Crystal King Author

Historical fiction and fantasy rooted in Italy

See the books About Crystal
navona wide
The Happiness Collector by Crystal King, book cover

New novel

The Happiness Collector

A historian's dream job in Italy takes a dark turn when she discovers her employers aren't exactly human.

"King's novel is a celebration of humanity's creativity and resilience. Prepare to fall in love with Aida Reale, the next gen's Robert Langdon, as she takes on the gods themselves!" Lauren J. A. Bear, author of Mother of Rome
Buy the book Read about it

Novels by Crystal King

Praise

"A sinister romance and hypnotic Gothic fairytale—surreal and luscious with a fascinating twist on the story of Hades and Persephone."

Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne, on In the Garden of Monsters

"King's characters are drawn as lovingly, as sensually as the food and the Vatican world she describes, and the plot itself — part secret-code mystery, part love story — moves like a well-paced meal."

Boston Globe, on The Chef's Secret

"Feast of Sorrow is an upstairs/downstairs drama meets food porn meets historical fiction."

Epicurious, on Feast of Sorrow

Swipe for more.

The history behind the novels

Crystal's research into the places, people and food in the books.

The Sacro Bosco GardenItaly's Garden of Monsters in Bomarzo. Salvador DalíThe artist, Gala, and his visit to Bomarzo. Italian Renaissance FoodBartolomeo Scappi and the Renaissance table. The Food of Ancient RomeApicius, garum, and how Romans dined. Free CookbooksCompanion cookbooks for three of the novels. For Book ClubsInvite Crystal to your book club.
colosseo

Get the free Rome travel guide

Walk the Rome that Aida knows in The Happiness Collector. The guide comes free when you subscribe to Tasting Life Twice, Crystal's newsletter.

Get the guide