The Magnolia Palace

A Novel

By: Fiona Davis

Narrated by: Karissa Vacker

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.

Excellent Story

I.loved everything about this book. The characters, the way the two plots came together, the author notes at the end, the excellent narration.

Charming and fun mystery

Well written, seamless integration of factual history and fictional story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

entertaining and exciting

This was a really fun read. The narrator is a bit dramatic at times, but she makes it very clear who is talking, and brings the characters to life. The story is also good, and kept me interested throughout.

Fantastic in my opinion!

I absolutely devoured this audiobook! I loved the story and was interested in this "original super model" whose statues are all over NYC. I'd never heard of her. I was also unfamiliar with the Frick family. So, this combination of characters made a great story. I thought the narrator did a great job which made it more enjoyable.

WOW

Where to begin?

I absolutely adored this blend of fact and fiction where I could just completely dissolve into the story. Every chapter or so switches characters and eras and leaves you with a cliffhanger that kept me listening for hours because I thought I had each new mystery solved, but nothing was as it seemed!

Fiona Davis really researched the history, art, and people so thoroughly it's beautiful in and of itself. Knowing that the house and some of the characters were real and actually walked among those halls and viewed the mentioned works of art just makes it that more fascinating!