“The Lions of Fifth Avenue” by Fiona Davis

Living inside one of New York City’s most grand buildings with her family, Laura Lyons secretly dreams of a future that she may never have. While her husband is in charge of thousands of books inside the New York Public Library, Laura wants nothing more than to put her own words on paper but in 1913 this is no easy feat for a woman. A spot at the Columbia Journalism school is hers for the taking if she can somehow manage the fees, juggle her household responsibilities as well as the care of her two young children. Things seem to be working in Laura’s favor but then valuable, rare books start disappearing from secure areas of the library throwing her family under a veil of suspicion. Eighty years later, Sadie Donovan is helping to curate an exhibit at the library showcasing some of the best pieces from their collection. After going through a painful divorce Sadie’s main happiness lies with this job and the beautiful artifacts left in her charge, a role she takes great pride in, being one of only a few people with access to such rare works. As the opening of the exhibit draws near books start to vanish from the collection and an investigator is brought in to help. When the clues start to pile up, Sadie uncovers some hidden truths from her family’s past dating back decades to an unsolved mystery that had tragic consequences for the library. “The Lions of Fifth Avenue” is another hit for Fiona Davis. Lovers of the HF genre will find this heartbreaking page-turner hard to put down. Highly recommend adding this to your TBR list and checking out Davis’ other titles as well. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase a copy of “The Lions of Fifth Avenue” here.