Southold, NY - December 18th, 2013 - In his new book Artifact: A Novel, local author and SCCC History Professor George H. Monahan explores the farcical intricacies of what happens when Archaeologists and Commercial Real Estate Developers clash.

Set in the fictitious North Fork town of Stirling Harbor, Peconic Community College Anthropology Professor Thomas McGrath must figure out a way to stop real estate developers from clear-cutting the Bayview Woods to make way for condominiums.  Relying on an obscure law designed to protect Native American relics, McGrath petitions the Stirling Harbor Village Court to mandate a Cultural Impact Survey of the development site.  The subsequent discovery of a mysterious artifact puts construction on hold, but a Court-imposed news blackout fuels speculation that a government cover-up is afoot.  Meanwhile, everyone on the East End is asking the same question…What in the world has been discovered in the woods on the outskirts of Stirling Harbor?

With thinly-veiled references to the North Fork culture and landscape, Artifact is a follow-up to Monahan’s first book, Biodiesel: A Novel, released in 2012.

For more information or to purchase Artifact: A Novel, please visit the official website.