A review by thereadingrunnner
The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

4.0

I just love the style and historical layers of Fiona Davis' novels! In her author's note, she states that her inspiration for this story began after taking a tour of the Frick Collection. She had looked up at the front entrance and wondered what would have happened had the model who posed for the pediment above the door had crossed paths with the headstrong daughter of Henry Clay Frick. That moment set into motion the story of "The Magnolia Palace," where model Lillian (aka as the mysterious Angelica - the infamous woman who poses for artist's statues all around the city) finds herself fleeing from a murder investigation and working as the upper class private secretary to Helen Frick.
Dually told is the story of Veronica, a model visiting New York City in 1966 from overseas, who is there in hopes of earning money to help her family. She is attending a shoot at the Frick Museum & library when a disagreement finds her separated from the group and trapped within the museum when a snow storm hits. The two stories mirror each other in many ways while weaving through some of the history of the Frick family. It is historical fiction, mystery and romance all merged together into one wonderfully told story. The characters are imperfect and well developed, and I found myself intrigued and guessing until the end.
I've read that other reviewers felt this was a slow burn... To me it was not this way at all. I suppose if you are accustomed to thrillers, that is not the pace or climax that you are going to find here and it could possibly feel slow. However, if you enjoy historical fiction and art and the exploration of relationships between characters, with a bit of mystery framed within that, then this one is a real winner.