The Magnolia Palace: A Novel

Description
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue, returns with a tantalizing novel about the secrets, betrayal, and murder within one of New York City's most impressive Gilded Age mansions.

Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, twenty-one-year-old Lillian Carter's life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker 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 gone, a grieving Lillian is rudderless and desperate--the work has dried up and a looming scandal has left her entirely without a safe haven. So when she stumbles upon an employment opportunity at the Frick mansion--a building that, ironically, bears her own visage--Lillian jumps at the chance. But the longer she works as a private secretary to the imperious and demanding Helen Frick, the daughter and heiress of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick, the more deeply her life gets intertwined with that of the family--pulling her into a tangled web of romantic trysts, stolen jewels, and family drama that runs so deep, the stakes just may be life or death.

Nearly fifty years later, mod English model Veronica Weber has her own chance to make her career--and with it, earn the money she needs to support her family back home--within the walls of the former Frick residence, now converted into one of New York City's most impressive museums. But when she--along with a charming intern/budding art curator named Joshua--is dismissed from the Vogue shoot taking place at the Frick Collection, she chances upon a series of hidden messages in the museum: messages that will lead her and Joshua on a hunt that could not only solve Veronica's financial woes, but could finally reveal the truth behind a decades-old murder in the infamous Frick family.
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368 pages

Average rating: 7.19

160 RATINGS

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13 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

SuzzyQz
Feb 08, 2024
10/10 stars
Over the last year I have become a reader and love love love reading books. However I’m always left with a too fast of an ending and lots of questions of what happen here or what happen with this character after this or that. BUT … with this book it’s a perfect slow explained ending, it does not feel rushed and I don’t have any questions left unanswered! Definitely in my top 5 books of this past year!
DD86
Jan 18, 2024
6/10 stars
Fiona Davis writes about famous buildings in New York and their history. This book introduced me to the Frick Museum and now I need to go back to New York City to see it! The characters, two supposedly strong protagonists, are a bit one-dimensional - there is little depth in their relations or in their conversation. Helen Frick is interesting and I enjoyed reading up on her after finishing this novel. The history of the family with the backgr...read more
aubschweety
Jan 11, 2024
7/10 stars
This kept my attention and I did enjoy it, but I felt the ending snowballed into a pretty bow. The author’s note at the end mentioned many details in the story exist in real life! The Frick family art gallery, the characters and scandals, the models/muse! The truth in the story kicked my enjoyment up a notch.
Karilappin
Dec 28, 2023
6/10 stars
I like historical fiction but this wasn’t really my type of book. It focused on a specific family versus a specific event. I enjoyed the story but just not totally my cup of tea!
AbbeyLileTaylor
Aug 29, 2023
10/10 stars
SOLID 4.5 Stars!!

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