# The Curse of Pietro Houdini - Hardcover

by **Derek B. Miller** (Author)

**From the Dagger Award-winning author of _Norwegian by Night_ 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 _All the Light We Cannot See_.**

August, 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.

But 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.

Heartfelt, powerfully engaging, and in the tradition of _City of Thieves_ by David Benioff, _The Curse of Pietro Houdini_ 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.

### Author Biography

Derek B. Miller is the author of six previous novels: _Norwegian by Night_, _The Girl in Green_, _American by Day_, _Radio Life_, _Quiet Time_ (an Audible Original novel), and _How to Find Your Way in the Dark_. His work has been shortlisted for many awards, with _Norwegian by Night_ winning the CWA John Creasey Dagger Award for best first crime novel, among others. _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. A Boston native, Miller lives in Spain with his family.

**Number of Pages:** 384

**Dimensions:** 1.13 x 9.2 x 6.4 IN

**Publication Date:** January 16, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 28.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 28.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- The Curse of Pietro Houdini - Hardcover

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