Always a delight to delve into the fictional lives Davis creates from real figures. I am always left wanting more and usually find a good bio to expand my knowledge. A good author always leaves you wanting more

‘The Magnolia Palace’ was fascinating to read, because it is the perfect combination of historical fiction, art history, and intriguing mystery! The book was based on the real-life Henry Clay Frick and his family and is set mostly in NYC. I felt like I experienced an extensive tour of their mansion, which is now a museum. The novel perfectly kept my interest by detailing the life of the Frick family and interweaving their impressive art collection, Author Fiona Davis expertly weaved their society lives together with mysteries that kept me thoroughly enlightened and entertained. This is the first novel I have read written by Fiona Davis, and I look forward to reading everything she has written. I highly recommend this book!

While I did enjoy both of the main characters of this novel, the plot left something to be desired. It's tough to put my finger on exact why, overall it was just nowhere near the level of The Lions of Fifth Avenue, and way too long for the actual amount of plot/action. Lillian in 1919 had an interesting backstory, but the actual story in the book was meandering and didn't get interesting until the very end; same with Veronica in the 60s.

This historical details were great, particularly the ones revolving around the 1919s art scene/model culture, but they weren't able to redeem this for me. The ending in particular was too perfect in an overly sweet, saccharine way that was over the top and left me rolling my eyes HARD.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy!

What Fiona Davis does for the historic buildings of New York is nothing short of brilliant! She pulls them out of the busy streets and elevates them into our consciousness. Each one of the buildings that Davis highlights represents a sliver of New York society. In this newest release, Davis gives us the story behind one of the foremost museums and research libraries in NYC, The Frick. As with her previous books Davis utilizes a dual timeline to give the reader a broader perspective and understanding about the building and the people surrounding its existence. This book is so very interesting because it fictionalizes the life of Helen Frick and utilizes the life of the artistic muse Audrey Munson in the character of Lillian. With a sprinkling of modern characters and a seemingly unsolvable 50 year old mystery Davis once again delivers a page turner full of strong personalities, mystery, and drama!

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

Another fabulous book by Fiona Davis. History, murder, mystery. What is there not to love? If you're a fan of duel timelines like I am, this book is for you. Wonderfully researched book. Will be recommending it to my book club. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

An advanced copy of this gilded age era story. Historical fiction based an true people & fictionalized characters.

Story goes back & forth between 1919 & 1966 in & around The Frick Mansion shortly after the end of the Spanish Flu.

The 1919 part of the story involves Lillian & her unusual "introduction" into the Frick family & home. She has a part of her own history which she must keep under wraps & she becomes part of a Frick family mystery of their own.

Veronica is a young British up & coming model who happens to land an assignment in NYC at the Frick Mansion/Museum. While there for work, she ends up spending more time in the building than she anticipated & the 1919 & 1966 world converge.

A nice art history family mystery of sorts....

Fiona Davis does not disappoint. In this new novel, she creates strong characters and a believable story.
The story covers two time periods, and moves back and forth. However, it is easy to follow and does not
distract from a very nice read. A mystery about a NYC museum and a lost diamond. Highly recommended historical fiction.

This book was really interesting how how a person can get caught up caught up in tragedy and make a positive outcome of it. This girl called Lilian Catherine was a model who went by her ANG E LLC a. She was making money as a posing sculpture to men artist and she had her Her sculptures were on buildings. But as she got older it became hard for especially after her mother died and she had nobody. Her mother came from money but she never went back to that lifestyle even after her husband died. Her landlord wanted to sleep with her but she said no but she was very violent to his wife. He murdered his wife and she was involved because they found letters in his possession. The police question turned she said I had nothing to do with that man. So she takes off is wandering around New York. She happened to come by the frisk Recently.. The housekeepers think she's there for the job of the secretary too SHE LAN prisk. She pretends to be this person but she really does not know what she's doing. Her heart was set to go to California to be in the movies showing up I'll take the job get some money. But things start to go a little Hayward in the house. There was a lot of discontent and the father was very very upset all the time. She finds out she had a sister who died and I had a pendant with a diamond in it. Her father wanted her to get married Use the secretary to get through this man to set up dates and stuff like that. That starts to unravel as well because the secretary can't fell in love with this man and it gets crazy after that. There is like a mystery going on to a house it was never solved because the father eventually died It was over this diamond. 50 years later the smile goes there there by VERON ICA VE BER Shoot for vogue cover she's very unhappy. Somehow she's left behind Uninstall Joseph. So they spent 2 nights there figuring out this mystery.. There's a lot of twist and turns to this plot And I like how they authorize what happened in the 1920s to the 1960s And she how she plotted the story with these 2 Themes in the book. And that's a very good writer how she can pull you into one thing and thanks and then explain it later on in the book with another idea for sixties

Another winner by Fiona Davis! There are so many reasons I love Davis's books - the emphasis on New York City for one, the dual timelines for another, and the mystery. I so enjoy learning interesting historical facts about my city while getting pulled into the fictional world Davis creates from them. The Magnolia Palace was no exception.

