Fort White, FL Author Publishes Novel

February 1, 2017 - Massacre at Sirte, a new book by Pierce Kelley, has been released by iUniverse.

In February, 2015 at a construction site in Sirte, Libya, twenty two laborers, all thought to be Coptic Christians, are captured by Muslim extremists. They are taken to a remote location and imprisoned, awaiting imminent execution. The next day, twenty one of the men are killed. A sixteen year old, Mekhaeil Zacharias, is spared and told to tell the world what he has seen and heard.

Mekhaeil travels to Alexandria, Egypt and tells a grieving Coptic community what took place during that long and torturous night. He learns that martyrdom is a sad part of the history of the region and his people and that this event is another example of history repeating itself. He vows to do what he can to prevent such actions from occurring again. This book is based upon a true story. Since the death of Mohammad, Muslims, Christians and Jews have experienced many such atrocities in the Middle East because of their differing religious beliefs.

This is a story of extreme brutality, forgiveness, abiding faith and hope for the future.

Massacre at Sirte won third place in the categories Current Events/Political and Theology in The Christian Author Awards presented by Xulon Press.

Foreward Reviews calls Massacre at Sirte a "triumph" and "searing tale", and says Kelley's writing is "effective and vivid."

Kirkus Reviews says the novel "powerfully assumes the role of moral witness to evil."

About the Author:
Pierce Kelley is a lawyer and educator turned author who received his undergraduate degree from Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana in 1969. He received his Doctorate of Jurisprudence (JD) from the George Washington University, Washington, D.C. in 1973. He has served as an adjunct professor at various colleges and universities as an Adjunct for over 25 years. Massacre at Sirte is his twelfth published novel. He has also written a legal text and several works of non-fiction. For more information on the author, visit www.piercekelley.com.

Massacre at Sirte is a 288-page paperback with a retail price of $17.95. It is also available in hardcover and e-book. The ISBN is 978-1-49179-655-9. It was published by iUniverse. It is available for purchase at http://bookstore.iuniverse.com and www.amazon.com, or by calling 1-800-AUTHORS.