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The Curse of Pietro Houdini
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Brief Description
The compelling and heartrending new novel from the award-winning author of Norwegian By Night and How To Find Your Way In The Dark We will lie, cheat, steal, fight, sin... Whatever it takes to survive. The bombing of Rome in 1943 leaves fourteen-year-old Massimo orphaned and...
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Description
The compelling and heartrending new novel from the award-winning author of Norwegian By Night and How To Find Your Way In The Dark
We will lie, cheat, steal, fight, sin... Whatever it takes to survive.
The bombing of Rome in 1943 leaves fourteen-year-old Massimo orphaned and with no choice but to set out on a journey to discover any remaining relatives in Naples. A chance meeting with the mysterious and charismatic Pietro Houdini will deliver both of them to the doors of the abbey of Monte Cassino, a centuries-old haven of contemplation, learning and art.
But war has no time for such niceties and before long the abbey is threatened by the relentless Allied advance. In the face of the coming cataclysm, Pietro and Massimo must do what they can to save the monastery's priceless art from oblivion.
To do so, they must learn to dissemble, to disguise, to outwit, all skills that evidently Pietro has in spades, but as their cherished haven edges ever closer to war, it becomes clear that Massimo is not without a surprise or two either...
The Curse of Pietro Houdini is a sweeping tale of resilience, hope and survival which is at once an action-packed adventure heist, an imaginative chronicle of forgotten history and a philosophical coming-of-age story, perfect for fans of All the Light We Cannot See, City of Lies and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781804991251
Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 23 January 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Penguin (Transworld)
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 24.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 199.0mm
Weight: 268g
Pages: 384
About the Author
Derek B. Miller is an American novelist, who worked in international affairs before turning to writing full-time. He is the author of five previous novels, all highly acclaimed- Norwegian by Night, The Girl in Green, American by Day, Radio Life and Quiet Time (an Audible Original). His work has been shortlisted for many awards, with Norwegian by Night winning the CWA John Creasey Dagger award for best first crime novel, an eDunnit Award and the Goldsboro Last Laugh Award. How to Find Your Way in the Dark was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and a New York Times Best Mystery of 2021. Miller is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College (BA), Georgetown (MA) and he earned his Ph.D. in international relations from The Graduate Institute in Geneva. He is currently connected to numerous peace and security research and policy centres in North America, Europe and Africa, and previously worked at the United Nations for over a decade. He has lived abroad for over 25 years in Israel, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Switzerland, Norway and Spain.
Also by Derek B. Miller
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Norwegian by Night
Sheldon Horowitz—82 years old, impatient, and unreasonable—is staying with his granddaughter's family in Norway when he disappears with a stranger's child. Sheldon is an ex-Marine, and he feels responsible for his son's death in Vietnam. Recently widowed and bereft, he talks to the ghosts of his past constantly. To Norway's cops, Sheldon is just an old man who is coming...Paperback$2700Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Girl in Green
From the acclaimed author of Norwegian by Night, a story of two men given a second chance to save the girl they failed to protect decades before. 1991 Near Checkpoint Zulu, one hundred miles from the Kuwait border, British journalist Thomas Benton meets American private Arwood Hobbes. Desert Storm is over, and peace has been declared. As the two argue...PaperbackSold Out -
The Curse of Pietro Houdini
The compelling and heartrending new novel from the award-winning author of Norwegian By Night and How To Find Your Way In The Dark. We will lie, cheat, steal, fight, kill, and sin our way to Napoli. We will trust no one but each other, and we will remember that in this place, at this time, there is no way to...PaperbackSold Out -
The Girl in Green
From the author of Norwegian by Night comes a new novel about two men on a misbegotten quest to save the girl they failed to save decades before. 1991. Near Checkpoint Zulu, one hundred miles from the Kuwaiti border, Thomas Benton meets Arwood Hobbes. Benton is a British journalist who reports from war zones, in part to avoid his lacklustre...PaperbackSold Out
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