In the grimy, crime-ridden New York City of the 1890s, three lives are torn apart in a single, savage day. The events that unite them, for better and for worse, come together in a gripping tale of two continents that is ripe with dire danger, as well as rare redemption. In Search of Sanctuary, Jamie E. Kirby's epic historic novel, charts the perilous journey of these three young souls, who each must lose themselves to reinvent themselves. The story begins in a humble restaurant called Sanctuary, where a sixteen-year-old girl named Aiden regularly seeks refuge in the rough and tumble Lower East Side of late-nineteenth-century New York. When a band of brutes storms in, hiding from a murderous robbery of the Bank of London, Aiden's fate is forever sealed. In the flurry of panic, the quick-thinking Father Joseph O'Connor thrusts a young baby into Aiden's arms and hurries her into the kitchen to hide. When Aiden emerges, the leader of the bad boys, Mac, has continued his massacre, killing Father Joseph, the baby's mother, and the remaining bad boys. In evocative period detail, In Search of Sanctuary follows the young and earnest Aiden, the fearsome Mac, and Father Joseph's grief-stricken brother Shamus, as each seeks sanctuary from the evils around them, or, for Mac, the evils within. On both sides of the Atlantic, each advances and retreats from the specter of that fateful day, until destiny unfolds in events that surprise and move. Unknown to each of the three, they are intertwined in ways that even an ocean cannot sever. The courageous and tender Aiden steps bravely into the role of mother to the baby thrust into her arms, running the kitchen of the Little Lambs orphanage and capturing the attention of the benevolent Charlotte Jernigan. The cold-blooded killer Mac reinvents himself as Kieran MacKenzie, working his way up the publishing ladder with an eye on financial prosperity. The artistic Shamus gains a champion in the ship magnate Pat Sullivan, who secures his safety across the ocean. As events play out, their individual characters and perspective on life are revealed and changed in a plot that both shocks and stirs. As the good are tested, and the bad are tried, In Search of Sanctuary serves up a riveting parable that transports readers to a time like no other, while mining ageless themes of faith, love, and moral fiber. It's certain to engage anyone who relishes a period read brimming with heart, soul, and adventure.
About the Author: Jamie E. Kirby was born in the mountains of western North Carolina, and grew into adulthood in the 1960s and 1970s. An early interest in Spanish and all foreign languages set the stage for study in Europe. I graduated with bachelor's degrees in Spanish and English, and later earned a master's degree in Spanish. After working as a high school teacher, I worked many years in international business, spending much time out of the United States. Though I wrote reports and correspondence in both English and Spanish for many years, creative writing was never feasible during my working years. Encouraged to write by professors and friends from early on, I longed for the day that would be possible. I finally got my chance when I retired. My perspective on life largely comes from my travels both in the U.S and out, my relationship with the Lord, and His sense of adventure. I have led an unusual and wonderful life, traveling the world, experiencing so many cultures and people along the way. It was great fun. This debut novel was inspired by a dream, and though I never left home during the writing, it has been the most exciting journey of my life.