Fiona Davis is one of my favorite historical fiction authors and reading this book was a real pleasure. Davis centers her novels around real places and people, and in this case it's the Frick mansion. In 1919, a young art model named Angelica finds herself embroiled in a scandalous investigation and has to go on the run. She happens to land a job as private secretary to one Helen Frick and changes her name to Lillian to avoid the authorities. Helen is harsh and temperamental, and at 31 a spinster who dotes on her father Henry Clay Frick, a man who would like nothing more than to see her married off. The family continues to grieve over a tragedy that occurred decades ago and it casts a shadow over everyone in the household. While Helen desires nothing more than to please her father, she also has ambitions of her own, Lillian just wants to make enough money to get herself as far away as possible but also sees a kindred spirit of sorts in Helen. Things go horribly wrong however when a priceless jewel goes missing and Lillian is suspect number one.

In 1966, Veronica and Joshua find themselves trapped in the Frick art museum during a snowstorm, the previous Frick mansion. While waiting out the storm, they come across clues to a scavenger hunt. The clues are from 1919, and lead them from room to room, from one piece of artwork to another. Veronica is a struggling model who just wants to make enough money to bring her disabled sister back home to be cared for. Joshua wants to be a professional art curator but will need the funding for his education. The scavenger hunt leads them to unexpected treasures and solves a few mysteries along the way.

I'm a sucker for a book with alternating timelines. The characters in this book are well written and memorable and the author's note at the back of the book had me scouring for more information on the Frick family. If you've ready Fiona Davis, you already know what you're in for, and if not, I definitely recommend this one.

Whenever I visit NYC, I’ve been curious about the Frick. Next trip, after reading this book, it’s on my must see list. Fiona Davis effectively uses a dual storyline to describe the Frick family in 1919 and the museum in 1966. Lillian Carter becomes Helen Frick’s secretary in 1919. Veronica Weber is a model who gets locked in the Frick in 1966. The strong female characters, including Helen Frick, made this a highly enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Dutton Books for granting my NetGalley wish and providing this ARC!

Genre: historical fiction
Pub date: January 25, 2022
In one sentence: The walls of the Frick Museum/former Frick residence hold many secrets, and two women fifty years apart will try to untangle this family drama.

I've enjoyed all of Fiona Davis' books, and this one was no exception. The Frick Museum is an NYC highlight, and I loved getting to know the family behind the collection. Helen Frick was...difficult to say the least, and Lillian's attempts to please her provided great entertainment. The present day storyline was also compelling - young model Veronica and curatorial intern Joshua were excellent sleuths. I liked the mechanism tying the two timelines together - an unfinished scavenger hunt put together by Helen herself.

I don't want to say too much more for fear of spoilers! BUT if you like historical fiction and/or art history, I think you'll enjoy this one!

Lillian, known as Angelica in the art world, was beside herself after her mother died and was running out of jobs and money.

Her landlord was hounding her to pay rent when he murdered his wife and the police found a note from her that was a bit compromising. They thought Lillian was in on the murder so they could be together.

Lillian escaped out the fire escape when the police arrived, slept on a bench in Central Park for the night, and accidentally was drawn into the Frick Mansion for a job she hadn't applied for but got hired.

Lillian worked for Miss Helen the daughter of Fricks. She was a task master, and Lillian became involved in all the good and bad things happening in that household.

Then in 1966 we meet Veronica a model and Joshua a museum curator.

Veronica was in the Frick Museum for a photo shoot when she was sent out of the room and then became lost in the mansion. When all the models and crew left, she was locked in the museum. That's where she met Joshua and where they worked together on a scavenger hunt that was decades old and was a hunt devised by Helen Frick for her suitor.

Veronica had stumbled upon the clues as she was fumbling her way around in the dark, slipped, and saw pages sticking out of organ pipes. The pages revealed something similar to a game of clue. The clues mention the Magnolia Diamond.

What could the Magnolia Diamond be?

