Fiona Davis On Radio City Music Hall And The City Behind The Stage

In Fiona Davis’ beguiling The Spectacular, readers meet Marion Brooke, a young dancer struggling against the confines of her 1950s life. Nineteen-year-old Marion has spent her life pleasing everyone, shrinking her dreams of a career in dance to accommodate the plans her father has for her. She upends these strictly laid out plans, however, when she auditions for the Rockettes, a move that enrages her father and confuses her boyfriend. Thrust into a fast paced world of ever-changing choreography and punishing show schedules, Marion experiences creative fulfillment for the first time. Yet Marion’s newfound happiness is threatened by the actions of a man dubbed The Big Apple Bomber, who has been terrorizing New Yorkers by planting pipe bombs in the city’s famous landmarks. When the Bomber targets Radio City Music Hall, Marion finds herself unexpectedly pulled into the investigation. The dancer soon teams up with Peter Brooks, a young psychiatrist recruited to help with the investigation due to his expertise in a brand new field, psychological profiling. The two combine strengths to track down the Bomber in a tensely plotted tale that expertly combines romance, adventure, and thrills. Critics have applauded The Spectacular, with Publishers Weekly raving “this page-turner delivers the goods” and Booklist stating, “Davis masterfully draws Marion into the story, setting the scene for a cinematic conclusion. Readers will be attracted to the intriguing history and moved by Davis’ entrancing narrator.” Davis spoke with us about her research process, capturing the physicality of dance, and crafting inevitable but satisfying endings.