While her father expects her to settle down and get married, Marion has always been passionate about dance. When she is passes the audition to become a Rockette, she leaves home to follow her dream.
Her life will be forever changed when a bomb detonates during a performance . She is now consumed with identifying the bomber and is working with a young doctor interested in psychological profiling.
An intriguing read.
#TheSpectacular #NetGalley

Fiona Davis brings 1950's Radio City Music Hall a to life in The Spectacular. Blending together the story of Marion a young dancer instructor whi kands a job as a Rockette nd that of the true story of the 1950's "Mad Bomber of NYC " (taking fictional license with where some of the bombs were placed). Marion's family and fiancee were not happy with the choices she was making to pursue her dancing career, even less so when the bombings began.

The book is told by looking back at the career that Marion had as a Rockette during a special presentation of the Christmas Spectacular. We follow her life through the dangerous times in the city and see how a woman wanting a career of her own was nearly scandalous in the 1950's,

Through our the novel, we are treated to a behind the scenes look at the Christmas Spectacular and how the Rockettes work as team to get through rehearsals and a grueling performance schedule, which I enjoyed very much. Sadly, I did not really feel a connection to any of the characters, making the story a little hollow for me.

I know Fiona Davis to be a well loved writer and look forward to other works, but this one was not the match for me that it was for other readers.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I am a fan of Fiona Davis and I love historical fiction so I was delighted to have the chance to read her new book The Spectacular. The novel alternates between 1956 and thirty years later in the life of one of the Rockettes in the iconic dance line of Radio City Music Hall. Davis does an incredible job of recreating New York City in the post war era. She loves the city and apparently dance because she does a superb job of conveying the joys and the pains of pursuing a career in the theater. For me the novel fell short with the family and the romantic plot lines. She tried to turn the lead character, Marion, into a sleuth and a talented dancer, who almost single-handedly solves a decades old crime with ease. Hard to believe.. The tie in the bow ending was sweet and more of a Gothic novel feature. I was disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC ...

I was SUPER excited to read this book. Fiona Davis is the author I recommend to a lot of patrons looking for historical fiction, especially when they are over the abundance of WWII stuff out there (for the record - I am never over the abundance of WWII fiction).

I have loved all of Davis' stuff, and this is no exception. She always pulls from real historical buildings, events, and people to build her stories. This one gives us a behind the scenes look at the Rockettes in NYC in the 1950's. We also get to see the beginnings of criminal profiling as a procedure police departments will start to pick up.

One of the highlights of Davis's books is the swap between a more current time (here, in the early 90's) and the past. If I had only one complaint, it is I wish we could have seen more of Marion in the modern times, heard a little more about her life, and spread out the ending just a little bit longer ... but maybe I just didn't want the book to end! Recommended.

Thank you Fiona Davis and Netgalley for this ARC! As an avid fan of Fiona Davis and her historical fiction, I always look forward to her new releases and this book did not disappoint. Davis tells the story of a Radio City Rockette and how she deals with the Big Apple Bomber, who was terrorizing NYC at the time. The book goes back and forth between the narrator in the 50s and the 90s and sets the reader up with just enough knowledge to know we in for a surprise. Davis has done it again! I adored this book.

Fiona Davis amazes us again in 1950s New York. Marion has to choose between the high school sweetheart who would make her life comfortable and her dad happy OR choose to follow her dreams of dancing with the Rockettes. As she learns more of her mother who died young, she feels drawn to live her life as she chooses. Add in the Big Apple Bomber who has planted bombs around NYC for years, a quirky psychologist the she begins to have feelings for, and you have an amazing story of intrigue, budding love, of learning who you are and of what your parents have hidden from you. Marion learns to live through grief, fear, and trouble. Another hit for Fiona Davis!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this title. Fiona Davis has written another historical love letter to New York City. The Spectacular is the story of Marion, an aspiring dancer in the 1950s. By happenstance, she auditions and becomes a Rockette, This is to the extreme displeasure to her dour father. Marion's mother died when she was a girl, and she has since felt like an outsider to the relationship between her father and sister. There have been several bombings in NYC, and this spate of domestic terrorism collides with Marion's job as a Rockette and a burgeoning love. The story is told in flashbacks by the aging Marion who is in the process of selling her home and moving into an apartment. Well-told with well-drawn characters.

