I have a deep love of historical fiction novels, as they place the reader in a time and place that is often unknown. Good historical fiction develops empathy for the characters and helps us understand the past. In the last few years, author Fiona Davis has put out several novels, all set in New York City, that explore the challenges women face at different points in history. The Magnolia Palace, her latest book, is a wonderful addition to Davis' list of achievements. There were several characters that I quickly became invested in, and historical details about New York that I didn't know about. For fans of historical fiction, this is a must-read!

What I Liked:

Historical Details:

This novel actually is set in two different historical periods, 1919, and 1966. Both time periods are richly drawn. In 1919, New York is a city of contrasts. Some neighborhoods are filled with tenements, with the threat of severe poverty just around the corner. Other areas are filled with mansions from The Gilded Age, with almost obscene excesses. The concerns of poor and rich couldn't be more different. I liked how the author showed how much the newspapers oft he day influenced the city. If you were targeted by the gossip pages, your life could be ruined.

In 1968, the Frick mansion has become the Frick Museum (an actual place in New York City), where the massive art collection of Henry Clay Frick is displayed. But even in this setting, we can see the struggles of the time playing out. A young black intern at the museum shows the reader about his challenges as he has to constantly prove he belongs there. And Veronica, a young woman on a modeling assignment, is dealing with the harassment, and sexism that is so rampant in that time. I was particularly struck be the details of what models had to bring on photoshoots. The model, not the company who hires her, must provide her own makeup, jewelry, shoes, and other accessories for the assignment. I can't imagine how expensive that must have been! Again, the extravagance of the fashion world is in sharp contrast to realities of regular people who want to aspire to something more.

Story:

In 1919, The Gilded Age is over, and what is left in New York are mansions that are too big, and rich people living in the past. For Henry Clay Frick, it means a reckoning at the end of his life. What will his legacy be? Does he want to be known as a union-busting villain, or as a dignified patron of the arts? Obviously, he wants to be know for his massive art collection.

For Lillian Carter, a twenty-year old sculptor's model who just lost her mother to the Spanish Flu, all she's thinking about is survival. After she is implicated in a sordid murder, the newspapers of the time have a field day portraying her as little more than a prostitute. She inadvertently stumbles into the Frick household, and is hired to be the personal secretary of Helen Frick. No one in the house knows who she really is, so she feels this is a good place to hide in plain sight. As she settles into her new job, she finds that she is very good at organizing, planning, and carrying out projects. She can earn a living using her mind, and not just her beauty. However, Lillian seems to attract scandal wherever she goes.

1968 is a time of change throughout the world, but especially in New York. Veronica is a young model from England who is doing a photoshoot at the Frick Museum (formerly the Frick mansion). The job is for Vogue magazine, so this is her big opportunity. But, as she is verbally abused by an egotistical photographer, she starts to think that maybe being a model is not all it's cracked up to be. But what can she do? She doesn't have an education, and her family is counting on her to make good money.

She meets a young Black man who is an intern at the museum, and sees the kind of challenges he has to face daily. He has to constantly prove that he belongs there and isn't a threat. It's exhausting. But she also sees how hard he is working towards he goals and becomes inspired. There is a mystery that ties the two timelines together. It really made the stories compelling.

Characters:

I loved Lillian. She is someone who has had to survive using her wits, and her beauty. Although she is quite intelligent, Lillian is still a very young person who isn't sophisticated enough to see she's in a dangerous social situation that could harm her. Even in challenging situations, Lillian knows her worth and doesn't succumb to self-doubt.

Helen Frick is the single thirty-something daughter of Henry Frick. She is a really complicated person. On the one hand I hated that she was so abusing to her staff, berating them and treating them worse than her pets. On the other hand, she was also mentally messed up! Henry liked to pit family members against each other, so there was constant bickering between Helen and her brother. She also had to compete with her sister, who died at six years old. Her parents idealized Martha (the dead sister) and Helen never felt she could make up for her parents' loss. What a terrible thing to never feel the love of your parents.

