption and wrongdoing in the government. His book, THE TREASON OF THE SENATE, prompted both Congressional and presidential outrage. Already feeling insecure, Wharton is unsettled by the pompous Mr. Phillips, who introduces himself as America’s leading novelist before insulting her background as a member of the elite and not so politely informing her that she has no idea how to write or understand the American woman.

Despite his rudeness, Phillips sticks in Wharton’s mind, perhaps a welcome distraction from her own worries. That is, until her editor phones her to let her know that Phillips has been shot --- in broad daylight --- in front of the Princeton Club. Intrigued and admittedly a bit voyeuristic, Wharton attends his funeral and meets his grieving sister before being invited to his apartment for a repast. It is there that she learns something even more shocking than an author being murdered: Phillips had been receiving threatening notes and calls for months leading up to the publication of his next novel, SUSAN LENOX: Her Rise and Fall.

His sister and a few of his followers believe that it was this book that led to his murder. Knowing that a grieving sibling will get no respect at Phillips’ publisher, she pleads with Wharton to do what is right and ensure that the book is published as he wrote it --- with no cuts for propriety, no excuses and no freedom for his killer. If you’re anything like Wharton, this leaves you with one question: What exactly was in Phillips’ novel? “The truth,” his sister replies.

Although there was no love lost between Wharton and Phillips, Wharton has grown tired of sabotaging publishers and the lack of recognition for the written word, especially as the world moves so speedily to progress and revolution. So she decides it is only right that she help Phillips and his family see the publication of his last book. Indulging in the proximity and advice of contemporaries like Henry James, Walter Berry and Morton Fullerton, she turns from writer to investigator. But when threatening notes --- on the same cardstock, in the same hand, and written with the same writerly bent --- begin arriving at her own home, Wharton must wonder what Phillips was really up to and if her late involvement could mean her own death.

Readers of THE LINDBERGH NANNY will already know that Mariah Fredericks is an astute and meticulous researcher who has a knack for writing characters who live and breathe on the page. In THE WHARTON PLOT, these talents are once again on full display. This time, though, she takes her plot a step further by putting her audience not just near the drama, but right in the head of the esteemed literary figure investigating it: Edith Wharton. Fredericks is ambitious but assured as she observes the world of post–Gilded Age New York through her protagonist’s eyes, and the result is astounding. Wharton absolutely crackles off the page, and her observations of her contemporaries read exactly like those of the writer of works like THE HOUSE OF MIRTH and ETHAN FROME.

Fredericks clearly had a great deal of fun writing her protagonist, but her research and ability to craft entire worlds in only a few sentences ground this fun while making readers feel right at home. Add to that the multiple other issues plaguing Wharton --- her marriage, her affair, her career --- and you have a well-rounded, deeply entertaining work of historical fiction that just so happens to include a major mystery. Fredericks continues to impress, and I cannot wait to see which historical mystery she turns her eye toward next.