I can't say that I was overly impressed with the mystery in this story. It seemed to me somewhat muddled and confused. The mystery seems to be solved more by chance than by "the Detective" or detectives. It is a good example of what happens when ignorance is allowed to overrule reasonable thought. While I did not think the book was bad, I do not think I would ever reread the book. Hardly the book I would expect for any author's 70th book. ( )

I love Avi's storytelling. I always feel I really know his characters; and the plots have many twists and turns. ( )

what I liked about the book is that it is a very good mystery book. I like this book because of the intense sense and very long mystery.
summery
this book is about a deadly plot to overview a king named Claudio. king Claudio is unfolding the kingdom of Pergamontio, Italy. Mangus the magician has beed marked as an easy scapegoat. for the traitor lurking within the king's court. Against all odds, his faithful new servant boy named Fabrizio, sets out to solve the mystery and prove his master's innocence and eventually finds out.

Fabrizio, a young boy and servant in renaissance Italy, becomes entwined in a mystery. Political intrigue, the printing press, reading, reason, and magicians figure in the story. Well written and enjoyable. (3.6 stars) ( )

This story stands alone though its characters, Fabrizio and Mangus, appeared in Midnight Magic, a 1999 book by Avi. In this book, readers get a glimpse into the fears people had of the printing press when it was first introduced. ( )