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.
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.
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.
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.
Fiona Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including The Dollhouse, The Address, The Masterpiece, The Chelsea Girls, The Lions of Fifth Avenue, and The Magnolia Palace. She lives in New York City and is a graduate of the Columbia Journalism School.
Praise for The Magnolia Palace
“Combining a mansion turned museum, a missing diamond, a mystery,
and the lives of two young women separated by half a century, Fiona
Davis stirs up a beguiling story that unfolds like a clever game of
Clue. Suspicions abound, and an iconic New York City landmark
stands poised to reveal a page-turning tale of wealth, family
dynamics, and long-held secrets.”
—Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We
Were Yours
“Fiona Davis is at the top of her game in this intriguing,
high-stakes novel about an iconic New York City landmark, the Frick
mansion, and two women, fifty years apart, whose stories intersect
within it. A family saga and historical thriller in one, The
Magnolia Palace is a fast-paced, immersive delight.”
—Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of
Orphan Train and The Exiles
“Rich with family drama, tangled romance, cryptic clues, and
long-buried secrets, The Magnolia Palace is sure to be loved by
Fiona Davis's devoted and new readers alike. A can't-miss for
anyone who has sauntered through an art museum and found themselves
tempted to peek behind a painting or two.”
—Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost
Apothecary
“I savor every glorious new Fiona Davis novel and The Magnolia
Palace has it all—two intriguing heroines, two fabulous time
periods to get swept up in, and a delicious mystery that keeps you
on tenterhooks. I loved every minute of it!”
—Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Lilac
Girls and Sunflower Sisters
“Once again, using her trademark brilliance, Fiona Davis transports
her readers into a mysterious past lurking beneath the surface of
our modern-day world. In The Magnolia Palace, two very different
women from two eras enter the Gilded Age realm of famous
industrialist and art collector Henry Clay Frick and his imperious
daughter, Helen, and become part of a thrilling mystery centered on
the Frick mansion that stretches through the decades. Readers will
never look at a historic building quite the same way again.”
—Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery
of Mrs. Christie
“The magic of Fiona Davis is the tenderness with which she crafts
her settings, so that they bloom into characters themselves. We
come to know them. We come to love them. And they help us to
understand our place in time. The Magnolia Palace is a love letter
to art and history. An intriguing, beautiful read.”
—Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author
“No one brings New York City to life like Fiona Davis. With The
Magnolia Palace, Davis turns her brilliant storytelling to the
Frick mansion, focusing on the strong women who made the Frick a
New York icon—some on canvas, others scions of the famous family.
It’s historical fiction at its best, marked by the complexity of
female friendship, the glamour of the art world, and having the
moxie to reinvent yourself.”
—Karin Tanabe, author of The Gilded Years
“Another brilliant historical thriller from Davis, this time set in
a Gilded Age mansion in New York City. You will fall in love with
Lillian, the penniless young artist’s model surviving the Spanish
flu of 1919; and Veronica, the young mod model of the 1960s; and
Davis’s deftly written and beautifully woven feminist
storytelling.”
—Tara Moss, #1 internationally bestselling author of The War
Widow
“Iconic buildings are larger-than-life characters in Fiona Davis’s
novels, and The Magnolia Palace is no exception.”
—New York Post
“Fascinating . . . Allows Davis also to explore the struggles of
young women to be taken seriously while adding an unvarnished look
at the wealthy. . . . Davis smoothly layers fact onto fiction. . .
. Excellent.”
—Sun Sentinel (South Florida)
“A book that's as beautiful as it is mysterious. The dual POV keeps
the reader on their toes until the entire story comes
together.”
—BuzzFeed
“The pages breeze by as potential romances develop (maybe not the
ones you’d expect) and a mystery involving the whereabouts of the
Magnolia diamond unfolds. Deeper issues also undergird both
narratives, which confront stereotypes about models and explore how
a tragedy can warp family relationships years later. The two
narratives dovetail in a satisfying way. Mystery and art lovers
should relish this exciting escape into New York’s past.”
—Historical Novel Society
“Bestselling author Fiona Davis builds upon the secrets of the
Frick Collection in a delightful blend of emotion and adventure. .
. . Davis knows exactly how to structure a story and how to switch
between timelines. . . . A captivating story whose characters are
richly drawn, The Magnolia Palace pays particular attention to
those who might go unnoticed: the deaf private secretary, the
museum intern, the organ player. We discover their private lives
and public exposures, which reveal the daily messiness of human
lives, the construction of the self, and the truths we try so hard
to hide.”
—BookPage
“Davis smoothly combines fact with fiction and offers beautiful
descriptions of the family’s art collection. The colliding
narratives and comprehensive descriptions of the historic mansion
make for Davis’s best work to date.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Davis adeptly interweaves two compelling story lines to shine a
light on another NYC landmark. . . . This is historical fiction at
its best, with well-developed characters, detail, art history, and
mystery.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“Readers are transported back to 1919 New York in this richly
captivating tale.”
—Woman’s World
“Davis embellishes the real lives of the Frick family and Audrey
Munson, a sculptors' muse, in a tale that will thrill fans of Anna
Pitoniak and Karen Harper. She also jumps skillfully between the
roaring twenties and the swinging sixties as another model explores
the Frick Collection decades later. Davis's insider's perspective
on the esteemed Frick family gives equal weight to those who kept
the family afloat.”
—Booklist
“Artfully meshes the educational with the sensational.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“There are many pleasures in Fiona Davis’s novels. . . . Davis
imbues [Manhattan landmarks] with intimacy and familiarity through
the deeply felt emotions of her characters. Equally intriguing are
the points of intersection between generations of young women. . .
. Quietly seeking the truth about themselves and the world, Davis’s
heroines overcome pain and loss to reach a resolution, in the past
and present.”
—BookTrib
“Fiona Davis has deployed an unmatched skill for unspooling
compelling dramas amid some of New York's most glittering
historical moments. . . . The Magnolia Palace tells the story of
two different women whose lives are changed at the Frick mansion,
giving readers the chance to soak in dual eras of history all while
great love, epic loss, dazzling fortunes, and foul play are
afoot.”
—Town & Country
"After spending all days on screens, I love picking up an actual
book— especially if the strory transports me to a pre-screen
era!...I adored going back in time to New York in the '20s." —Patty
Bontekoe, Executive Editor of First For Women
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