Fiona Davis has done it again! She has written a very well researched and entertaining historical novel set in New York City once again.
This time we have a dual timeline set some 50 years apart. In the early 1900s begins with Lillian Carter, known in the art world as Angelica, an artist's model and muse for sculptors of the times. When her mother dies, Lillian's luck turns for the worst, and when wanted by the police for questioning in the murder of her landlord's wife, she flees. Having nowhere to run, she wanders the city until she stumbles into a position as personal secretary to the heiress of one of the richest men in the city, Helen Frick. Helen can be difficult and the family relationships are often tense, but Lillian settles in and even starts to imagine a future here until events unfold and she finds herself once again fleeing.
In the 1960s there is another model, Veronica, who while on a photo shoot in New York City at the Frick mansion, finds herself separated from her group and locked in the mansion during a snowstorm with no electricity.Worried she will lose her modeling job and return to England empty handed she roams the mansion, trying to divert her mind from her present situation. She discovers what may be a treasure map. Will it lead her to riches or more trouble?
I enjoyed all the historical details about the Frick family and the mansion that is now open to the public for everyone to enjoy the infamous art Mr. Frick collected throughout his life. I knew nothing about this museum or the family and to learn that some of the more shocking details were actually true is amazing. I always love to read the author's notes after a novel of this kind and find out just how much really did occur. It never fails to amaze me at the things you would have thought now way did that really happen and then find out, by golly it really did happen! Amazing!
A great novel, right in line with her others, such as The Dollhouse and The Lions of 5th Avenue. I recommend this novel to all historical fiction lovers, and especially those who enjoy reading about New York's elite at the turn of the century.
I would like to thank Penguin Group Dutton and Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.

Lillian Carter and Veronica Weber find themselves in the Frick house nearly 50 years apart and for completely different reasons. They are both completely taken in by the art and the mysteries of the house. There are a lot of historical fiction dual timeline books coming out or recently been released. I found this was one of the better ones. I was fascinated with all the detail about the Frick house and art collection. It made me want to visit! There wasn't too much I didn't like about this book. The pace was a bit slow and I found Veronica's character to be annoying and repetitive at times. She kept worrying about getting arrested for this or that and that just struck me as odd. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to others. I think it would make a great book club book. Thanks @netgalley for the ARC!

PHENOMANAL! I really enjoyed reading this two-sided book, loved the historical parts as well, this author draws you in, you feel like you're in the setting with the characters, loved it and would recommend to all friends who love Historical reads.

Another great New York City historical mystery with a hint of romance. I loved that both timelines were historical and impeccably researched. Fiona Davis always does an amazing job with the settings of her books and, once again, she did not disappoint with the Frick Mansion. I can’t wait to visit the Frick on my next trip to the city. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review.

This book was a true delight and introduced me to the world of the Frick collection and provided me with historical insight into the Johnstown Flood. I very much enjoyed the parallel story line between the 1920s and the 1960s and the glimpse into the glittering art world of New York society. I look forward to reading other Fiona Davis books which I understand also celebrate other storied New York landmarks.

Fiona Davis is a master of her craft! Just when I think I have read her best work she smacks me across the face with something new and even better. The Magnolia Palace was on my wish list and it was the first book that a publisher has ever granted my wish! Thank you a million times over to Dutton Publishing for this!

Set in the famous Frick home/museum in dual timelines---my favorite. We meet the Frick family in the 1920s and later in the 1960s we are again in the Frick home when it was converted into an art museum and a library. (Of course, now it's at the top of my list to visit). I knew next to nothing about the Frick family before I began this book. Thanks to Davis, I read a marvelous mystery mixed with some truth and some fiction.

I dare say this is my favorite Fiona Davis so far, but I know she'll come and smack me in the face with her talent again! Bravo!

The Magnolia Palace is Fiona Davis’s newest novel that takes place in her favorite setting of New York City. This title centers on the history of The Frick Museum, the founding of the Frick collection and the history of the family.

Davis uses dual timelines to tell the story of Lillian who was a popular nude artist’s muse for various statues around New York City in 1919. When her mother dies and Lilly’s business starts to dwindle, she stumbles upon an opportunity to become the personal secretary for Helen Frick and live at the Frick Mansion.

In the late 1960s, a photo shoot has been planned at the famous Frick Art Museum on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Young English model, Veronica Weber, is participating in her first major shoot. She and Joshua, an intern and art history apprentice, find clues that lead them on a scavenger hunt through the museum. The series of clues not only highlights the art collection, but also may lead them to solve a decades old murder that took place at The Frick.

Fiona Davis succeeds, once again, in delivering a well-researched and compelling story that leads readers on a fast paced and suspenseful mystery. Thanks to Netgalley and Dutton Books for the opportunity to review this novel.

