Artifacts

by Natalie Lemle

For readers of The Cloisters and Counterfeit, Natalie Lemle’s debut novel offers an insider’s view into the world of stolen artifacts and the hidden networks that link museums to organized crime, when a woman is forced to remember the summer she spent on an archaeological dig in Italy, as everyone she knew then may now be in danger.

Successful trusts and estates attorney Lena Connolly is asked by a colleague to assist on a case: the Italian government claims an artifact was looted and sold to a museum illegally and is seeking repatriation. The object in question is a cup made of dichroic glass, which would have been rare even in Ancient Rome, let alone thousands of years later.

Lena has done everything she can to put the study abroad summer she spent on an archaeological dig in the Italian Alps behind her. Her dreams of being an archaeologist shattered when her mentor Cyrille disappeared and her enigmatic boyfriend Giamma went dark, but with this new case, the past comes roaring back.

Told in alternating timelines, Artifacts follows young Lena as she falls in love with both archaeology and Giamma on the streets of Torino while her adult self pieces together what truly happened on the dig, now a fully restored Roman villa with World Heritage status. The dichroic cup, Lena discovers, may have been taken from the very site she helped unearth.

Powerful and exuberant, Natalie Lemle’s Artifacts brings readers behind the museum glass and asks questions about cultural heritage and the historical preservation of our shared sense of humanity.

Genres: Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Novels, Adult Fiction, Romance

352 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication May 19, 2026

About the author

Natalie Lemle studied classics and art history at Tufts University and earned an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College. She is the founder of art_works, an art advisory connecting contemporary artists with global companies, and previously worked in corporate relations at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She serves on the boards of the ICA/Boston and the Associates of the Boston Public Library. Artifacts is her first novel.

Reviews

[Pfeffers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hooked early. The “who done it” and “how will it end” kept me up late at night rooting for Lena. And Natalie paints such a vivid picture of NYC and Italy I felt I was right there with her.

I’ll have to read this again because the amount and layers of historical detail and references to ancient civilizations are incredible and I’m sure there are many more layers of meaning I’ll get on a second or third read. Would be great for a bookclub to discuss with friends to really see the complexity of the case from different perspectives and to reflect on the role of archeology, museums, and historic objects in reflecting the past.

[Dena Schulze · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique archaeological adventure with tons of detail, but the plot was pretty hard to track. I appreciated the research, even if the story didn’t fully pull me in.

[Dee's Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has archeology, musuem dealings, art looting, and organize crime at the heart of it! This was a slow moving story filled with mystery and antiquities. Once the story developed more, about halfway through, it hooked me in on the mystery surrounding that summer in Italy, at the archeological dig. I did feel like our main character was a bit obscure, I found myself not being able to relate or understand her well. Overall, I love the mysterious dive into archeology, looking to the past can be dangerous.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon Books for the e-Arc!

[Roo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Artifacts by Natalie Lemle

This was a super interesting read! I love anything to do with archeology so the synopsis drew me in and the story kept me hooked!

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artifacts by Natalie Lemle offers an in-depth story set in the world of archaeology, art theft, and museums. Lena is drawn into a law case at work involving the Italian government, Fordham University, and a possibly looted artifact. It's not too long before she discovers this current case is related to her undergrad days at Columbia and a summer archaeological field school in Italy she participate in as a Classics major.

Lots of details and intrigue keep the story moving along. If you're interested in this world, it's a fascinating read! Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Mary McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young attorney is representing a client with a connection to a priceless Italian artifact. Could the job possibly be related to her work on an archeological dig while in college? Full of great classical influence, nefarious characters and building suspense, Artifacts is a multi-layered mystery that dives into the past of ancient civilizations. And who should rightfully claim ownership to those artifacts...

[lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this a lot, but I found the plot a bit confusing at times. It also had a bit of a slow start, but once I got to about 40%, it was so hard to put this down. I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy this, since I don’t know a lot about archaeology or the history of Italy, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I do think I’ll have to read this again to fully understand and get the full experience.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of an arc in exchange for an honest review

[Laurel Kristick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the dual timeline and the intersection of archeology, missing people, museums, and the ethics of repatriation of stolen artifacts. The mafia-like criminals were a lurking menace to the protagonist's past memories and current investigations. It started slowly but built to a pretty intense conclusion.

I read this in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this sort of book told through multiple timelines with a mystery involving a mcguffin and personal growth thrown in for good measure. Natalie Lemle is a highly intelligent writer as well as a historian and researcher. A huge bonus is that I learned more about archaeology, provenance, and Roman society. Highly recommend.

[Nawal Qadir · Rating 4 out of 5]

(w) (wish i was summering in italy on a morally questionable yet undeniably cool archeological dig where i randomly met my morally questionable yet hot italian fling who sends me into a trauma spiral about my morally questionable yet alluring professor a decade later)