The Girl in the Green Dress - by Mariah Fredericks (Hardcover)

About the Book

"From the author of 'The lindbergh nanny' comes an evocative mystery about the 1920 murder of the gambler Joseph Elwell, featuring New Yorker writer Morris Markey and Zelda Fitzgerald"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

From the author of The Lindbergh Nanny comes an evocative mystery about the 1920 murder of the gambler Joseph Elwell, featuring New Yorker writer Morris Markey and Zelda Fitzgerald.

New York, 1920.

Zelda Fitzgerald is bored, bored, bored. Although she's newly married to the hottest writer in America, and one half of the literary scene's "it" couple, Zelda is at loose ends while Scott works on his next novel, The Beautiful and the Damned.

Meanwhile, Atlanta journalist Morris Markey has arrived in New York and is lost in every way possible. Recently returned from the war and without connections, he hovers at the edge of the city's revels, unable to hear the secrets that might give him his first big story.

When notorious man-about-town Joseph Elwell is found shot through the head in his swanky townhouse, the fortunes the two southerners collide when they realize they were both among the last to see him alive. Zelda encountered Elwell at the scandalous Midnight Frolic revue on the night of his death, and Markey saw him just hours before with a ravishing mystery woman dressed in green. Markey has his story. Zelda has her next adventure.

As they investigate which of Elwell's many lovers--or possibly an enraged husband--would have wanted the dapper society man dead, Zelda sweeps Markey into her New York, the heady, gaudy Jazz Age of excess and abandon, as the lost generation takes its first giddy steps into a decade-long spree. Everyone has come to do something, the more scandalous the better; Zelda is hungry for love and sensation, Markey desperate for success and recognition. As they each follow these ultimately dangerous desires, the pair close in on what really happened that night--and hunt for the elusive girl in the green dress who may hold the truth.

Based on the real story of the unsolved deaths of Joseph Elwell and New Yorker writer Morris Markey, Mariah Fredericks's new novel is a glittering homage to the dawn of the Jazz Age, as well as a deft and searing portrait of the dark side of fame.

Review Quotes

One of Library Journal's "Mystery Picks of the Month"
One of Sun Sentinel's "Best Mysteries of 2025"
One of BOLO Books's "Top Reads of 2025"
One of The Rap Sheet's "Favorite Crime Fiction of 2025"

"Dazzling . . . Fredericks has constructed a lively return to Jazz Age Manhattan."--New York Times

"[A] riveting standalone... Fredericks brings the period to life beautifully, and the often-caricatured Zelda never feels less than three-dimensional. Add in an enthralling investigation and a complex, fame-hungry lead, and it's undeniable: Fredericks has struck gold."--Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"Fredericks's new historical mystery is a roaring good time."--Library Journal (Starred Review)

"Markey's intense but platonic relationship with Zelda is particularly compelling: Fredericks' Zelda all but dances off the page."--Kirkus Reviews

"Fredericks brings history to life through the eyes of a lesser mortal who is thrust into the world of the rich--and in this case, the notorious--and as in her previous works, succeeds brilliantly."--firstCLUE

"Mariah Fredericks takes another leap in the riveting The Girl in the Green Dress, showing her skill at creating engrossing historical mysteries depicting real people in the context of their era while pinpointing what that time frame was like . . . the perfect marriage of character, era, setting and intriguing plot."--Sun Sentinel

"Another page-turner based on a true story."--Woman's World

"Lyrical, rich in period details of the gaudy Jazz Age, and unnervingly timely, The Girl in the Green Dress is a masterful mix of history and fiction. Writer Morris Markey and Zelda Fitzgerald's hunt for the ravishing but possibly lethal lady in green is an pointed metaphor for our almost indecent desire for the glitter of money, spectacle, and fame--and the dark and violent shadows of the American dream."--Susan Elia MacNeal, New York Times bestselling author of the Maggie Hope series

"At the heart of Mariah Fredericks' gripping The Girl in the Green Dress lies an imagined adventure for the inimitable Zelda Fitzgerald. The famous (and infamous) Zelda joins forces with fellow Southerner and journalist Morris Markey, and together they plunge into the glittering and sometimes gritty world of Jazz Age New York City as they investigate the murder of gambler Joseph Elwell. A riveting, unexpected tale."--Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of Queens of Crime

"Adding Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald to a murder mystery can only enhance it, as Zelda would surely agree. Mariah Fredericks is a compelling storyteller with a vivid imagination, imbuing The Girl in the Green Dress with all the sparkle and brilliance of the Zelda that readers adore."--Erika Robuck, national bestselling author of Call Me Zelda

About the Author

MARIAH FREDERICKS was born, raised, and still lives in New York City. She graduated from Vassar College with a degree in history. She is the author of the Jane Prescott mystery series, which has twice been nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. The Lindbergh Nanny, her first standalone novel, was nominated for the Agatha and Anthony Awards.