The Lions of Fifth Avenue

Starred review from May 18, 2020
Davis (The Address) delves into the history of the New York Public Library in this delightful mystery. It’s 1913, and Jack and Laura Lyons have spent the past two years living in an apartment on a mezzanine tucked inside the library, since it opened. Jack is the library’s superintendent, while Laura raises their two children and studies journalism at Columbia. Tension builds when valuable first edition books start disappearing and Jack is the suspected thief. Davis then shifts to 1993, when Laura’s granddaughter Sadie is the library’s rare books curator, and a new wave of thefts begin. As the story transitions between Sadie and Laura, their differences stand out: Sadie is a quirky book lover who’s uneasy around people, while Laura blooms when she meets the revolutionary women of Greenwich Village, who fight for rights in a club called Heterodoxy. Laura’s journalism professor dismisses the club for “trying too hard to be intellectual,” prompting Laura to prove him wrong. Eventually she goes on to become a leading feminist essayist. Davis illuminates the world of special books through keen descriptions of the library and rare book dealers, while leading readers through the twin mysteries of the missing books. The characters and story are stellar, but the real star of the show is the library, which Davis evokes beautifully.

Erin Bennett and Lisa Flanagan work together to provide a smooth and entertaining narration of this historical mystery. Bennett introduces listeners to the Lyons family, who resided in an apartment INSIDE the fabled New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue in 1913. John Lyons serves as the library's superintendent, while his wife, Laura, is a pioneering journalist and essayist. As the story shifts time frames, Flanagan portrays their granddaughter, Sadie, who curates the library's rare book collection in 1993. With the assistance of Nick, a dashing detective, Sadie's investigation of several missing books, including volumes that her grandfather was accused of stealing, reveals long buried family secrets. The narrators splendidly evoke the magic of the library setting, as well as the spirits of the diverse characters. M.J. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine