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.
