Books Set in Museums
Jackie and I go through phases in our reading. I realized we had read a number of books set in museums. There is something so special about these novels. There is a feeling of intrigue that I love and wanted to make a list of our favorites.
With so many books to read, it can be daunting picking a book you will love. These books set in museums are books that Jackie and I have read and loved. If art is your thing, you can check out my list of novels about art and artists!
The Best Books Set in Museums
Each colorful block below represents the best book in a subgenre of books set in museums. Click on the arrow to reveal my “best” pick in any category. You’ll also be able to use a page jump to see more books in that section.
The Best Historical Fiction Book Set in a Museum
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – Jump to section
The Best Contemporary Fiction Book Set in a Museum
Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser – Jump to section
The Best Fantasy Book Set in a Museum
The Art of Vanishing by Morgan Pager – Jump to section
*Post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you. Some books have been gifted. All opinions are our own.
Historical Fiction Books Set in Museums
All the Light We Cannot See
Author: Anthony Doerr
Year: 2014
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: Pulitzer Prize winner
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This beautiful book takes place in occupied France during the Second World War. It is the coming-of-age story of a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths cross as they try to survive the war. Marie-Laure is trying to save a valuable jewel from the Nazis, while orphan Werner’s skills at the radio find him drafted into the army. When their stories converge it becomes a story that you will not soon forget.
Trigger Warnings
War
Why Kirsten loves it
This Pulitzer Prize winner is well-written but also an immensely readable book. I was swept into the story and on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Find this book in: Coming-of-Age Books / Books Set in France / WWII Books / Books Set in Museums
The Magnolia Palace
Author: Fiona Davis
Year: 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: Instant New York Times Bestseller
Age Range: 16+
Plot
The story of Helen Frick and her assistant at a formative time in Helen’s life that coincides with Magnolia Diamond’s disappearance is riveting. As is the later timeline, told 50 years later, when a model and a Frick Museum intern are locked in the mansion overnight and on the hunt for the missing diamond.
Why Kirsten loves it
I’ve been big on Gilded Age books recently, so I knew I would love reading about the Frick family and their gorgeous mansion built in that time frame. I couldn’t put this jewelry novel down. It might be my first Fiona Davis, but it won’t be my last!
Find this book in: Dazzling Jewelry Novels / Books With Flowers in the Title / Books Set in Museums
The Stolen Queen
Author: Fiona Davis
Year: 2025
Genre: Historical Mystery
More info: New York Times Bestselling Author
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This book simultaneously tells the story of the Egyptian Gallery of the Met, the Met Gala (helmed by Diane Vreeland), and the discoveries of archaeological digs in Egypt.
In 1936, Charlotte Cross was an anthropology student working in the Valley of Kings when something happened that changed the course of her life. In 1978, Annie Jenkins is working for former Vogue editor, Diane Vreeland to organize the Met Gala.
When an ancient Egyptian necklace goes missing on the night of the Gala, Annie must work with Charlotte, now the associate curator in the Met’s Department of Egyptian Art, to recover the lost necklace.
Why Kirsten loves it
I loved both female leads – particularly Annie, who found the gumption to change her life circumstances. Davis‘s writing sucked me right in and I was fretting with nerves the night of the gala.
I loved each setting of The Stolen Queen, but Egypt really captured my heart. Another hit by one of my favorite authors.
Find this book in: Fashion Books / Novels Set in Egypt / Best Mystery Books of 2025 / Books Set in Museums
The Art Forger
Author: B. A. Shapiro
Year: 2012
Genre: Historical Mystery
More info: New York Times Bestseller
Spice Rating:💋💋💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Claire Roth is a young artist who has been blacklisted from the art community after being named “The Great Pretender”. Claire painted a picture for her former lover who claimed the work as his own. When he broke up with her from guilt, Claire tried and failed to claim the art as her own.
Years later, she is working as a painter who paints reproductions. When she is given a chance to forge a painting for $50,000 and her own private gallery show, Claire jumps at the chance but does not realize what she is getting herself into.
