Marion Brooks is beyond excited when she is offered a job dancing with the Rockettes but she has no idea of the dangers to come.

The Spectacular was such a fun and interesting novel. The story alternates between 1956 and the present day in NYC. Fiona Davis always does an amazing job of bringing the city to life and I love how she incorporates historic buildings into her stories. Along with the vivid setting, the history of the Rockettes was really interesting. The Spectacular is a glittering novel with a fast paced plot that will keep you on your toes.

This one started out strong but quickly dove into drivel. The conversations between the characters felt stilted, awkward and unreal completely changing the way I felt about reading the book.

I loved learning more about the Rockettes. & The Christmas Spectacular is a wonderful production that I enjoyed thoroughly when I lived in NY.. I encourage everyone to go watch the show, but let the book.go..

This was an excellent and engaging historical fiction novel with wonderful character development. The story had history, intrigue, romance, & plenty of family drama. Thank you to Edelweiss+ for the ARC. I was bothered by how the author described Marion in the beginning. She was in her 50s and she wrote her as if she were much older, couldn't move well, moving into a senior facility, etc. She also used the term "gaslighting" when Marion was 18 & that term wasn't really popular in culture until recently.

I really enjoyed this book. I love the way Fiona Davis writes and will read anything she writes. The story was enjoyable and I could not put it down.

Another fabulous historical story from Davis. Marion was a strong character who stuck to her desire to do what she wanted by becoming a Rockette. Reading about the Rockette's in that time period was very informative. The way the mystery was solved seemed a little unbelievable that anyone could try their hand at investigation.

The first part of the book you learn about Marion, her father, and sister. Her father was a liar and very old fashion. You see Marion's attempt at becoming a Rockettes dancer. It is so interesting and full of details that I am sure are from Fiona Davis' research. I found this part very interesting.

The second half is a mystery that Marion attempts to solve. She and a friend find out things and do things the detectives were not able to figure out. I found this half unbelievable. I have never been a fan of a civilian figuring out a mystery.

I will read another Fiona Davis. This one was half great for me.

The Spectacular takes place over a few months and is a brief 1990s story incorporating long retrospective flashbacks to 1956, when 19-year-old Marion Brooks successfully auditioned for the Radio City Rockettes, much to the chagrin of her father. The restrictions of her patriarchal family cause Marion to defy expectations and take her future into her own hands, and the ensuing issues are integral to the story.

Quite apart from the magical pull of the Radio City Music Hall itself, the meticulously detailed reflections on dance rehearsals, synchronisation of eye-high kicks and smiles, and clever height adjustments, using line placement and costume, are fascinating. Four shows a day, seven days a week, three weeks on, one week off – this gruelling regimen drew me into Marion’s and her friend Bunny’s world. I felt deeply involved in this part of the novel: the camaraderie, the troupe mentality, the slightest mistake exposing human fallibility in clockwork precision, and how the visual lure of synchronised harmony in human movement touches the deepest part of our psyche.

Hence, for me, the first half of the book is the most compelling. Following a terrible tragedy at Radio City which affects Marion personally, the latter part of the novel delves into family drama. Marion’s behaviour, though fully understandable emotionally, doesn’t feel credible. With a fraught relationship already in tatters, references throughout the book to Marion’s father as Simon distance him from the usual nuclear family father-daughter connection.

The novel dwells on historical events from 1956, when the New York City police hired a psychiatrist to help identify the Mad Bomber who terrorised NYC for sixteen years. The history behind these events was the lead-in to criminal profiling. In The Spectacular, Davis continues to shine the spotlight on extraordinary New York landmarks.

It wasn’t all lights and sparkles at Radio City Music Hall and instead we follow the path of a very real serial bomber that was rampant in New York for 16 years in the 1940s and 50s. While the story took some fairly large liberties with the actual history, I thought it was very well written and enjoyable, while also paying homage to the complexities of mental health and the real people that suffered due to the bomber. I was disappointed in the way the ending was written and felt it packed too much into the last couple chapters that wasn’t overly needed. However, an excellent read and a story contained so much more complexity and dark history than I was expecting. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

After Marion loses her job as a dance teacher at one of New York City’s finest dance studios, she takes a chance and lands the once in a lifetime opportunity to perform as one of the coveted Radio City Music Hall Rockette in the 1950s. Marion’s father doesn’t approve of her dreams to be a professional dancer and forces Marion to choose her own true happiness on the stage or her family and the vision they have for her as a dutiful wife. The decision only gets more complicated as the Big Apple Bomber targets multiple Rockette performances and Marion’s life is forever changed. The story is told from only Marion’s POV both then (at the time she was a Rockette) and looking back now during elderly age.

I’m not normally into historical fiction but the cover and synopsis were just so intriguing. I’m obsessed with the beautiful cover design! I’m so glad I gave it a chance because I loved it and it ended up being one of my book club’s picks for July! It’s an incredibly bittersweet story full of hope, loss, and the complexity of life.

Thank you so much to Penguin - Dutton, Fiona, and NetGalley for the digital review copy!