Veronica, the young model in 1968, was much like Lillian. Both were models and needed to find their own path in the world. Both faced an ethical dilemma. For Veronica, she was seriously thinking about stealing something valuable from the museum . Lillian, flattered by the attentions of Helen's suitor, was offered a large sum of money from her employer to help Helen find a man and get married. Will they do the right thing, or will money influence their moral choices?

With her mother by her side Lillian Carter has become the muse of the most elite New York artists scattering her likeness all over the city for all to see but when the Spanish flu takes her mother's life, Lillian is left floundering. When trouble comes knocking on her front door Lillian is forced to flee her apartment. Standing outside the Frick Mansion she is mistaken for another woman arriving for a job interview. Desperate for shelter and a place to hide out, Lillian decides not to correct them. After impressing Helen Frick with her art knowledge she is hired on the spot. Fast forward fifty years, model Veronica Weber finds herself in a tight situation after getting accidentally locked inside the Frick Museum, along with the museum's curator, when a photoshoot goes wrong. The two stumble upon decades old clues leading them on a scavenger hunt tour of the Frick art collection. Veronica's mind races with the possibility that she may just discover the hiding place of the long missing Magnolia diamond and what it might do for her life if she could walk away with it. I have become one of Fiona Davis' biggest fans. I haven't met a book that she's written that I didn't love and "The Magnolia Palace" is no exception. Told through dual timelines and POVs, Davis expertly weaves history and mystery throughout this well developed story built on the shoulders of two strong, engaging female characters. I highly recommend adding this and other Fiona Davis titles to your TBR lists. A big thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Dutton for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another great Fiona Davis book!!!

I have read a few of her books and she is amazing!! Keeps you engaged and interested all the way through!!

I have always enjoyed how Fiona Davis can meld different time frames and she did it beautifully again. The Magnolia Palace covers 2 timelines, 1919 New York after the First World War and 1966 with its Racial Unrest and the start of new roads for women.

In 1919, a young Lillian Carter supports her and her mother as an Artist's Muse. It is certainly unconventional for a young woman to drop her clothes to pose for statues but she has done it numerous times and her likeness is all over New York. She has always been with her mother which has kept her safe and it all above board. Then tragically, her mother dies of the Spanish Flu and and Lillian is devastated. She lets herself go a little bit and after some time off is unable to reclaim her status. Jobs are less and her apartment manager tries to take advantage of her. When her name is mentioned as a possible accomplice to a murder, she heads out into the city with a dream of getting enough money to head to California for a movie career.

In a twist of fate, as she looks at her likeness in a statue at the Frick family home, she is mistaken for a job candidate and offered a cup of tea while she waits. She's thirsty, so she accepts. She ends up getting the position as assistant to Helen Frick, the daughter of a millionaire and art collector.

We get to know the Frick family members and staff along with Lillian.

In 1966 we meet Veronica Weber, a British model on her first major shoot in New York; it takes place in the Frick Museum, previously the Frick home. She speaks up for one of her fellow models and is reprimanded by the photographer. Veronica heads off to change and gets sidetracked when she inadvertently comes across some clues for a treasure hunt from 1919. By the time she looks around for everyone else she discovers that she is locked in the Frick Museum and there is a blizzard going on outside. She's not alone, part time worker and student Joshua is also locked in. To fill their time they work to complete the Treasure hunt.

Joshua, who is Black, has to school Veronica about some of the issues that are very different for him as a Black man.

The two times lines come together, the very rich old money and the more modern ideas of the 1060's.

I love reading Davis' Author notes to learn more about the real life people that she fictionalizes. It all makes me want to head to NY and visit the real Frick Museum.

I highly recommend this book and thank NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

I am a fan of Fiona Davis novels and this book did not disappoint. It captured me in the first few pages and I found it hard to put down. The characters are well developed and the storyline interesting. I highly recommend this book and I look forward to her next novel.

WOW! This book was so well written and they storyline was fantastic. I loved the dual POVs and timelines throughout the story and the way everything came together. I found myself really intrigued with Lillian's 1919 storyline and really just loved her character so much. She was thoughtful, resilient, and fiercely believed in women paving their own way and I just really appreciated that about her character. I also enjoyed Veronica's storyline and the way the author tied in socioeconomic status, loss, and disability awareness into it as well. The author did a great job interweaving historical events and mystery within the two stories that kept me from putting this book down! I think my only complaint is that everything seemed to work out so perfectly in the end, with no hard feelings or resentment after decades of living with a life-altering mystery.

This book was a great fit for me as a reader and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I also highly recommend reading the author's note and visiting the Frick's website that allows you to virtually explore some of the art in their collection. It really helped to bring the amazing art and collection described within the story to life.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book for my review.

This story is written in two time frames 1919 and 1966. The first involves a sculpture model, Lillian Carter whose model name is Angelica. She is well know with the works of her around New York City. She is on the run because her landlord killed his wife and she is implicated. She ends up at the Frick house and is taken in and given the job as personal secretary to Helen Frick the daughter of the industrial tycoon. She is in for a ride dealing with Helens temper, a jewelry theft, family drama and a murder.
The description of the art collection was done beautifully. The art appreciation of the family is clear.
I didn’t follow why 1966 was the next timeline. Veronica, also a model comes from England and ends up in a photo shoot for vogue at the Frick house. She has a quarrel with the photographer and leaves hiding upstairs in the organ pipes. During that time she finds the papers to a scavenger hunt. When she finally decides to leave she finds the house locked. She is not alone, Joshua, an intern fell asleep at his desk. To pass time they try to find the objects of the scavenger hunt. This leads eventually to the reveal of the family death.

I enjoyed the 1919 story and mystery and intrigue. However, the more recent part isn’t as entertaining. I feel the ending was too fast and wrapped up into a happy plot solved.

However, I enjoy the dual time line stories. I think it might be a new trend as this isn’t my first dual time line book.

I am amazed that I have never read any books by Fiona Davis. I am not sure how this has happened. After a visit to The Frick Gallery in New York she was able to concoct this story based on real people and events while inserting some imaginative new characters and events. I don’t like to read the author’s notes until I finish the book because I want to be surprised about what was real and what the author created. This one did not disappoint as Lillian was based on a woman who experienced similar circumstances, although with a less than happy outcome. Both the actual people and the invented characters were extraordinary. Some reviewers were not happy with the ending of the book, and while it was a bit contrived and everything got tied up in a pretty ribbon, I was okay with it because it made sense in the context of the story and the characters, This was a delightful book that offered so much, historical fiction, art history, architecture and great characters. I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley and I appreciate the opportunity to read this book.

This is the first Fiona Davis book that I’ve read after The Address, and it seems to fall into a very similar shape. There are two women, living decades apart in the same physical space. The historical woman is super interesting, but she gets embroiled in trouble. The more modern woman has by all accounts made a mess of her life. Somehow she gets drawn into solving the mystery surrounding the troubles of her predecessor. After much angst and a few plot twists, the modern woman solves the mystery and lives happily ever after.

The Magnolia Palace was true to the formula, so I wasn’t surprised how everything turned out in the end. However, I was much more invested in the historical plot line than the more modern one. The historical plot line had a depth and richness that I felt was absent from the more modern plot line. While in the historical plot line it mattered very much that this particular woman with this particular background was center stage, it didn’t feel as true in the more modern plot line. I felt like the modern female protagonist could have been any woman locked in the Frick Gallery - her back story of a young British model on her first big gig didn’t seem to bear too much on her actions and choices. And because being locked in the Frick was a microcosm, the specific year of 1966 didn’t seem to have much bearing on the more modern plot, other than that Miss Helen Clay Frick was still alive. I was also disappointed by how neatly the two worlds collided and how quickly everything got wrapped up after then did. I would have preferred a messier ending than the crisp resolution that was achieved.

Overall, I enjoyed this book because I enjoy the Fiona Davis formula. I’m in awe of how she can take a few fragments of history and weave them together into a scaffold for two seemingly separate stories. Also, the art writing in this book was phenomenal, and I am always a sucker for a well written art story.

I received this book as a digital advance reader copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

There are two things that I must say of Davis’ novels (well, that apply to both of the two I’ve read so far, that is). One is that she knows how to pull off a dual-timeline without it feeling like it was shoehorned into the story. The other is that she has the ability to make the place she’s writing about into a protagonist, which is pretty amazing, if you ask me. (Yes, I know, I really do have to get around to reading her back list.) Now, not being a New Yorker myself, while I had heard of the Frick Collection, I’ve never been there on my few visits to that city. Davis’ newest novel has convinced me that I really should put it on my itinerary, that is, if I ever get back there again! That, of course, should be enough of a recommendation for this book (remember, as a Chicagoan, I actually dislike New York), but let me expand on this for you all.

Although not the most well-known of sub-genres in literary fiction, architectural fiction does exist, and in it, author Fiona Davis has found her groove. This is obviously one of the things that drew me to her books in the first place – a novel centered around a building or structure. Yes, there is a bit of romance in her books, but thankfully, those plot lines are very minor ones, and we get much more about the people and the building than we do about any love interests. Of course, one could say that Davis has an ongoing love affair with the history of iconic buildings in New York, but that’s probably the reason she writes these books, so we can’t blame her for this. That she’s able to invent stories that involve these places is only to her credit.

Before I go on, I should say that the single drawback I found in this book was the ending. It seemed to me that this one went on a tiny bit longer than needed, and I would have been happy if Davis had concluded this book without the last two chapters. I do have to admit that they weren’t overly extraneous, but my regular readers know that I do prefer a book that lets me wonder – at least a little bit – about what happened to the characters after the last page; I’m not terribly enamored with everything being tied up in neat bows. Still, I don’t think it had too much of an impact on the overall story, so it was hardly a deal-breaker. I should also say that while I enjoyed and was sympathetic to all the characters Davis gave us, there wasn’t anything here that pulled on my heartstrings for any one of them (which is the main reason why I can’t give this a full 5/5 stars).

All that said, Davis shows a really excellent talent for developing a good mystery, and uses the dual-timeline to help build the tension (where too often that mechanic can detract from a story). I must admit that I couldn’t figure out “who done it” until it was finally revealed, and although one of my guesses turned out to be correct in the end, I wasn’t totally right, plus I also doubted myself until all the facts came to light. Furthermore, I admire how Davis brings in just the right number of characters – not too many, not too few – to make sure that both the focus is on the right protagonists, as well as have enough suspects for the mystery, without confusing the reader. Finally, Davis’ writing style is clear and straightforward, that settles into slightly poetic when she describes the building and the many pieces of art that it houses.

Look, I think it should be obvious by now that I truly enjoyed this book. There is very little here that anyone can discount, and I can see that the hype about this book was swirling around for quite some time. Well, I’m happy to say that it does live up to the hype. Mind you, I’m afraid it stopped just short of giving me a really emotional punch, but that doesn’t mean I can’t rate it highly. This is a novel that won’t disappoint Davis’ fans, and I can very warmly recommend it with a truly deserving four and a half stars out of five.