Trigger Warnings
Suicide
Why Jackie loves it
I read this book long ago and it is one that still resonates with me years later. This is one of my favorite novels about art because of the unique story and fantastic writing.
Find this book in: Books About Con Artists / Novels About Art / Books Set in Museums
The English Masterpiece
Author: Katherine Reay
Year: 2025
Genre: Historical Fiction
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 14+
Plot
Lily, an assistant at the Tate, is helping her boss, Diana, plan a major Picasso exhibit. The exhibit features Picasso’s iconic works as well as a newly discovered painting. When Lily publicly claims one of the paintings is a forgery, her accusation throws the art world into chaos and puts her career and her mentor’s reputation at risk. With time running out, Lily must follow the clues and prove that she was right before she loses everything.
Why Kirsten likes it
This had all the pieces I’m looking for in a historical mystery, artwork, a protagonist on the lamb, a dual narrative, and a fun setting (1970s at the Tate Museum), but Lily drove me batty. Her constantly losing attention to her surroundings came off as grating rather than charming, and her woe-is-me attitude was even remarked upon by her family members. If she had been a stronger character I would have rated this one higher, but in the end, this was a like not a love.
Find this book in: Novels About Art / Books Set in Museums
Contemporary Fiction Books Set in Museums
Mona’s Eyes
Author: Thomas Schlesser
Translator: Hildegarde Serle
Year: English in 2025
Genre: Literary Fiction
More info: International Bestseller
Age Range: 14+
Plot
When ten-year-old Mona has an unexpected episode of blindness, the doctors are afraid that she may be losing her sight permanently. Mona’s grandfather, Henry, is afraid that Mona will have a life of darkness, so he decides to fill her life with beauty.
Over the next year, rather then take her to a therapist, Henry takes Mona to see a different masterpiece in one of Paris’s museums every Wednesday afternoon. This novel takes you on a journey through 52 pieces of art from the Louvre to the Beaubourg and Musee Orsay.
Through the art, Henry teaches Mona about love and loss.
Why Jackie loves it
The descriptions in this book are unlike anything I have ever read. I felt like I had a class on art history with a wonderful and insightful teacher. This is a debut novel that is masterful. The relationship between Mona and her grandfather is so special. I listened to this book but the foldout dustjacke of the physical book has all 52 pieces of art. #gifted by PRH Audio
Find this book in: Books in Translation / Books Set in Museums/ Novels About Art and Artists
Plot
5 college students are hired by a Beijing art company to steal back relics stolen from the Old Summer Palace by colonists and now on display in famous museums the world over.
Each person brings their talents (getaway driver, hacker, art historian, etc.) and their dreams of what the life-changing sum they’ve been offered can mean for themselves and their immigrant families.
Trigger Warnings
Racism
Why Kirsten loves it
Billed as Ocean’s 11 meets The Farewell, I found myself most closely comparing it to The Italian Job and I LOVED IT. While it might sound frivolous, it’s actually a novel about art with a more emotional vein running beneath. One of longing to fit in, the struggle of straddling two worlds, and the quest for individual and collective identity as Chinese-Americans.
Find this book in: Books About Con Artists / Novels About Art / Books Set in Museums
The Da Vinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
Year: 2003
Genre: Thriller
More info: Robert Langdon Series #2
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This is one of the first books about secret societies that I ever read. Dan Brown found a way to incorporate symbolism and brilliant riddles into this modern-day mystery.Â
While visiting Paris, Robert Langdon receives a phone call that the curator of the Louvre is dead. The body is covered in strange symbols that lead them on a search for the killer and for answers. This is one of the best murder mystery books I have ever read.
Why Jackie loves it
The plot does not slow for a minute from the first page to the last. It is the second in the Robert Langdon series and but it’s favorite. I love the mystery, the suspense, and the non-stop action in this amazing novel!
Find this book in: Novels About Art / Books About Puzzles / Best Mystery Books of All Time
The Library of Lost Dollhouses
Author: Elise Hooper
Year: 2025
Genre: Historical Fiction
Spice Rating:💋💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Tildy Barrows is the head curator of an archival library in San Francisco. When she learns that the library is on the verge of bankruptcy, she is determined to do something to save the library. And then inspiration strikes when she discovers two beautiful dollhouses. She believes if she can find out more about their history and the mystery behind them, they might become a moneymaking exhibit for the museum.