Another great piece of historical fiction by this author! The Spectacular, as with many HF books, enlightened me to a piece of history I knew nothing about. The story blends the reality of the "Big Apple Bomber" with the dreams and determination of Marion, a young woman yearning to pursue her dreams instead of her father's demands.
I loved the glimpse into the life of a Rockette in the 1950s and felt like I stepped back in time to life in New York City seventy years ago.
Marion is determined to be a Rockette, determined to help solve the mystery behind the bombs and determined to create a future that will make both herself and her father happy. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this interesting read!

I fell into this book and the life of Marion right away! My one line is that this was another SPECTACULAR read! The historical aspect of each of the Davis novels draws you into the decades and don’t let you go. The Rockets have a fascinating history and even the building becomes a favorite character. Add in the family drama and bonus storylines of Marion and her friend, Bunny, and you will wishing this book would have a sequel like I did! Well done! This author is a must read for me. I am giving this review for the privilege of reading a beautifully written book and enjoying a piece of history.

Historical fiction isn’t my go-to genre, but this was an excellent and memorable read whether you like the genre or not!

I went into this book blind, only vaguely knowing it was about the Rockettes. I highly recommend doing the same! I wasn’t expecting some of the events that are actually talked about in the book summary, and I think that added to my enjoyment!

This was a really compelling read! I really didn’t know what to expect, but I felt transported back into 1956 and never thought I’d be so into a book about dancers! The characters felt so real, and I got caught up in the mystery and action at the end. Such a unique read that I really loved!

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton Books for the copy in exchange for my honest review!

Once again, Fiona Davis wrote a novel that I found absolutely delightful and have made it my mission to share it with as many people as possible. Her characters are so fully brought to life and yet unexpected at the same time. I really enjoyed the plot of this novel, I wasn't familiar with the bombing story but I thought the Rockettes storyline was so entertaining. It was the perfect blend of glamour and suspense and it broke my heart and put it back together again. Just fantastic from start to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Spectacular by Fiona Davis!!

I loved this book. I was a dancer growing up so it gave me all the feels. It has a great mix of fiction, romance and mystery to it. Very entertaining and fun to solve the case. Great historical fiction based on true facts.

Review will be posted on 7/28/23

Marion Brooks is living a pretty boring life in Bronxville with her father and sister. The year is 1956 and Marion pretty much has everything laid out for her. She is to get married to her fiance and live a pretty conventional life. This doesn't work for Marion. Her passion is in dancing and she hears about open tryouts for the Rockettes, the famous dancers from Radio City Music Hall, and she decides to take a chance and audition. Believe it or not, she gets the job. Her father, who is overprotective and controlling, throws her out once he finds out she is a Rockette, so now Marion is on her own. She lives in a boardinghouse for women and finds herself learning what it means to be a Rockette. But things aren't always amazing in glamorous New York City. There's the Big City Bomber, who police can't catch and has been wreaking havoc on the city for many years now. He has bombed Radio City Music Hall before and has plans to do it again, and this changes Marion's life forever. The Spectacular by Fiona Davis is a page-turner of a historical novel that fans of New York City, as well as the Rockettes, will especially appreciate.

I love how Davis highlighted the many issues creative women had to deal with in the 50s. Marion's lack of support from her family was heartbreaking, but I was happy to see her carve her own path in The Spectacular. The details surrounding the time period as well as the Rockettes were well done; Davis obviously studied their dance routines as it felt like a behind the scene glimpse into it all. I have always enjoyed the Rockettes and the details surrounding their dance numbers were a lot of fun. I was rooting for Marion through it all. The Big City Bomber kept me flipping the pages, but at the heart of the story are the Rockettes, female friendships, and what it takes to follow your dreams.

Another New York landmark brought to life by Fiona Davis. I like to imagine what could have happened in the NYC buildings in the past as I pass by them on daily basis. What kind of lives lived in them, what kind of stories came to life, and what type of memories were created. Fiona Davis does that for me through her books.

Rockettes! PanAm stewardesses of entertainment! Organization, coordination, and perfection in human form. Similar PanAm girls, they weren't taken so seriously when they began. They were showgirls, not doing respectable jobs. But no one understood the level of dedication required to get something amazing on the stage. On top of that, there was a serial bomber attacking them in addition to other NYC landmarks.

I'm curious to see what will be the next building Davis will explore.

This book gave a wonderful historical background of life as a rocket while also weaving in the mystery of the big apple bomber. I love the story that Fiona wove. I enjoy all of her books, but this one really intrigued me.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.


First off I have read all of Fiona Davis' past books and loved them all. I think its really neat that they all take place in famous buildings around New York City. I love her writing style and her dual storylines.

This book didn't disappoint me in the slightest. What starts out as a story about a woman wanting to become a Rockette at Radio City Music Hall, turns into a mystery. I didn't see that coming at all. There was a part of the story that I had never heard about, but was really fascinated by. There was only one part of the story that I didn't like very much, because it was really unbelievable, but it moved along pretty quickly.

I will be recommending this book to patrons!

I love Fiona Davis’s books and this one was an absolute delight! A fast-paced story of the grueling work behind the scenes of the Rockettes blended with an interesting whodonit!