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis is a dual timeline novel that takes readers between 1919 and 1966. Lillian Carter, an artist’s model known as Angelica, finds herself on the run after her landlord is killed and the police suspect her of the crime. Sheer luck has her obtaining the position as personal secretary to Miss Helen Frick, the youngest daughter of Henry Clay Frick. Miss Lilly, as she is called, works with the mercurial Helen. She learns to manage the household, organize functions, handle the household accounts, and much more. Miss Lilly hopes to earn enough money to get to Hollywood where she can become an actress. Henry Clay Frick tasks Miss Lilly with helping to get his daughter wed. He promises her a nice sized bonus if she can get Helen engaged by Christmas. Miss Lilly gets drawn into the family drama that soon lands her in a precarious situation. Veronica Weber was discovered in London after an unfortunate (or in this case fortunate) haircut. She lands a plum assignment that has her in America in 1966 doing a photoshoot for Vogue at the Frick Museum. After an altercation with the photographer, Veronica hides out in pipe room (where the pipes for the pipe organ are arranged) to avoid the other models. She ends up locked in the building with an assistant archivist during a blizzard. Veronica had found clues for a scavenger hunt in the pipe room and the pair unravel the riddles. The result of the hunt could help settle Veronica financial dilemma and solve two long unsolved crimes. I thought The Magnolia Palace was well-written with developed characters. The author captured both time periods, but I thought her portrayal of 1919 was spot on. I could tell that she did her research on the Frick family and their collections. I am amazed at the art they collected. Their home which is now a museum is just beautiful. We get to see what daily life was like inside the Frick mansion in 1919 with the demanding Henry Clay Frick and the difficult Helen Frick. I liked the action and activities that propelled the story forward to the end. The ending nicely wrapped up the book. I appreciated the author’s note at the end along with her reading recommendations. I was baffled by a detail in the last chapter. I thought it was a week or so since the previous chapter, but then there was a 1977 reference. I wish the date has been clearly specified. The Magnolia Palace is an intriguing historical novel with a misplaced diamond, a lady lost at the loss of a loved one, a demanding dad, a devoted daughter, a strange scavenger hunt, an attractive art assemblage, and a mysterious mystery.

If Fiona Davis writes it, I will read it without knowing anything about the book at all!!! Her writing is immersive and beautiful!! She combines historical fiction and some mystery in a way that makes you read the entire book in one sitting.

In 1919, Lillian(who also goes by the name Angelica) is a model for many sculptors who are putting works out around NYC. Her mother dies and she gets caught up in the murder of wife of the landlord so she flees. She ends up at the Frick House and accidentally takes a job. She becomes the assistant to Mr. Fricks daughter…Helen. All is going well until one day, she is accused of several things that she insists that she did do!!

1966….Veronica is a model on her first big photo shoot and it is at the Frick Museum. She is not doing well with the photographer and he sends her away. While she is sulking and trying to figure out what to do next, she finds some clues to a scavenger hunt. There is a snowstorm going on outside and she soon finds out that she is locked in. An intern, Joshua. fell asleep and is now locked in too. They will spend the next few days exploring the museum and unlocking some secrets.

When the power returns, there will be new mysteries to unravel!!

This book had me from the beginning and I believe it has become my favorite Fiona book!! Out Jan. 25 and you will want to preorder for sure. I received an early digital copy.

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis was another fantastic book by one of my absolute favorite authors. I love how she handles dual timelines and weaves fictional characters in among historical events and people. I think this is my new favorite FB novel! (And I love the cover so much, I bought a hardcopy to keep on my shelves!) Highly recommend!

I adore the work of Fiona Davis so was delighted when Book of the Month offered her newest (out Jan 25) as a selection. Davis is the queen of historical fiction mysteries that pull readers in from page one. I had a hard time putting this one down to attend to life-things.

The book travels between 1919 and 1966 NYC. In 1919, readers meet Lillian Carter who has recently lost her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak. For the past six years, under the “stage name” Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists’ models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge. But with her mother’s passing, Lillian’s grief is overwhelming and she finds herself in the center of scandal. Lillian, however, stumbles into a position at the Frick mansion as private secretary to the volatile Helen Frick. And this family is full of all the drama and this story has everything from romantic trysts to stolen jewels, and some life or death family drama that runs so deep

Nearly fifty years later, English model Veronica Weber finds herself with a make or break modeling job at the former Frick residence, now converted into a NYC museum. The job doesn’t go as planned but she meets up with intern Joshua and the two begin unraveling the Frick family secrets of the past.

#themagnoliapalace #fionadavis #bookofthemonth #netgalley #historicalfiction #bookstagram #booksofinstragram #highlyrecommendedfiction

I've always been extremely interested in the Gilded Age and the insane wealth in our country. I've visited the Newport Mansions several times, and love learning about the opulent homes that were all over Manhattan. Having been in NYC several times, it's hard to wrap my head around some of these magnificent buildings being homes.

The Magnolia Palace was beautifully written and a wonderfully woven story. I never heard of the Frick House before and by the end of the story, I found myself reading all about it and trying to learn more about the family. I even learned that the vacation home she built for working women is near where I grew up.

This was such a fun read with a bit of mystery, and I completely enjoyed every second of it.

Thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

4.5/5 stars

I love this author. I love historical fiction. I love dual timelines. I should have loved this book but I did not.

The earlier timeline was engaging. I wanted to know what was going to happen to Lillian. Helen was rotten enough that I was invested in her storyline. The characters in the 1960s, however, were so uninteresting. The events that occurred were all too convenient. It just fell completely flat.

Fiona Davis has, once again, hit it out of the park. This may be my new favorite from her — it’s hard to beat out THE MASTERPIECE and THE LIONS OF FIFITH AVENUE, though this one may knock both of those down my list.

Why I love Fiona Davis: her books are formulaic-esque without seeming overdone. What I mean is, each book has two POVs and most of them happen during two different time periods. The way she uses these two POVs to make two great separate stories that intermix to make an even better singular story is some kind of magic that I cannot do justice.

If you’ve not read a book by her, I highly suggest starting with this one. THE MAGNOLIA PALACE really shows off her cleverness with story telling while giving us some amazing characters that you will love.

First, we are introduced to Lillian. Lillian is known around town as Angelica, a muse for many different artists whose likeness can be found at many different locations across the city in the form of beautiful statues. Recently, she lost her mother and her landlord has been using her grief to his advantage. While she never had plans to have any sort of relationship with the man, she is inserted into a murder investigation as the (possible) Other Woman once the landlord’s wife is discovered murdered. Trying to escape, she finds herself outside the Frick residence. Confused as an applicant for the job opening of private secretary for Hellen Frick, Lillian finds herself rushed into the house (her likeness on display outside) and stumbles into a job that can help her stay in hiding and maybe get out of the city.

In 1966, we meet Veronica, an up-and-coming model who has come from London to New York City to participate in a shooting for Vogue at the Frick museum. Veronica starts the shoot off on the wrong foot and eventually, after standing up to the photographer, is asked to step off set. Veronica hides in a room, waiting for the shoot to finish so she and the girls and crew can get on the train for the next stop. While on hiding, she finds notes that were part of a scavenger hunt and loses track of time while reading them. Once she finishes her reading, she heads downstairs to find that she is locked in, alone, and a winter storm has brought in a blackout. She soon discovers she isn’t alone: one of the archivist for the museum, Joshua, had stayed late working, fell asleep, and is also locked in with her. Eventually, Veronica shares with him her discovery and together they work to complete the scavenger hunt, trying to discover the secrets left in the Frick mansion.

This book brings in a lot of my loves: books, art, libraries, archives. It truly had everything I wanted from this story — and more.

The mystery is wonderful and paced well. Davis really hit a home run with this one!

THE MAGNOLIA PALACE will be published January 25th and I highly recommend going to pick up a copy or grabbing it from your library ASAP! Thank you Netgalley and Dutton Books for my eARC!

New York City is my favorite city and I love learning the history of its many landmarks so Fiona Davis’ historical fiction novels are always such a treat for me. In her latest novel, The Magnolia Palace, Davis gives us an inside look at the history behind the iconic Gilded Age mansion that we now know of as The Frick Collection. Not only do we get to explore the rich history behind the mansion and the wealthy Frick family who lived there, but Davis also gives us an engrossing mystery or two to sink our teeth into as well.

