La ladra di ricordi

An original and young archaeologist specialising in ancient art is the principal character in a series of fresh, lively novels that take place in radiant Sicily and flow seamlessly between past and present, mystery and ancient history.

Isabella De Clio is earnest, meticulous, honest, very knowledgeable, beautiful and strong-willed. She has however one defect: Isabella is a kleptomaniac who constantly feels the urge to steel objects that represent memories for her.
An authority on cameos, she ends up working with a charming police inspector on an investigation into the murder of an elderly lady with an apparent connection to a precious gem of the Augustan Age. It turns out to have been a wedding present to the Emperor Octavian from his child bride, which ended up in the hands of the murdered woman in order to keep her from revealing an uncomfortable truth.