Murder at Midnight
Scholastic, 2009
Renaissance Mysteries, Book 2 of 3
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audio book narrated by
Jeff Woodman
Renaissance Mysteries
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What’s this book about?
A plot to overthrow King Claudio is brewing in the Kingdom of Pergamontio. Scholarly Mangus the magician—along with his street-smart and faithful new servant boy, Fabrizio—have been marked as easy scapegoats for the traitor lurking within the king’s court. Together, these two unlikely partners must gather clues to solve the mystery and prove their innocence before the stroke of midnight … or face death!
Intricate plotting, surprise twists, and lively prose make for another suspenseful page-turner that stands alone or sets the stage for Midnight Magic.
Story Behind the Story
If you are going to write a series, here is my advice: Love your protagonists. Without that affection it’s hard to engage with such novels. But the characters from the previously published Midnight Magic held that affection for me. It is 1490, in Italy. On one hand you have the elderly philosopher, Mangus, who hides his radical rationalist thinking (this is the Renaissance, after all) behind the notion that he is a magician. What he really does is tricks.
Reviews
“Combining action, silliness and enough step-by-step explanations to help readers figure out the mystery, this enjoyable historical tale should appeal to the author’s many younger fans and send them off to read—or reread—Midnight Magic.” (Publishers Weekly)
“Readers will be glued to this suspenseful, headlong caper from first page to last.” (Kirkus Reviews)
“The pages fly with intrigue and action.” (The Horn Book)
buy the book
Renaissance Mysteries
if you liked this book, try: