Sarah Penner, the bestselling author of THE LOST APOTHECARY and THE LONDON SÉANCE SOCIETY, delivers yet another spellbinding, witchy work of historical fiction with THE AMALFI CURSE. True to the title, it invites readers to the glittering, shimmering Amalfi Coast, bordered by candy-colored villas and greenery, where a nautical archaeologist sets out for sunken treasure and finds a centuries-old curse instead.

To say that Haven Ambrose grew up in the sea would be putting it mildly. Raised by her legendary nautical archaeologist father in the Florida Keys, Haven has been diving since she was four years old and (wo)manning her own dives and investigations for what feels like nearly as long. Her specialty, like that of her internationally renowned father, is surveying wrecks. But contrary to popular belief, Haven is interested not in loot or buried treasure, but in sailors’ logs, vessel blueprints and incident reports. Simply put, she’s in it for the research and discovery, not the glory or the wealth.

But even Haven can’t deny the pull of sunken gemstones and buried gold, especially not when it comes to Li Galli, an archipelago of little islands off the Amalfi Coast. Li Galli was the site of her father’s last dive before a stroke claimed his mobility and eventually his life. But it also was where he claimed to have made the discovery of his life: thousands of pink and red gemstones glittering on the ocean floor. Even better, he had proof that they were real. Haven knows that she cannot get her father back, and she’s not even particularly interested in treasure, but she does know that she can at least complete his final dive in his honor. Enter Project Relic.

"Perfect for fans of other witchy writers like Emilia Hart and Katy Hays, THE AMALFI CURSE is also likely to appeal to classic historical fiction readers for its seamless pairing of timelines, meticulous research and powerful themes."

Project Relic is Haven’s brainchild: an investigative team led and supported entirely by women…and investor Gage Whitlock, the head of HPI, an international heritage foundation looking to venture further into the “oceanic project space,” a la James Cameron and Titanic. Haven has good reason for choosing Li Galli as the Project’s first dive: Li Galli is the home of the legendary Amalfi Curse, a spike in shipwrecks in the 1820s and 1830s that were not caused by storms, rough waves or faulty ships. Investigators could find no cause for the shipwrecks and dubbed the land cursed, leading it to be ignored by mariners for nearly a century. Suddenly, in the late 1920s, the islands became a destination again, and the curse seemed to have ended (if it ever was real to begin with). So it is that Haven finds herself in a sunny villa off the coast, preparing to make history with Project Relic…and conclude her father’s historic dive, all at once.

But strange occurrences have begun to creep over the peaceful, sunny coast, starting with the sudden sinking of a yacht. Just as in the 1820s, investigators can find no direct cause for the tragedy, but they do find something equally eerie. Increased carbon dioxide levels from underwater vents indicate that Mount Vesuvius is brewing toward an eruption of the type that once leveled Pompeii. More crucial to Haven, though, are the underwater effects: an eruption can hasten the decay and erosion of sunken wrecks, if not bury them completely.

The clock is ticking, and with global fears of a possible eruption soaring, Haven and her team are pulled from the dive, with a man --- her father’s best friend and occasional competition --- taking the lead. Haven no longer can participate in the Project, but she certainly isn’t leaving, especially with her father’s legacy at risk. She needs to find answers, treasure, or a heck of a wreck immediately.

Alternating timelines, Penner introduces readers to Mari, a 20-year-old woman living in the fishing village of Positano. Mariners have remarked for ages on the peculiarly good luck of Positano. While men from nearby towns return from sea with empty nets, those of Positano pull in fish by the ton. While pirates invade other coastal villages, plundering their money, food and women, Positano remains untouched. And Mari knows exactly why; it’s all her doing, after all. She is part of a secret society of streghe del mar --- sea witches --- descended from sirens who once inhabited Li Galli. For ages, Mari and her ancestors have waded into the sea and uttered one of seven spells meant to wield nature and force the sea to bend to their hands. So secretive is the little coven that even their husbands, fathers and sons know nothing of their otherworldly powers. They only know that their women have an odd affinity for wading in shallow waters and collecting strange trinkets from the sea.

But Positano’s luck is running out with the arrival of the Mazza brothers, Naples’s richest and least principled shipping company. Known for black market smuggling and other nasty trades, the Mazzas seek to control the Amalfi Coast and discover the powers of Positano’s women late one night during a spell casting gone wrong. The luck of the streghe, it seems, has run out.

So what started the Amalfi Curse in the first place, why did it go dormant for so long, and why does it seem to be awakening again? The answer, Sarah Penner tells us, lies neither in Haven’s timeline or Mari’s, but somewhere in the middle --- twisted between generations and historic events, witches and anthropologists. Deftly alternating between her two timelines and two heroic protagonists, Penner pens a tale of witchcraft and sorcery, but also of real-world implications and the intertwined notions of discovery and legacy. If you loved her takes on apothecaries and séances, her latest witchy dive is sure to impress, and I dare say that this may be her best yet.

Each of Penner’s storylines is completely fleshed out and riveting, providing historical context in one and highlighting present-day repercussions in the other. But they are also delightfully, captivatingly readable, as glimmering as the sea’s surface and as complex and tumultuous as its depths. With each heroine facing a ticking clock (more like a ticking time bomb, especially when the men of each era get involved), the otherwise dreamy and inviting historical novel takes on the pace of a thriller. This juxtaposition not only successfully matches the ambitious premise, but eases you along as smoothly as a sailboat, allowing you to delight in each spell, dive and discovery before completely surprising you with a rogue wave of a twist.

Perfect for fans of other witchy writers like Emilia Hart and Katy Hays, THE AMALFI CURSE is also likely to appeal to classic historical fiction readers for its seamless pairing of timelines, meticulous research and powerful themes.