The Curse of Pietro Houdini Audiobook By Derek B. Miller cover art

The Curse of Pietro Houdini

A Novel

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The Curse of Pietro Houdini

By: Derek B. Miller
Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
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About this listen

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—that “has the ring of truth and the echo of myth…[deserving of] all the lucky readers who discover it” (The Wall Street Journal).

August, 1943. Fourteen-year-old Massimo is all alone. Newly orphaned and fleeing from Rome after surviving a 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 makes him an 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 plan to smuggle three priceless Titian paintings to safety down the mountain. They are joined by a vivid cast of characters and 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 Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See, this is a work of storytelling bravado: a thrilling action-packed art heist, an imaginative chronicle of forgotten history, and a poignant coming-of-age epic where a child navigates one of the most morally complex fronts of World War II and lives to tell the tale.

©2024 Derek B. Miller (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio
Coming of Age Crime Editor's Select World War II Exciting Heartfelt Fiction Italy War Treasure City Mystery
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Editorial Review

A WWII-era art heist story full of wit and wisdom
Derek B. Miller tends to write crime novels, but to think of them as such would be like thinking of John le Carré as simply a spy novelist. Miller’s stories are not contained by a genre, though they are as enjoyable and entertaining as any good mystery, while also being philosophical and funny and often including historical elements, thus hitting a sweet spot for me. So I’m kicking off my listening year with his latest, The Curse of Pietro Houdini, an art-heist caper of sorts set in Italy during World War II. The underlying subtle wit to Miller’s writing always leaves me with an inner smile for reasons I can’t quite explain, but it probably has to do with his indelible characters and how they manage to eke out the light in the dark times they wrestle with. I’ll follow that story into any genre. —Phoebe N., Audible Editor

What listeners say about The Curse of Pietro Houdini

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    4 out of 5 stars

Castro dei Volsci is my wife’s families’ heritage before the end of WWII.

Good story. But we never learned the girl’s real name. Did she live outside of Italy? I don’t recall that aspect being explained.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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What a journey!!

History collides with philosophy in a beautiful artist’s pallet of words, relationships, emotion and intrigue.

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2 people found this helpful

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Fascinating story line

I truly enjoyed this story of this one girls destiny during world war 2 in Italy

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Superb Historical Fiction

I loved Derek Miller’s Sheldon Horowitz series and hoped he’d continue them, but (so far) he hasn’t, so I figured I’d try this one. I was absolutely enthralled. The story is so well-crafted, the characters fascinating, as he brings this assortment of people together, each with their own story. The story is touching as well as being a “page-turner”, and Miller’s writing is beautiful. If you like historical fiction, you will love this. The narrator is tops. She does each character well, and evokes the emotions that the characters would be feeling at different points in the story. I saw one reviewer complain that it was a woman when the main character is a man - that’s simply not true. First of all, many male narrators do a good job of narrating female characters, but in this case, I wonder if that reviewer listened to the story. The main character is not Pietro, even if it is his name in the title. I’m not writing a spoiler by saying that the main character is a girl (and jumping ahead in time, a woman). I highly recommend this book.

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4 people found this helpful

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Stunning novel of wartime Italy

Historical fiction at its best. The protagonist is a teenager, but this is not YA fiction. A fast moving meditation on art, violence and gender.

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3 people found this helpful

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Survival in Extremity

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

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8 people found this helpful

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Thought provoking

While not a true story this book incorporates many true events that occurred in Italy while the world was at war ver. 2. This makes you think about all the horrors of war and its capricious nature along with the strength of the human spirit no matter its age.

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2 people found this helpful

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Good story

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

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12 people found this helpful

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The characters were believable.

The story- the narration- the rhythm— all very satisfying. I enjoyed the time I spent listening to this book.

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Full 5 Stars

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

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11 people found this helpful