The Magnolia Palace

In Davis’s (The Lions of Fifth Avenue) latest historical novel, dual timelines seamlessly connect the lives of two women at New York’s Frick Collection. In 1919, Lillian Carter (based on the real-life artists’ model Audrey Munson) is the supermodel of her day and the muse of classical sculptors; her face and figure grace hundreds of famous statues throughout New York City. When her landlord’s wife is murdered, Lillian is sought as a person of interest and hides away by taking a job at the Frick mansion. There she works as private secretary to Helen Clay Frick and lives among the collection’s masterpieces, including a portrait of herself. In 1966, British model Veronica Weber comes to the Frick mansion (now a museum) for a photo shoot and ends up being locked in during a storm. The two timelines meet when Veronica discovers secret messages among the Frick’s masterpieces and uncovers a long-lost heirloom.