Davis explores all things Frick using two very compelling timelines, one set just after World War I and the other set during the 1960s. The early timeline follows Lillian Carter, a famous artists’ model who has found herself embroiled in a scandal and wanted for questioning by the police in connection with a murder. Lillian needs a place to hide until she can get out of town and follow her dreams to Hollywood. She somehow manages to luck her way into a job as the private secretary of Miss Helen Frick. Lillian thinks she’ll be able to hide in plain sight while earning money to pay for her trip west, but she has no idea what she has signed on for. She soon finds herself hired by Helen’s father to secretly play matchmaker for her, and even gets caught up in a web of lies involving stolen family jewels and yet another murder. Lillian is an intriguing and resourceful heroine and I thoroughly enjoyed watching her navigate the endless minefield of drama that seems to surround the Fricks.

The second timeline features an equally resourceful and intriguing heroine that is easy to root for. Veronica, like Lillian, is a model, and also like Lillian, finds herself unexpectedly at the Frick House. Veronica is there for a big modelling job and is trying to earn enough money to help support her family after the death of her father. Veronica gets fired from the job after butting heads with the arrogant photographer and then somehow ends up locked in the building overnight. While looking for a way out, she stumbles upon a dusty old packet of what appears to be clues for a scavenger hunt and decides to try to follow them since she has nothing else to do. Following those clues leads her on a hunt that could not only solve Veronica’s financial troubles but it also leads her to the truth about the now decades-old murder that we see in Lillian’s timeline.

I loved the way Davis wove the threads of these two timelines together. I was a little more captivated by the old Hollywood glamorous feel of Lillian’s timeline, but honestly, both made for great reading because I was invested in both Lillian and Veronica’s stories and completely fascinated by the Fricks.

If you’re interested in learning more about one of New York’s most iconic buildings and families, and in being entertained by an engaging mystery while you learn, be sure to check out The Magnolia Palace.

Lilly is on the run from the police and the public when she stumbles into a job as the private secretary to Helen Frick, daughter of coke magnate Henry Clay Frick- and her whole life changes. She's been working as a model for sculptors- using the name Angeliquw0 but her mother died and her lecherous landlord killed his wife. She's a bit out of her depth at the Frick Mansion but quickly, in part due to her knowledge of art, becomes oddly friendly with him. Fifty years later, British model Veronica finds herself locked into the mansion- now a museum-with Joshua, an intern, during a blizzard. She finds a package of the clues for a scavenger hunt prepared by Helen for her fiance Robert. They find......No spoilers. This moves back and forth between 1919 and 1966. Frankly the events of 1919 are more interesting but the dual time line device works to tell the end of the story of Lily and Helen as well as solve a lingering mystery. Thanks to Netgalley foe the ARC. Fans of Davis' previous novels know that this will given a few peeks into a bygone age and famous people. It's well written and interesting- recommend for fans of historical fiction.

This is a novel based on Henry Clay Frick, his family, and his art collection; in the early 1900s, Henry Frick was a businessman and an art collector.

Lillian is a model in New York City. When an event causes her to run from home, she finds herself the private secretary to Helen Frick, Henry’s daughter. Life at the Frick house and working for Helen Frick can be challenging. The family has experienced tragedy and loss. Mr. Frick can be mercurial. As Lillian learns her new role as a private secretary, she becomes embroiled in the lives of those in the Frick household. There’s a family drama,

At the same time the reader is learning about Lillian and the Frick household, another story unfolds. It is the mid-1960s, and there is a snowstorm in New York Veronica, a young model, finds herself in the Frick mansion with a young man., JoshuaTogether, they find an old scavenger hunt that takes them on a tour of the art. As the events unfold, the lives of members of the Frick family and the two young people become entwined

This was a fascinating historical novel. I loved the dual timelines and how they were entangled and eventually collided for a dramatic twist.

This was a fantastic story infused with historical facts. The author made the characters come to life. The dual timelines added suspense and intrigue to the story.