Bestselling Author Fiona Davis's New Novel Features NYC's Oldest Mansion!

Event to be held at Bexley's Jeffrey Mansion! Davis in Conversation with Gramercy Owner and Author Linda Kass about THE JEWEL OF SUGAR HILL! Join New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis as she shares her exhilarating new novel, The Jewel of Sugar Hill. Set at New York City’s oldest residence, the story is about two women whose obsession with a mansion tucked away in upper Manhattan could change their lives forever. Fiona will be in conversation with Gramercy owner and author Linda Kass. The admission fee includes a copy of The Jewel of Sugar Hill. BEXLEY RECREATION & PARKS is Gramercy’s Community Partner for this exclusive event. On the north end of Manhattan lies the oldest house on the island: the Morris-Jumel Mansion. Built in 1765, it was once part of a 135-acre property that ran from the Harlem River to the Hudson. Today, the mansion is relegated to one city block, where it sits like a regal queen in a garden of lilacs and maples. In 1800s New York City, Eliza Brown is a woman with ambition, determined to rise above her humble background. When she meets political upstart Aaron Burr, she vows to win his love and break into the high society that shuns her. Eliza’s ultimate aim: secure her future with the purchase of the most beautiful house in Manhattan, in spite of a shadowy figure determined to expose the truth about her sordid past. In 2010, disgraced architect Abby Dorrance has always aspired to make her family proud. Recently released from prison for a financial crime she didn’t commit, Abby’s intent on clearing her name and rehabilitating her career. But when her father—a well-known real estate developer—dies from a fall at a haunted, crumbling uptown mansion the night before she’s set free, Abby gets drawn into the murky circumstances behind his death. As dangerous forces loom, Abby must choose between saving her family’s legacy and fortune or saving the mansion and losing everything she loves. The Jewel of Sugar Hill brings Eliza Jumel to life, a notorious woman from America’s infancy, who ignored social convention and achieved dizzying success. The result is a sweeping, ambitious story about two scandalous women, two centuries apart, each with an unshakeable belief in her ability to carve space for herself on her own terms. Fiona Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of seven historical fiction novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including The Stolen Queen, The Magnolia Palace, The Address, and The Lions of Fifth Avenue, which was a Good Morning America Book Club pick. Her articles have appeared in publications like The Wall Street Journal and O the Oprah magazine. She first came to New York as an actress but fell in love with writing after getting a master's degree at Columbia Journalism School. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages, and she's based in New York City. Linda Kass began her career as a magazine journalist and correspondent for regional and national publications. She is the author of four works of historical fiction: Tasa’s Song (2016), A Ritchie Boy (2020), Bessie (2023), and World News from Waverley High (September 2026). A longtime civic leader, she is the founder and owner of Gramercy Books, an independent bookstore in Central Ohio.