World history, the pursuit of beauty, and the seedy underbelly of the art world all collide to make for a charming, compelling, and thrilling story. Town & Country
"With vivid prose, Lemles debut immerses readers in the unctuous world of archeology and artifact as her protagonist, a trusts and estates attorney, is drawn into a lurid looted art case in Italy. The case draws her back to her college self, and confronts her with bigger questions about history and how we claim it." Forbes "Suspenseful... armchair travelers will enjoy themselves." Publishers Weekly
"Lemle offers a complex story of political power, organized crime, and the underworld of antiquities pirating... readers will enjoy connecting the dots as the novel unfolds." Library Journal "Natalie Lemle is a spectacular new voice in American fiction. Her magnificent debut is the story of Lena Connolly, a hotshot Manhattan attorney assigned to a case regarding looted artifacts in Italy, a case that dredges up her romantic past and youthful dreams of becoming an archaeologist. Artifacts is a novel of lost dreams and the power of love in a practical world where only facts seem to matter, as Lena learns to lead with her heart to finally find her bliss." Adriana Trigiani, author of The View from Lake Como "With Artifacts, Natalie Lemle delivers a novel of rare density and grace, where each layer of the story rises like a stratum of archaeologythe very field that lies at the heart of the bookan accumulation of beauty, vice, hope, life, and the shadow of murder, all held together by a sensibility as precise as it is incandescent." Thomas Schlesser, New York Times bestselling author of Mona's Eyes Not a lot of books can whisk you from an extravagant museum opening in New York to a dusty archaeological dig in Italy, but Natalie Lemles rich story of intrigue and guilt will have readers swept up into a world of enigmatic power players in the black market of stolen antiquities. Artifacts explores the complications of what we inheritnot just from our parents, but from our history and heritage, too. Teasing out thorny unanswerable questions, Lemle works comfortably in the gray areas, as the best novelists do. I couldnt put it down, and I couldnt believe it was a debut. Emily Everett, author of Reese's Book Club pick All That Life Can Afford "Natalie Lemle's Artifacts is a sprawling trip through time, weaving together a web of fine art, history, and long-held secrets. Finely written with a master's attention to detail, Lemle guides us deftly through the world of the ancient past, unearthing pockets of deep beauty. This book is twisty, delicious fun." Kristen Arnett, New York Times bestselling author of Mostly Dead Things, With Teeth, and Stop Me If You've Heard This One