The story then flashes back to Cora Hale and her story, set on the cusp of WWI when she’s starting her journey to become a premier minaturist to the aristocrats of Europe.
The journey spans across time and the globe as Cora’s artist life flourishes and Tildy looks for answers. Belle Époque Paris, the English countryside during wartime, and Walt Disney’s studios in the 1950s are just some of the places you’ll explore while reading this story.
Why Kirsten loves it
I ADORED this unique novel and its female protagonists. I was as connected with Tildy’s search for answers as I was with Cora’s quest to follow her passion. There are love stories in both timelines that feel authentic and add layers to the novel in a natural way. I was sad to turn the last page of this book, but I know I’ll be recommending it for years to come! #Gifted by Harper Audio
Find this book in: Best Historical Fiction Novels / Beach Reads 2025 / Best Historical Fiction Books of 2025 / Books Set in Museums / Best Books of 2025
Plot
In this unique book, Jess finds her mother’s set of encyclopedias while emptying her house after her mother’s death. When trying to find the encyclopedias a new home, she comes across a curious museum called The Museum of Ordinary People which collects items special to ordinary individuals. Determined to turn the museum from a storage space to a real life Museum worthy of visitors, Jess puts her background to good use and the Museum becomes more important to her than she ever thought possible.
Trigger Warnings
Grief
Why Kirsten loves it
I’ve never read a book quite like this one. The museum was so clever and wonderful. I wish it existed for me to visit in real life.
Find this book in: Contemporary Fiction Novels
Fantasy Books Set in Museums
Plot
Dani Poissant is the daughter of the world’s most famous art thief who happens to be in jail because Dani turned her in. Now, ten years later, she is approached for a once-in-a-lifetime heist that can make up for her past mistakes and reunite herself with her mother’s old gang which includes the love of her life and her former best friend. Can she pull off the heist? Oh, did I mention that the secret to their success is magic?
Why Kirsten likes it
The magical realism of this story set it apart from other art heist novels, but the magical mechanisms should have been more greatly explored in the story. The more interesting part was Dani’s journey of self-discovery and her realizations about her relationship with her mother.
Find this book in: Books About Thieves, Novels About Art
Art of Vanishing
Author: Morgan Pager
Year: 2025
Genre: Magical Realism
Spice Rating:💋💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Claire is a museum employee who works the night shift. She loves the paintings and feels a deep connection to them, especially one painted by Henri Matisse that depicts his family. Jean Matisse is front and center of the painting, reading a book but actually watching clare from inside his frame.
When Claire discovers that she can step into the painting and travel between the paintings in the museum, her entire world changes. Soon, she spends her days waiting for her shift to come so she can jump into his world. Jean and Claire fall in love and must find a way to defy reality and find happiness.
Trigger Warnings
pandemic
Why Jackie loves it
There are so many things that I love about this delightful novel. The story is told from the point of view of both Claire and Jean and I love getting their perspectives. I also love that this book takes place in the Barnes. It is not explicitly stated, however, as a local to the town where the original Barnes was located, it was interesting to hear about it from the paintings’ points of view. This book is so original. I listened to and read the book and couldn’t get enough. Thank you, PRH and PRH Audio, for my copies of this book.
Find this book in: Novels About Art and Artists / Magical Realism Books /Best Beach Reads 2025 / Books Set in Museums
Expert Tip
- Looking for a fun getaway? These books take place in museums all over the world.
- Already planning a trip? Read a book set in a museum you are planning on visiting.
Frequently Asked Questions
In What Museum is The Da Vinci Code Set?
The Da Vinci Code is set in the Louvre, in Paris, France.
In What Museum is The Magnolia Palace Set?
The Magnolia Palace is set in the Frick Museum in NYC.
Where is the Art of Vanishing Set?
Although the book never specifically says where Claire works, the story takes place in the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Related Content
Epilogue
What are your favorite books set in museums? If there are books you think we need to add to this list, please let me know!