Thank you to @netgalley, Dutton, Penguin Random House and #FionaDavis for this ARC. Marion has just been fired from teaching at a dance studio in Manhattan for not giving the little girls enough structure in class when she hears about an open audition for The Rockettes. Though she knows her father would not agree and she may be throwing away her chances of getting married, she can't pass up on the dream! To her surprise, she aces the audition and is asked to join the troupe. This book follows her story from before The Rockettes, during, and after and is full of mystery, love and tradegy. I LOVED IT and I venture to say that it may be Davis' best yet!!! #TheSpectacular #FionaDavis #June2023

Love all the books by Fiona Davis! I feel like she transports you to these settings and pulls you in. I loved hearing about Fiona and her time with the Rockettes and trying to solve the bombings. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

This was one of Fiona Davis‘s best books. As usual she carefully researches the time period that the book takes place. In addition, there was an added element of suspense and mystery in this book. I learned a lot about the history of radio City Hall, and what it took to be a Rockette. I was surprised to see that terrorism existed back then and corporate wrongdoings. I had never heard about the mad bomber before.
The characters resonated with me, and I especially found Marion, Bunny, Judy and Peter likable. The book was a page turner and I did not want to put it down, it reads like a crime story with elements of romance. I highly recommend this book.
easy read

Fiona Davis's books always manage to surprise me, and The Spectacular is no exception. Yes, this is a book about the Rockettes, but it's also a book about a serial bomber, complex family relationships, unresolved trauma, and chasing your dreams.

Marion, our main character, bucks her father's expectations to chase her dream of dancing professionally and unexpectedly earns a position as a Rockette, one of the high-kicking stars of NYC's Radio City Music Hall. Marion's experience as a Rockette provides a lot of interesting information about the profession, the troupe, and the dedication it takes to be a professional dancer, and I enjoyed learning more about the group. But her new job is tied up in the complex relationships with her father and sister, and when tragedy strikes, Marion's job takes a backseat to hunting down the Big Apple Bomber.

I had never heard of the Bomber, although it seems like he's largely been forgotten by most people, even those who lived in NYC at the time. The fact that he wasn't caught for over sixteen years seems baffling, and the use of psychological profiling to eventually bring him in made for fascinating reading. Peter, the doctor who provides the profile for the Bomber, is an interesting character, and I liked his determination to help others and to change the field of mental health.

Together, Marion and Peter work to find the Bomber, and I really loved this aspect of the story. Reading the description for this book, I assumed this would be a secondary storyline, but once it gets going, the search really becomes the main plot. Yes, there's still dancing, but I loved following this unlikely duo as they basically play Nancy Drew and Frank Hardy to solve the case. Davis does a nice job of organically working in new clues and building off of plot points from earlier in the story.

The dual timelines aspect is small; there are several short chapters from Marion's POV in the early 90s, and they add a nice "modern" update to Marion's life. The final chapters are all in this timeline, and a surprise meeting creates for a lovely happy ending. I wasn't expecting it, but I loved that it happened.

The Spectacular really is spectacular as a work of historical fiction and as an intriguing mystery. Fans of Davis will love this novel as will fans of forgotten history and cleverly crafted whodunnits.

This book brought back many memories of growing up in New York and going to see movies and the Rockettes at Radio City. Marion Brooks has always wanted to dance, but she is stuck teaching at a local dance studio. When the opportunity arises to go to a try-out for the Rockettes, she jumps at the chance, though not very confidently. To her surprise she is selected and that leads her to the arduous training, a brutal dance schedule and being estranged from her father and sister. In the background is the Big Apple Bomber - someone is setting off small explosives in various landmarks including Radio City during the 50s and 60s but no one seems to know who he is. Drawn to the case, Marion and a young doctor believe psychological profiling might help discover who the bomber is. Riveting and imaginative mystery.

Fiona Davis does not disappoint. I liked that she told the history of the Rockettes and Radio City Music Hall through the eyes of Marion, a typical woman of the 1950's, who was expected to marry and have children. Most interesting was the advent of criminal profiling, as the mystery of the bomber evolves.

