Thirty Pieces Of Gold

When Balthazar, Melchior, and Caspar notice a new star in the west, they begin to research all the texts housed in the palace library. What they discover are ancient Hebrew texts predicting a natal star of a new king. Determined to pay homage to the new king, the wise men select gifts and set out on a long journey to Jerusalem. But when they arrive in Jerusalem, the wise men learn that the new king hasn't been born to King Herod; in fact, King Herod seeks to kill the baby boy. Knowing they must do what they can, the wise men bestow valuable gifts on the baby, named Jesus, and his parents and slip away from Israel without notifying the king of the baby's whereabouts. This infuriates King Herod and sets into motion a strategic genocide of all baby boys. Thankfully due to Thirty Pieces of Gold from the wise men, Jesus' parents have the means to escape to Egypt, but will the money be enough to get them all the way there? Will they be able to outrun the Roman guards? Find out in Heidi Smith's debut novel, Thirty Pieces of Gold, a historical account of what might have occurred during Jesus, Mary, and Joseph's escape to Egypt.