My Review of The Girl in the Green Dress discusses this Jazz Age mystery set in New York and featuring amateur detective Zelda Fitzgerald herself. Is it the right book for you?
Review of The Girl in the Green Dress
Table of Contents:
- Jen’s Quick Take on The Girl in the Green Dress by Mariah Fredericks
- More Thoughts on The Girl in the Green Dress
- Other Recommended Books for Fans of The Girl in the Green Dress
The Girl in the Green Dress: Jen’s Quick Take
- The Girl in the Green Dress is a Jazz Age historical mystery
- Mariah Fredricks is the author of The Lindbergh Nanny, The Wharton Plot (and a YA mystery called The Girl in the Park, which I read!)
- The Girl in the Green Dress is structured as a frame narrative. The story opens in 1950 with the discovery of a body, and then shifts back thirty years to that same character investigating a murder in 1920s New York.
- I felt the mystery was a little slow burn at times, but I loved the whole story world. And the way that Fredericks wove together fact and fiction was artful and fascinating (more on that below.)
- I have recommendations of similar books below so you can see if this is a fit for you.
- Publication date: September 2, 2025 by Minotaur Books. Thanks so much to the publisher for the advance copy!
More Thoughts on The Girl in the Green Dress
The Girl in the Green Dress is a slow burn Jazz Age mystery with a detailed and evocative setting: 1920s New York.
The book’s characters include F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda. During the events of the story, Fitzgerald is busy working on The Great Gatsby.
The book’s main character is Morris Mackey, who served with the Red Cross in World War I and is now back home and trying to deal with the experience. After his neighbor is killed, Mackey teams up with the fearless, captivating, emotionally fragile Zelda Fitzgerald.
Zelda helps Mackey gain entry into their glittering world so he can try to solve the crime.
What I didn’t realize when reading was that, besides the Fitzgeralds, many of the book’s other characters were real. It’s a bit of a spoiler to read the author’s note first, but definitely read it after!
Recommended Books for Fans of The Girl in the Green Dress
I really enjoy books based on real events, and these are a few I have read and enjoyed. If you have other recommendations, please leave them in comments.
The Christie Affair by Nina deGramont
This intriguing mystery is based on the real-life disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926. The time period is similar to The Girl in the Green Dress, though the book takes place in the UK.
Really enjoyed this one! You can find my Readers Guide to The Christie Affair here!
A Killing on the Hill by Robert Dugoni
This historical mystery takes place in 1933 Seattle. The story is also based on real events, and features a reporter investigating a crime.
You can read my Review of A Killing on the Hill here.
