The Curse of Pietro Houdini

A Novel

De: Derek B. Miller

Narrado por: Gabra Zackman

Duración: 11 h y 23 m

Resumen del Editor

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.

©2024 Derek B. Miller (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Good story

Excellent narrator. Great realistic story. I was sorry to have it end. Loved the characters.

Survival in Extremity

Gripping. Thought Provoking. The best, worst, and most ambiguous of human behavior. Puts morality into perspective.

Full 5 Stars

Left a little speechless, having just finished this powerful story. So well written. Ben fatto!!

Story

The narrator should’ve been a man and not a woman, because all the main characters were

Great story

I hadn't heard much about the book or this author but I started out of curiosity and was immediately drawn to the characters. I can see this becoming a movie. Highly recommend this if you're looking for a good book, engaging story, and charasmatic characters.

beautiful story telling

from start to finish, this is a wonderful book and an awesome listen. well worth the time and focus it takes to take it in

Outstanding

Brilliant work, as mesmerizing as the art it discusses.
This story pulled tears of beauty down my face as it ended.

Incredible story and narration

Highly recommend this book. It can be viewed on so many levels- a story of coming of age, of growing respect and love for fellow partisans of art of history or survival. Excellent narrator who brings the story to life.

Made you feel you were there

This book is well worth reading. The characters are realistic and interesting. The scenes are believable. Even the mule adds spice. Read it I think you will be glad you did

More of a war story than an art heist story

This is a war/coming of age tale. A graphic, violent war story is told with an elegiac tone, alongside a story of an ill-fated monestary, art stolen by the nazis, and the human victims of these atrocities. All told through the eyes of a 14 year old child.