Fiona Davis never fails to entertain. The Magnolia Palace is a dual-timeline story of two women both in the modeling world. I loved the way the stories of the two women intertwined and how the ending turned out. How the women went about finding their true selves and overcoming the obstacles of their life circumstances and jobs was truly inspiring. I didn't want to stop reading, but I didn't want it to end. This is a must add to your TBR pile.

Firstly, thank you to Fiona Davis, Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for a review.

I love a historical fiction, and love New York City. so this book was perfect for me.

I was obsessed with the characters and was enraptured in the story. I couldn't put it down and couldn't stop thinking about it once I'd finished.

An intriguing historical fiction novel about the Gilded Age based on the Frick family of New York City. The story is told in two time periods about two protagonists. In 1919, Lillian is working as a muse and model for many artists when she accidentally stumbles into a job as the personal assistant to Helen, the spinster daughter of the wealthy Frick family. She only hopes to make enough money to get to Hollywood to pursue an acting career but she soon becomes deeply embroiled in family drama and quickly becomes their scapegoat.
In 1966, Veronica who is a new model from England hopes to break into her career by doing a photo shoot at the Frick mansion, now turned museum. The shoot goes poorly for Veronica with the day ending in her accidentally getting left behind and locked in the mansion when the other models leave during a snowstorm. With no working electricity or phones, Veronica soon discovers that she is not alone as an intern working in the basement is also trapped. The two of them find the clues for a scavenger hunt written by Helen in 1919 and spend their time completing it and discovering a long lost treasure.
Both storylines come together towards the end of the book with ancient mysteries solved and happy endings all around. I found myself getting drawn into both stories which were unpredictable. The main characters were likable and well-developed. I did feel like the ending was just too tidy and the message seemed to be that wealth can fix problems. I had to remind myself that the Frick family members actually had pretty tragic lives in spite of their money and how Helen used it to make the other characters’ wishes come true.

Another Fiona Davis favorite - she’s such a reliable source for intelligent historical dramas with just enough “juice” to keep you turning pages. The perfect book to read by the fire this winter.

I love historic fiction and I love New York City. Combining the two is always a good time. I adored this book. The inside look of how the elite ran their homes back in the day was amazing. I really enjoyed the descriptions of all the artwork in the Frick mansion. I was also very interested in the descriptions of how Angelica posed for the sculptors to make all the statues.

Miss Lilly, AKA Angelica, accidentally gets a job as the personal secretary for Helen Frick. Over the next few months, she runs the Frick household and tends to all of Helen's whims. There's drama between family members and staff. Items go missing. There is a love triangle that is very sordid for it's time. Things come to a head, and the outcome means freedom or jail.

There was also a dual timeline following British model Veronica who has come to the Frick mansion for a photo shoot. After getting locked in the mansion during a snow storm, she teams up with intern Joshua to explore the Frick mansion and discover it's hidden secrets.

As with the other books I've read by Fiona Davis, The Magnolia Palace does not disappoint. There is nothing like losing oneself in a good book. Ms Davis' books are no exception. I especially like the setting of old New York City and having the insight of how the city once was.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

1919 - Lillian Carter is a highly sought after artist’s model. She is the face and body of many statues around New York City. Shortly after her mother dies, Lillian narrowly escapes from a scandal and hides by taking a position as private secretary to the daughter of millionaire Henry Clay Frick. Ironically, he owns some iconic pieces with her likeness but she hopes no one will notice! Though she only plans to stay for a short time, Lillian quickly becomes entangled in the affairs of the eccentric household. Lillian’s duties include everything from handling correspondence to matchmaking!

1966 - The Frick Mansion is now a museum. Veronica is a model working on location when she is accidentally locked inside the empty mansion during a blizzard. She soon finds that Joshua, an archivist at the museum, is also locked in. Veronica stumbles across some cards from a mysterious scavenger hunt, dating back to 1919! Together, Veronica and Joshua follow the clues, not realizing these clues will eventually lead to answers for a decades-old unsolved murder.

My thoughts: I love reading historical fiction, especially books about this time period! I didn’t know much about Henry Clay Frick or his family. Though Lillian is a fictional character, the author’s note at the end provided some interesting information about the real artist’s model Lillian’s character is loosely based on. As I read, I kept expecting there would be more of a connection between Lillian and Veronica, but their paths only intersected for a brief moment. However, the story is beautifully written and gives a glimpse into a time gone by!

A beautiful historical novel that describes old New York and its unforgettable characters with such glamour and finesse that you just have to keep on reading!

The Frick mansion has always been one of my favorite small museums. How exciting to read about the family and the stories behind the collection. Seems to be very well-researched and the characters were well-defined. The dual timeline was not distracting, but I have to say that I enjoyed Lilly's story, set in the Gilded Age more. interesting.

