“Mystery, romance, art and history—Pensione Anastasia will capture the reader’s heart and imagination from its opening chapter through to its entrancing denouement at a Glyndebourne production of Mozart’s Magic Flute. An education in sculpture and painting can be absorbed with effortless delight, as one follows the dynamic story of the loss and recovery of an amulet created by Phidias, the 5th century B.C. Athenian sculptor. The personalities of the main characters, British, Greek and American, come to life in the lively unfolding of a complex yet profoundly human story of learning and teaching, living and dying for a cause.”--(Ruth Hayhoe, Professor, University of Toronto, Honorary Fellow, University of London Institute)

“Writing in a gentle style reminiscent of Agatha Christie, Alice Heard Williams’ suspense novel Pensione Anastasia lavishes an art background, a soupcon of history and dollop of romance. Emma Darling, an American, is drawn into the unexpected role of amateur sleuth when a famous amulet disappears in the mountains of Greece. In settings both in Greece and England, the book paints scenes as true as our own backyards.”--(Julie Malear, author of Shattered Bonds and More Precious than Rubies)

“The novel introduces us to Emma Darling, a young American, whose respect for ancient artists and their works takes her through an adventure to recover stolen treasure, the Amulet of Apollo dating from the fifth century BC. Placing the action in Greece and England, Alice Heard Williams invites the reader to visit the southern and northern homes of great ancient poets. By the dedication of Emma and her friends to put themselves into very dangerous situations in the world of the 1970s, the reader is moved to honor the work of ancient artists who honored the artists before them. I could not put the book down!”--(Mary Faraci, Professor of English, Florida Atlantic University)