The Amalfi Curse

Haven Ambrose, a nautical archaeologist, comes to Positano, a village on Italy's Amalfi Coast, to map the wrecks lying near the Li Galli islands. Her team knows only the official job. Haven also hopes to find the sunken gems her late father spotted on his final dive, and she keeps that to herself.

The work does not go smoothly. A rival treasure hunter threatens the project's funding, and odd storms and run after run of bad luck keep hitting the village.

In the archives, an old diary and a bundle of letters draw Haven into a much older story. Mari DeLuca is being pushed toward a marriage she does not want, and she carries a secret. She practises stregheria, a folk magic that lets her command the sea, and uses it to shield her village from pirates and disaster. She is also falling in love with an American.

The book runs on two timelines that mirror each other, mixing mystery, romance and sea magic. The magic is closer to magical realism than high fantasy. As the two women's stories draw together, Haven works toward learning what the Amalfi Curse is and what it has cost.