A review by efirer
The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

5.0

Fiona Davis is one of my favorite authors, and the Magnolia Palace does not disappoint. Basing her stories on historical buildings in New York City, and then creating narratives around real life figures delivers an absorbing and exciting novel. Lillian is known in NYC as Angelica, a muse for many of the famous statues throughout Manhattan. After her mother dies of the Spanish flu of 1917, Lillian finds herself in the Frick mansion. The Fricks are extremely wealthy, with sharp and often abrasive personalities; Lillian becomes Helen Frick’s personal secretary, hiding her past. Fast forward fifty years, to 1966, when a young model gets caught in a snowstorm and is locked in the Frick mansion with an archivist, Joshua. The Frick mansion is a museum, with secrets of betrayals, murder and more. The stories come together in an interesting way. I highly recommend this book, particularly if you love historical fiction. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC.