It's the first book review of 2025 and it's a good one! It's also one that is long overdue because it's been sitting on my shelf for a year. Fiona Davis is one of my favorite authors but whenever I get a book I'm excited about, I never read it right away. It's like I'm saving it for the right time.
Well, after Christmas was the perfect time. I wanted something that was wintery and holiday adjacent but not a romance or thriller. Enter a historical fiction novel about the Radio City Rockettes in the 1950s, The Spectacular.
Fiona Davis writes the most beautiful books about New York City landmarks and their history, mixes in mystery, romance and brilliant, brave women are at the center of them.
I've read every single one of Fiona Davis' books and this is definitely one of my favorites. Her new one, The Stolen Queen, came out last week and I need to order it, just as soon as my low-buy month is over or I have the extra money & need a little treat.
Publisher's Summary
Meanwhile, the city is reeling from a string of bombings orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the “Big Apple Bomber,” who has been terrorizing the citizens of New York for sixteen years by planting bombs in popular, crowded spaces. With the public in an uproar over the lack of any real leads after a yearslong manhunt, the police turn in desperation to Peter Griggs, a young doctor at a local mental hospital who espouses a radical new technique: psychological profiling.
As both Marion and Peter find themselves unexpectedly pulled in to the police search for the bomber, Marion realizes that as much as she’s been training herself to blend in—performing in perfect unison with all the other identical Rockettes—if she hopes to catch the bomber, she’ll need to stand out and take a terrifying risk. In doing so, she may be forced to sacrifice everything she’s worked for, as well as the people she loves the most.
My Thoughts
The Spectacular feels different that Davis' other books. It was more developed, the stakes felt higher and it felt more realistic... you know, aside from a Rockette and a psychiatrist solving a 16-year-old cold case in Manhattan but you get the idea.
Marion is sympathetic, she isn't annoying or shallow or grating; she has her head on her shoulders, she knows what her dreams are and she doesn't let anyone stand in the way. She loves her family but she lovers herself and her dreams more, which is pretty relatable to a lot of people.
Her desire to not live an ordinary life under her father's rule is admirable, especially for that time period. She is a go-getter, she's not afraid and she's strong -- it was a beautiful story.
Unlike Davis' other books, The Spectacular didn't shift to the 'present' which was 1992 too much. It was really more focused in the 50s which I appreciated. I like a dual timeline POV but this book really came alive when it was focused on one timeline.
I could not stand Marion's sister, Judy, and even though she becomes an important part of the story, I couldn't get over how Judy treated her. I loved the side characters of Peter, Bunny and Mrs. Hornsby, while also loathing Marion's father, especially with how the book ended.
Aside from the focus on Marion really coming into her own and following her dreams, there is a huge mystery and crime element to the story. Marion is trying to help the police solve the Big Apple Bomber case, who has been setting off bombs in various New York City landmarks for over a decade. The police don't have any clue who it is, until Marion gets involved and brings along her doctor friend, Peter.
It was very frustrating to see how the police brushed Peter off, when you as someone in 2025 know that criminal profiling is so incredibly useful in cases like this. It just goes to show you that even though you might think times haven't changed, they really have.
The book was a beautiful love letter to New York, as they always are, but also an important lesson on family, following your dreams, and the strength to go on when it feels like nothing is going your way. It has a lot of Fiona Davis' real life baked into it, which she talks about in the acknowledgements and that truly made the book so much more beautiful.
It definitely started slow at first but once you were about 40% way through and the Big Apple Bomber plot point came into full play, I couldn't put it down. The Spectacular was a beautiful, interesting and captivating book with a perfect ending.
If you need a book that has a bit of everything -- mystery, romance, family and friends, I highly recommend The Spectacular.
Read my other Fiona Davis' reviews here:
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