THE MINIATURIST’S ASSISTANT

Cover Reveal Coming Soon!

Coming from Regal House Publishing
May 13, 2025

An art conservator in historic Charleston unearths a familiar face in a 200-year-old miniature portrait and realizes she's lived more than one life, fighting to stay true to herself as she races to reconcile her complicated past, solve an art mystery, and save the people she loves across two different lifetimes--in this romantic and brainy timeslip novel sure to appeal to fans of Diana Gabaldon and Deborah Harkness.

2004: In historic Charleston, recently divorced art conservator Gamble Vance throws herself into her career restoring centuries-old miniature portraits. But one portrait haunts her: a woman in a fox stole, with familiar hazel eyes. When Gamble meets a girl in an alley, she's convinced it's the same woman--and it's not the first time they've met. For help, Gamble turns to African American Studies scholar Tolliver Jackson--a former foster kid with secrets of his own. But as Gamble's memories resurface, the pair discover a connection which may endanger more than one life... in more than one lifetime.

1804: Miniature portraitist and fallen-away Quaker Daniel Petigru paints for Charleston's high society. Daniel and his sister live with a free Black family, their connection long and complicated. When Gamble arrives from the future and her presence puts them all at risk, Daniel must decide if he loves her enough to let her go.

The Miniaturist's Assistant explores the mystery of time, how our choices ripple throughout history, and what it means to be a fully-realized woman--in any century.

Praise for The Miniaturist’s Assistant

“From the moment museum conservator Gamble Vance recognizes a familiar face in a 200-year-old miniature portrait, I was swept away in this immersive time-slip story. Katherine Scott Crawford deftly weaves this art historical mystery with intertwined love stories spanning generations. Readers will find their heartstrings pulled across centuries, turning the pages to see where Gamble's complicated choices ultimately will lead her.”

~ Laura Morelli, art historian and USA Today bestselling historical novelist of The Last Masterpiece

“Crawford’s sweeping, Southern, and lushly romantic epic slips through time effortlessly, laying out a historic mystery as well as a love story with an immensely satisfying conclusion.”

~ Emily Carpenter, bestselling author of Burying the Honeysuckle Girls and Gothictown

"“A tiny work of art offers a world of secrets in this delightful time slip story, but only the most courageous will dare to unravel the layers of mystery to reveal the heartwarming truth.”

~ Genevieve Graham, USA Today bestselling author of The Forgotten Home Child

“The Miniaturist's Assistant is a multifaceted love story wrapped in a mystery that unfurls on the changing winds of history. A rollicking, page-turning tale, this unforgettable novel explores time travel, art, passion, the complexity of past sins, and the abundant promises embedded in the here and now. Katherine Scott Crawford has written a beautiful book steeped in humanity, truth, and wonder.”

~ Connie May Fowler, author of Before Women had Wings

“Katherine Scott Crawford is a daughter of the Carolinas and she writes as such, tackling this ambitious historical novel with an unflinching eye. Crawford doesn’t shy away from the tangled and troubled history of the region or her heroine, a contemporary feminist who is unapologetically lusty and smart, fully prepared to challenge mores in her own time as well as those of the past she visits."

~ Kimberly Brock, bestselling author of The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare and The Fabled Earth

"Part art lesson, part romance, part history, part mystery, this novel is a thrilling testament to the myriad ways we are connected to one another and to the past.”

~ Jennifer McGaha, author of Flat Broke with Two Goats and The Joy Document

"Highly recommended for fans of Susanna Kearsley and Diana Gabaldon, The Miniaturist’s Assistant is a delight from start to finish.”

~ Heather Bell Adams, author of Maranatha Road and The Good Luck Stone