In THE GRANITE KEY, an antique dealer is murdered for a mysterious cipher stone that reveals the location of a collection of ancient artifacts. The victim's sister Cassie is stunned when she learns about her sibling's double life as an Arkana agent. She's even more stunned to discover the role she's about to play in helping the Arkana recover the cache. Along with two field agents, she travels to Crete to hunt for clues, unaware that ruthless foes are only steps behind. Cassie and her new team have only hours to find what they seek before a Minoan crypt buries them along with their quest.
Nancy Wikarski is a fugitive from academia. After earning her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, she worked in corporate America for two decades before becoming a historical mystery author. Her books highlight unknown aspects of women’s history and contain elements of magical realism. In her Arkana series, she foregrounds the latest archaeological discoveries about prepatriarchal cultures around the planet and weaves these facts into fictional artifact hunts. Her Gilded Age Chicago books depict the real issues of first-wave feminism while following the fictional adventures of two amateur sleuths. Both her series have been award-nominated and have ranked on Amazon’s bestseller lists.
The author is a member of ALLi, Mystery Writers of America, the Society of Midland Authors, and has served as vice president of Sisters in Crime-Twin Cities and on the programming board of the Chicago chapter. Her short stories have appeared in Futures Magazine and DIME Anthology, while her book reviews and essays have been featured in Murder: Past Tense, Deadly Pleasures, and Mystery Readers Journal.