Irish Splendour: No Safe Harbor (Edge of Freedom: Book One) ~ Elizabeth Ludwig

New York City, 1897

She came to America searching for her brother. Instead all she's found is a web of danger.

Cara Hamilton had thought her brother to be dead. Now, clutching his letter, she leaves Ireland for America, desperate to find him. Her search leads her to a houseful of curious strangers, and one man who claims to be a friend--Rourke Walsh. Despite her brother's warning, Cara trusts Rourke, revealing her purpose in coming to New York.

She's then thrust into a world of subterfuge, veiled threats, and attempted murder, including political revolutionaries from the homeland out for revenge. Her questions guide her ever nearer to locating her brother--but they also bring her closer to destruction as those who want to kill him track her footsteps.

With her faith in tatters, all hope flees. Will her brother finally surface? Can he save Cara from the truth about Rourke... a man she's grown to love?

A historical thriller inundated with drama and romance, No Safe Harbor is steeped in the late 1890's of New York City. Rooted within a Christian foundation it is painted with rich Irish culture.

Elizabeth Ludwig obviously possesses quite a bit of knowledge on Irish customs and, gratefully, a talent for coloring the story with the famous Irish humor. The latter is an enormous pleasure, as well as a window for envisioning what it must have been like for my own Irish family arriving to the US from their homeland.

In addition to this delicacy, the suspenseful events and unveiling of three-dimensional characters keep those pages turning like a propeller. Being a seasoned enthusiast of countless riveting tales, this one is in a superior class that has you guessing until the end: a trait many writers fail at satisfying their audiences with. Trust is the core ingredient to every mystery occurring in No Safe Harbor. With subtlety and grace, the author abandons the reader in the midst of an alarming cliffhanger upon its conclusion. However, this is not done in a disappointing manner. In fact, with an finale like that, you can bet I snatched up a copy of its sequel the very moment it was offered for review.

A splendid tale, the anticipation is overflowing for the continuation. As an avid book collector, researcher and reviewer, this particular piece worked its way into my schedule unexpectedly. It is a delightful blessing to be introduced to this enchanting story and its marvelous author, Elizabeth Ludwig: most definitely one of my literary highlights of 2012!

Elizabeth Ludwig is an award-winning author whose work has been featured on Novel Journey, the Christian Authors Network, and The Christian Pulse. Her first novel, Where the Truth Lies, which she co-authored with Janelle Mowery, earned her the 2008 IWA Writer of the Year honors. This book was followed in 2009 by "I'll Be Home for Christmas," part of a Christmas anthology collection called Christmas Homecoming, also from Barbour Publishing.

In 2010, her first full-length historical novel Love Finds You in Calico, California earned Four Stars from the Romantic Times. Books two and three of Elizabeth's mystery series, Died in the Wool (Barbour Publishing) and Inn Plain Sight (Spyglass Lane), respectively, released in 2011.

Coming in 2012 is Elizabeth's newest historical series from Bethany House Publishers. No Safe Harbor, the first book in the Edge of Freedom Series, will release in October, with two more books following in 2013 and 2014.

Elizabeth is an accomplished speaker and teacher, and often attends conferences and seminars, where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Her popular literary blog, The Borrowed Book, enjoyed a wide readership in its first full year, with more than 17,000 visitors in 2011. Along with her husband and two children, Elizabeth makes her home in the great state of Texas.