故事發生在威尼斯，時間是1604年。謠言四起，說是有一枚罕見無價的鑽石在賭徒、妓女和一個叫保羅•品達（Paul Pindar）的商人間流通。據傳，這顆鑽石與商人的前任情婦西莉亞•拉姆布瑞（Celia Lamprey.）大有聯係。當他對這顆神秘的石頭起瞭貪婪之心，很明顯還有罪惡的力量即將上演。鑽石是真是假，亦或隻是一個毀滅他的誘餌？《情人鑽石》從威尼斯運河到達爾馬提亞沿岸，從有名的物理花園到秘密走廊，講述瞭一個關於性欲、愛情、貪婪、財富以及危險的17世紀早年的故事。作者文筆優美，語言精煉，寫齣瞭其標誌性風格，故事很吸引人，將曆史和人心深入剖析。

It’s Venice, 1604. When rumours of a spectacularly rare and priceless diamond begin to circulate amongst the gamblers and courtesans of the Venetian demi-monde, the Levant Company merchant, Paul Pindar, becomes convinced that the jewel is somehow linked to the fate of his former love, Celia Lamprey. As his obsession with the mysterious stone grows it becomes clear that there are other, more sinister forces at play. Is the diamond real, or is it just a trick to lure him to his ruin? "The Pindar Diamond" moves from the canals of Venice to the coasts of Dalmatia, from a famed physic garden in the Venentian lagoon to the secret corridors of a convent - a tale of lust, love, greed, wealth and danger set among the Levant traders in the early years of the seventeenth century. Written in the exquisitely evocative style that is Katie Hickman’s trademark, this is a gripping and superbly told story that goes as deeply into history as into the human heart.

凱蒂•希客夢（Katie Hickman）此前著有6本小說，其中兩本是暢銷曆史小說，《妓女》（ Courtesans ）和《大不列顛之女》（Daughters of Britannia）。她寫有兩本旅行小說，其中一本提名托馬斯•庫剋旅行圖書奬。她本人還因其小說《大咬鵑的夏天》（The Quetzal Summer）被提名《星期天日報》年度英國青年作傢奬，另外，她的《鳥捨大門》（The Aviary Gate）遠銷19個國傢。她和丈夫及兩個孩子住在倫敦。她的丈夫是哲學傢A.C.格雷林（A. C. Grayling）。

Katie Hickman is the author of six previous titles, including two bestselling history books, Courtesans and Daughters of Britannia. She has written two travel books, one of which was shortlisted for the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award. She was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year award for her novel The Quetzal Summer and her previous novel, The Aviary Gate, sold in nineteen countries. Katie Hickman lives in London with her two children and her husband, the philosopher A. C. Grayling.