New York City, 1920 Twenty-one year old Lilian Carter has just lost her mom after the terrible Spanish flu of 1919. Since a few years, she is modeling for painters,, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge. and she lives in a single room. But her life changes when one day she walks downstairs to go out and sees the lifeless body of the wife of her landlord through a door cordoned off by police. As they are questioning everyone in the building, they also question her about her relationship to her landlords. She is in a bit of a crappy situation, as her landlord recently made romantic gestures to her that they would find her way for her to pay her missed rent. Now she is the main suspect in a murder, her name is in all the papers and goes on the run. She is seen accidentally as someone else applying for a private secretary job at the Frick mansion in New York. And this is her chance to hide, as apparently no one knows who she is under her real name. She becomes the private secretary of the demanding Helen Frick, the daughter of the steel magnate Henry Clay Frick, but during her stay there she becomes a bit too much in an intertwining web of romance and family drama, stolen jewels, that starts to mess with the situation she run away from, and her life is again in danger..
Fifty years later, model Veronica Webb is trying to make it as a model, which lands her someday from London to the Frick Collection in New York for a modeling shoot.one of New York City’s most impressive museums. But when she gets fired is dismissed from the Vogue shoot taking place at the Frick Collection, she finds herself in the locked up museum during a citywide power outage, She stumbles messages that will lead her and Joshua, who is locked up in the museum too 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...



As in all her previous books, this newest book also takes place in a historic and well known building in New York City. In the previous book the stories took place in The Dakota building, Grand Central Station, the Chelsea Hotel and the New York Public Library. This time Fiona Davis takes the reader into the Frick Mansion (now the Frick Collection) into a bedazzling and breathtaking story. The storyline is, also as in her previous books, fantastic. The characters of Lillian and the Frick family and their staff really came alive in this book and takes the reader in a time travel back to 1919. The story starts thrilling and during Lillian's time working as Helen's secretary, things get more and more thrilling, untill Lillian cover is blown and her whole world shatters in pieces. But fifty years later, Veronica is putting back the pieces, and I really liked how this set some things straight and how it wrapped up this brilliant story. I really love the books by Fiona Davis, and this book is just another jewel in her book collection, don't miss out this book when it comes out the first month of 2022!!

Fiona Davis continues her tradition of weaving a historical fiction novel around a unique place with her latest book, The Magnolia Palace. This story is a dual timeline, the earlier story taking place in 1919, not long after the end of World War I. Lillian, an artists’ muse known as Angelica, flees her home after her landlord murders his wife and ends up as the private secretary for Helen Frick. While the home and the artwork in it is beautiful, Lillian still dreams of life as an actress far away from the independent but mercurial and demanding Helen. The longer she stays the more embroiled she gets in the dysfunctional Frick family. In 1966 Veronica ends up at the house for a modeling job and accidentally ends up locked up in the house with Joshua, an archival intern, during a blizzard that hits New York City. The pair get wrapped up in a scavenger hunt Helen designed for a suitor decades ago that leaves Veronica finding something unexpected and in the position of having to make a difficult choice. Davis doesn’t do a particularly deep dive into the characters’ emotions, though if one was draw the reader’s attention it would likely be Lillian, who finds herself in dire straits and then working for someone she both admires and is infuriated by. Helen is more of a struggle – clearly the machinations of her father have shaped her personality, but she’s so demanding and at times outright cruel that it can be difficult to find sympathy for her. Veronica feels the least developed of all, her primary motivations for doing anything is to improve the circumstances of her family. Last but not least, the house itself. The story is based around the real Frick House, and in many regards I wish it had featured more prominently in Davis’ story and created a more atmospheric backdrop for characters that were interesting but not necessarily ones that I related to on a deeper level.

A dual timeline story, this grabbed me from chapter 1. When I finished chapter 2, I knew that I was going to love the rest of it. Sometimes, when reading a book with more than one character's story, one may not always be as interesting as the other; that was decidedly not the case with this book. Both timelines were equally enjoyable to read.

Really excellent historical fiction. I found this title wonderfully engrossing and spent the majority of my free time reading this one since I really didn’t want to stop reading it.


This was my first book by the author; it definitely won’t be my last.

This is not usually the genre of books I would read but I surprisingly really liked it! It had such and old Hollywood feel to it that I really enjoyed. The history was well researched and the story was well executed!

A riveting dual time line historical fiction novel, that's semi grounded in true history, being set in The Frick Collection museum in NYC. I very much enjoyed Miss Lilly's story more than the more modern story of Veronica. I know dual timelines are all the rage but it didn't really feel necessary to split the story up as it was. Still, an enjoyable read all the same.