Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match" where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It's our great pleasure to present Anna Rasche!
Writes:
Hey there, you gorgeous reader. I write history mysteries with little touches of magic and dark humor. My next book, THE CURSED DIAMOND, hits shelves November 3rd 2026, and is looking for that special someone to cozy up next to the fire with.
In this speculative New York City mystery, two women’s fates, a century apart, are bound by the dark legacy of the Midnight Diamond. The story is inspired by the true, unsolved theft of an exquisite blue gem from the French crown jewels and will whisk you from debaucherous Gilded Age parties to the fabled vaults of NYC’s Diamond District.
About:
Author + gemologist + jewelry historian. Grew up in Maine, long-time Brooklynite, happy in town or country. I love to explore the city, study old jewels, and dig into the archives. Historical gossip is the best gossip, don’t you think?
I was inspired to start writing fiction after years working in museums and for antique jewelry dealers. Giant diamonds, Victorian mourning jewelry, ancient cameos…you name it, it’s been on my desk. Every piece with its own story to tell.
My debut novel, THE STONE WITCH OF FLORENCE, was a Book of The Month pick, an Indie Next pick, and a Globe & Mail bestseller. My writing appears in The Wall Street Journal, CrimeReads, and elsewhere. When I’m not writing you’ll find me procrastinating by cooking some kind of elaborate soup that requires hours of stirring.
What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match:
I’m looking for someone who is ready to be surprised and entertained, who wants to open the secret door together, decode the lost manuscript, and then take the subway to X marks the spot.
After, we’ll get drinks at a hole in the wall on the edge of town where we discuss in whispers what to do with our newly discovered treasure. You don’t believe in curses, right? Good, me either. I think.
Bonus points if you had a goth phase yet still enjoy Bridgerton.
What to expect if we’re compatible:
• A dual-timeline mystery, grounded in the lore of the Hope Diamond
• Resourceful heroines backed by a motley crew of supporting players
• Settings that are carefully researched but lightly written. For TCD these include:
• Gilded Age Gothic (think: if Edith Wharton stayed too late at the party)
• The NYC Diamond District in its full, gritty, glory
• Bad guys, good guys, and guys who seem bad but are actually good. Or was it the other way around?
• A bit of romance (both doomed and otherwise)
Narrator: Caroline Hewitt, Ferdelle Capistrano, Pun Bandhu
In New York City a century apart, two women’s fates are bound by the dark legacy of the Midnight Diamond
2010. Jennie is working as a runner in the Diamond District when a friend’s sudden death leaves her with a cryptic note: “Not Safe.” Her search for answers leads her to an antique jewelry box, a clue to a century-old mystery and the legend of the Midnight Diamond—a rare blue gem rumored to bring ruin to all who possess it. As Jennie is pulled deeper into a world of secrets and danger, she realizes she is not just chasing a lost treasure; she is uncovering a story that was meant to stay buried.
1910. On an ocean liner bound for New York, heiress Marcella Porter returns home after being disgraced by scandal in London. Her path collides with a charismatic nobleman and the magnificent Midnight Diamond, which she unknowingly smuggles into the city. Mesmerized by its brilliance, Marcella feels an irresistible pull toward the diamond, and when the glittering façade of her charmed life begins to crack, Marcella must decide whether the Midnight Diamond is her salvation—or her doom.
Can Jennie break the centuries-old curse before it brings more ruin? Inspired by history’s most captivating gemstone, The Cursed Diamond is a thrilling mystery about fate, obsession, and the deadly costs of ambition.
Fantasy | Paranormal | Fiction Adventure [ Park Row Books, On Sale: November 3, 2026, Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780778305613 / eISBN: 9780369773807 ]
Anna Rasche is a historian and gemologist who has previously worked in the jewelry collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is a member of the teaching faculty at Sotheby’s Institute of Art and has a master’s degree in the history of design.
The Stone Witch of Florence is Anna’s debut novel, and is based on original research she conducted on the uses of gemstones in medieval medicine at the Cooper Hewitt Museum and on site in Italy.
She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, daughter, and two cats.
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