Did Helen hide it in this museum all those years ago when it was the residence of the Frick family?

Would Veronica find it?

What was its significance to the Frick family?

Since Veronica was stuck in the museum, she figured she would have to let Joshua in on this game and solve the clues together. Why not try to find the Magnolia Diamond. They had nothing else to do. It could be very valuable and get Veronica out of debt.

The hunt lead to solving mysteries that were fifty years old.

The blending of the two time lines and the intriguing story line is signature Fiona Davis as she again gives us another wonderful history lesson.

THE MAGNOLIA PALACE is a gem with a mystery, a murder, a famous family, and memorable characters you will connect with and a book you will not want to miss. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel takes place in 2 time periods that are about 50 years apart. The Magnolia Palace is the home of the Frick family in NYC in the early 1900’s. Helen Frick is one of the main characters in this novel. Lillian was once a famous and sought after model for artwork who’s career is fading. She becomes the personal secretary for Helen. Lillian disappears when she is suspected to have murdered Helen’s father and stolen a treasured cameo. Fifty years later, the palace becomes a museum as it is filled with masterpieces. Veronica, a model that is accidentally locked in the museum during a photo shoot is discovered by Helen who is still living in the museum and old history is resolved. Fiona is a marvelous writer of historical fiction and keeps you involved in the story she writes.

This dual timeline novel centers around two women and their experiences inside the historic Frick mansion in New York City.

The art history aspect was fantastic, especially being woven into the history of the Frick collection and the Mansion this story revolved around.

Having the fact brought to light that there was a woman posing for so many statues around New York was an incredible eye opening moment. It has never truly dawned on me the hours someone would spend posing as an artist carved and sculpted her likeness. Incredible!

I also loved the mystery that unravels through the pages with a big reveal at the end. All those facets combined made this a wonderfully engrossing story that I highly recommend to historical fiction lovers!

This is my first Fiona davis novel and I will definitely be reading all of her backlist, I loved this book so much!

I really enjoyed Fiona Davis' Lions of Fifth Avenue and this one did not disappoint. As always, Davis does impeccable research before writing anything, and the time and effort she spent in crafting this shows in every chapter. New York comes alive in this book. A very well-written piece of historical fiction.

I always enjoy Fiona Davis’ books! She does such a great job of keeping the reader engaged with a mystery tied up in a historical fiction story. And this one is no different. Not only did I enjoy reading the story, but I learned a lot about the Frick Museum and specific things during the time period I never knew about. Also another reason why I enjoy Fiona Davis’ books. It’s always so fun to get to the authors note where she explains what is true and what is fictions. Another beautiful story that you won’t want to miss and will keep you guessing until the end!

A very interesting and entertaining book, based on actual people, places and events. On top of that, there’s an intriguing mystery to solve. This is the first book by Fiona Davis that I’ve read, but I look forward to reading more. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful story with a strong and courageous heroine. I couldn't put this down! Beautiful writing kept me turning the pages!

From the first time I read a Fiona Davis book I was hooked. The Magnolia Palace did not disappoint. The thing I love about her books are the history behind the stories. Here is Angelica an artist muse who became a part of New York City art history. Her statues were all over New York. Along with her mother Kitty, Angelica made a great life being and artist muse, until she wasn't. Kitty is taken by the Spanish flu Angelica didn't know what to do. She becomes mixed up in the murder of her landlords wife and she runs. She runs into the Frick house to seek some shelter and finds herself being hired by Miss Helen Frick as her private secretary.. Only she uses her real name of Lillian Carter and not Angelica.. Little does Lillian know how her life will change since she works for Miss Helen. Many may think not for the better. The Frick's are not the nicest family in New York.

Fiona Davis writes a story of a young women who fights for her survival while working for a very powerful family. Also taking us to 1966 where a young girl Veronica Weber comes to New York from London to model and make fast money. Veronica needs to help her mom and sister back home and figures modeling will help with that. That is until Veronica is locked in the Frick Museum because of a major snowstorm. Through Veronica we find out the journey that Lillian went through and what happened to the Fricks and anyone who had worked for the family

I love that Ms. Davis gives you so much historical information on the Frick Family, the Museum and Mansion that I knew nothing about. .This is why I love reading her books. She makes you feel like you are part of the history of New York, the people and what they went through.

Bravo on another great novel by my favorite author. As I wait for her next novel I will re read this one. I am sure I will find something new within the story. Thank you Net Galley for granting my wish to read this ARC. Thank you to Penguin Random House and to Fiona Davis for another fantastic book.