The Amalfi Secret
- Vanessa Bettencourt
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Suspenseful and sophisticated, THE AMALFI SECRET by Dean and Catherine Reineking blends family legacy, hidden codes, and the moral weight of truth into one unforgettable thriller.
When Gabe Roslo arrives in Amalfi hoping to reconnect with his grandparents, a shocking death upends his world. His grandfather’s diary, filled with mysterious entries, draws Gabe and Anna into a labyrinth of lies that crosses borders and generations. From the cobblestone streets of Italy to the vaults of power, their search reveals how the past never truly stays buried—and how courage and sacrifice define those who seek the truth.
Dean and Catherine Reineking bring decades of shared experience, intellectual rigor, and emotional insight to their writing. Dean’s expertise in finance lends precision to their thrillers’ global stakes, while Catherine’s background as a creative writing teacher and counselor gives voice to the heart behind the danger. Together, they craft stories that feel epic in scope and intimate in humanity.
Learn more at theamalfisecret.com.
#TheAmalfiSecret #ThrillerReads #Bookstagram #SuspenseBooks #MysteryThriller #ReadersOfInstagram #BookishCommunity #ThrillerAddict #InternationalSuspense #ThrillerBooks #deanreineking #catherinereineking @therealbookgal
Writing Process & Creativity
How did you research your book?
Our story is set against the historical events of the early 21st century (think 9/11 forward), and it’s blended with ancient prophecies, spiritual mysteries, and present-day politics. Naturally, we dug into history, the foundational elements of the prophetic and spiritual mysteries, as well as the politics and organizations that could be pulling the strings.
What’s the hardest scene or character you wrote—and why?
The story reaches a crescendo in a scene set in a hidden, underwater grotto. All the key players are there, and it reveals some startling realities both about the story and the world as we know it. Striking the right tone and balance in this scene took tremendous effort, editing and revising. And when they found themselves trapped inside, we had a lot of working parts to contend with in order to solve their predicament.
Where do you get your ideas?
Many of our ideas come from our travels and love of history. We have spent a lot of time in Italy, primarily in Rome and along the Amalfi Coast. Enjoying the vistas and nooks and crannies of those places inspired story line and scene setups. We also loosely based some of our characters upon fascinating people we have encountered in our travels.
What sets your book apart from others in your genre?
Our story is a great page turner, which is not unique to the genre. But within that fictional story is another story. It’s the story or our time, and the readers are bound to see the world in a different light. It’s both provocative and informative. And at the end of the day, it’s a really great story.
What helps you overcome writer’s block?
Dean: I talk to my wife, Catherine. She’s incredibly imaginative and every time the story needed further development, she brilliantly comes up with the trajectory for its next stage of development.
What’s your favorite compliment you’ve received as a writer?
Regarding The Amalfi Secret, one professional review described it “as cinematic as it is cerebral.” We thought that captured the story and our writing perfectly, and we were very honored.
Your Writing Life
Do you write every day? What’s your schedule?
Dean and Catherine truly collaborate every step of the way. Catherine is the imaginative one. She’s great at generating story ideas and plotlines. Dean is the logical one. He’s great at organizing the story board and keeping the facts straight as the story unfolds. Dean does much of the actual writing. Catherine then reads it and embellishes it with her flair, always an improvement. They like to discuss the story in the morning. That tends to be Catherine's “best time of day” and then Dean writes for three to five hours. This is often followed up with bicycle riding, which affords more time to think about the story and where it’s headed next.
Where do you write—home, coffee shop, train?.
Anywhere. We love the coffee shops. But also home and our apartment on the Mississippi River.
Behind the Book
Why did you choose this setting/topic?
We chose the setting because we loved the Amalfi Coast. We chose the topic because we had something to say about modern times and where people seek truth and the story gave it a voice.
If your book became a movie, who would star in it?
Perhaps Glen Powell or Austin Butler to play Gabe Roslo, our lead character protagonist. We envision someone like Matt Damon when he did the Bourne series.
Perhaps Adria Arjona to play Anna Castriotti. We envision someone like Penelope Cruz, but younger, to play Gabe’s smart and beautiful Italian counter part
Fun & Lighthearted Qs
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Dean: chocolate, especially Snickers
Catherine: Tex Mex, anytime, any day, anyplace
What are you binge-watching right now?
Dean: Frasier, never gets old, always hilarious
Catherine: Just finished Beecham House first season…bummed to hear there wasn’t going to be a second. Any British period pieces get a watch from me.
If you could time-travel, where would you go?
Dean: I’d go to post-war Britain and sit down with Winston Churchill while he wrote his chronicle of WWII. We’d drink whiskey, smoke cigars, and I’d hang on every fascinating story he recalled from his experiences.
Catherine: I’d go back to the 1800’s and live in a small village in Italy. This presumes I’d speak Italian, which I don’t. We stayed in a small villa with our family on the Amalfi coast a few years ago, walked to town for bread and fresh fruits and vegetables. We swam in the sea, hung our clothes out to dry, and I thought at the time that I would have loved to live there back in the day.
What three books would you bring to a desert island?
Catherine:
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Love Does by Bob Goff
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
Dean:
A Soldier of The Great War by Mark Helprin (for drama)
Sein Language by Jerry Seinfeld (for humor)
D-Day by Stephen E Ambrose (for history)
Comments