{"product_id":"the-curse-of-pietro-houdini-hardcover","title":"The Curse of Pietro Houdini - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDerek B. Miller\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the Dagger Award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eNorwegian by Night\u003c\/i\u003e comes a vivid, thrilling, and moving World War II art-heist-adventure tale where enemies become heroes, allies become villains, and a child learns what it means to become an adult--for fans of \u003ci\u003eAll the Light We Cannot See\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAugust, 1943. Fourteen-year-old Massimo is all alone. Newly orphaned and fleeing from Rome after surviving the American bombing raid that killed his parents, Massimo is attacked by thugs and finds himself bloodied at the base of the Montecassino. It is there in the Benedictine abbey's shadow that a charismatic and cryptic man calling himself Pietro Houdini, the self-proclaimed \"Master Artist and confidante of the Vatican,\" rescues Massimo and brings him up the mountain to serve as his assistant in preserving the treasures that lay within the monastery walls. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut can Massimo believe what Pietro is saying, particularly when Massimo has secrets too? Who is this extraordinary man? When it becomes evident that Montecassino will soon become the front line in the war, Pietro Houdini and Massimo execute a plan to smuggle three priceless Titian paintings to safety down the mountain. They are joined by a nurse concealing a nefarious past, a café owner turned murderer, a wounded but chipper German soldier, and a pair of lovers along with their injured mule, Ferrari. Together they will lie, cheat, steal, fight, kill, and sin their way through battlefields to survive, all while smuggling the Renaissance masterpieces and the bag full of ancient Greek gold they have rescued from the \"safe keeping\" of the Germans. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHeartfelt, powerfully engaging, and in the tradition of \u003ci\u003eCity of Thieves\u003c\/i\u003e by David Benioff, \u003ci\u003eThe Curse of Pietro Houdini\u003c\/i\u003e is a work of storytelling bravado: a thrilling action-packed adventure heist, an imaginative chronicle of forgotten history, and a philosophical coming-of-age epic where a child navigates one of the most enigmatic and morally complex fronts of World War II and lives to tell the tale.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDerek B. Miller is the author of six previous novels: \u003ci\u003eNorwegian by Night\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Girl in Green\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAmerican by Day\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eRadio Life\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eQuiet Time\u003c\/i\u003e (an Audible Original novel), and \u003ci\u003eHow to Find Your Way in the Dark\u003c\/i\u003e. His work has been shortlisted for many awards, with \u003ci\u003eNorwegian by Night\u003c\/i\u003e winning the CWA John Creasey Dagger Award for best first crime novel, among others. \u003ci\u003eHow to Find Your Way in the Dark \u003c\/i\u003ewas a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e best mystery of 2021. A Boston native, Miller lives in Spain with his family.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 384\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.13 x 9.2 x 6.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e January 16, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51752196407584,"sku":"9781668020883","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/ba24293a55ac0abafcff3fdb88436b9e.webp?v=1779989755","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-curse-of-pietro-houdini-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}