I loved this latest historical fiction novel by Fiona Davis. Her books are becoming "sure thing" selections for me. This is an intriguing story set in a historical location in NYC. I knew little of the Rockettes before this, so I enjoyed learning about the dancers and the history. Marion is an interesting character. I loved the combination of mystery and historical fiction. Davis always throws something extra in her books and this time it was the criminal profiling aspect. I will recommend this to my students and my friends, and I will be purchasing both the ebook and print book for my library!

Fiona Davis has written another winner. I love how she intertwines history with her story. While the story of the Rockettes and Radio City Music Hall is the background she developes a great story. Marion is the main character who dreams of a career in dance but her father thinks she should be a wife and mother. This is a story of her struggle, family dynamics and tragedy with the choices made. Highly recommend!

LOVED IT.

This book was amazing. It kept me turning pages and I didn’t want to put it down. As a dancer this book especially resonated with me, and I loved the theme of pursuing your passions. The Parkinson’s aspect with dance really touched me as well as my grandfather has Parkinson’s.

The mystery elements kept me turning pages and I was engaged seeing where the plot would go.

The mental health themes were interesting. I was slightly disturbed by the language and the circumstances but do think they were an accurate depiction of the times.

The full circle moment with the MC and Peter was soooo sweet and perfect.

I enjoyed the plot and would have liked to see a tiny tiny bit more character development / introspective moments.

4.75/5

This book follows Marion, who becomes a Rockette in 1956 against the wishes of her father. In the background, the case of the Big Apple Bomber looms and casts anxiety over the city as a whole.

This is the third book I've read by Fiona Davis. I love how she always picks an iconic setting in New York and anchors her story around that. In this one, it's Radio City Music Hall. I love how much history and detail about the building and the Rockettes are in the book.

I felt like some of the characters were a bit shallow and one-dimensional. They just didn't seem as well fleshed out as they could have been. It seemed like characters took a backseat to plot development. There was a lot going on in the plot and there were a few times when things were just a little too conveniently worked out.

I liked the Magnolia Palace a bit better than this one, but this is also a great read. I do find the release timing a bit strange. I feel like an early fall release would have been a nice tie in with the story since it deals a lot with Radio City and the Christmas Spectacular. Thanks @netgalley for the ARC!

Thoroughly enjoyed this story! Ms Davis has taken us to Radio City Music Hall and has given us behind the scenes look not only of the building, but our beloved Rockettes. She has intricately weaved in a dual timeline giving us a look into lives of women in the 1950’s who were brave enough to break out of the roles they were expected to have so they could live their lives to the fullest. Wonderful mystery where we learn about the first criminology profiling . Bravo Ms Davis!

#TheSpectacular #FionaDavis #Iconic #historicalfiction #netgalley
Prepared to be swept away by FionaDavis’ latest New York City drama. This kept me turning pages late into the night with a plot full of details. Radio City Music Hall and the renown Rockettes of the 1950’s come to life in this first person novel about a forgotten crime spree in NYC. You will feel the thrill and strain of becoming a Rockette as you fall in love with Marion and her family. And you will be amazed as the Big Apple bomber terrorizes amidst the famous Christmas show!
Fiona Davis brings yet another famous NYC landmark to life amidst a forgotten historical event with a spectacular, entertaining read! Dont miss this great read !
Thank you #netgalley and #PenguinRandomHouse for the electronic arc provided and the opportunity to review a favorite author!

I really enjoyed The Spectacular for the characters, story and feel of a classic Hollywood film. Suspense, humor and love are all blended in this superb story of a girl following her dream of dancing, the Rockettes and a mad bomber in NYC.

Fiona Davis has great character writing and makes all the characters feel real while also allowing them to fit in a story that feels fun and exciting. Reading this felt like cutting on TCM and watching Singin in The Rain (one of my favorite movies) and mixing it with Chinatown. The mystery is great with the Bomber making the story propel emotionally and letting us see characters and their reactions.

Overall I really enjoyed The Spectacular and highly recommend it!