The Beads of Lapis Lazuli

Before She Can Finish Writing Her Novel, One Ordinary Woman Must Solve a 3,500-Year-Old Mystery

Katheryn Marshall is just an everyday Cincinnati housewife and mother-until she purchases an ancient strand of lapis lazuli beads on holiday in Crete. That's the start of a two-year obsession with ancient Minoan civilization, culminating in an unfinished novel about the culture's greatest mystery of love and desertion. But as she delves deeper into the myth, Katheryn finds holes in the story that she refuses to accept, preventing her from completing the book. And what happens next could rewrite history-even as it stretches her marriage to the breaking point.

Now, against the vehement wishes of all those around her, Katheryn is about to drop everything to embark on a fact-finding mission that will take her to a deserted island in the middle of the Mediterranean. Along for the ride is Jake Deupree, a renowned psychic who helps archeologists locate important excavations. But as they hone in on their goal, it's Katheryn who experiences odd premonitions. And neither of them is prepared for what their mission will uncover-and what it will uncover about themselves.

The Beads of Lapis Lazuli is part mystery, part psychological drama as it mixes history, obsession, and the paranormal for an exhilarating read. Bridging time and space, it is about seeking truth and taking control of our lives. And it is about discovering the unknown strength within us-that housewives can also be heroes and adventurers-as we write our own personal stories.