The Curse of Pietro Houdini

A Novel

By: Derek B. Miller

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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.

What a journey!!

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

Fascinating story line

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

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.

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.

Survival in Extremity

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

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.

Good story

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

The characters were believable.

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

Full 5 Stars

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