Fifteen-year-old Tom Marlowe, and the rest of London, is fascinated by a string of murders: People are being killed with arrows shot from above, and each victim has a “Death and Arrow” card with him. Danger and intrigue abound, especially when Tom’s friend, a young pickpocket, is also found murdered. But who would want to kill Will? To avenge his friend, Tom sets out with Dr. Harker, a family friend and retired adventurer, to discover who is behind these seemingly unsolvable murders. Unbeknownst to them, they’re caught up in a dangerous web of murder and deception that began years before in the American colonies with a massacre of the Mohawk tribe. A captivating and richly detailed historical novel, set in atmospheric 1715 London and the colonies, is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seat. Grade 6-10-As the sooty, coal-ridden smog blankets London in 1715, 15-year-old Tom Marlowe becomes embroiled in a deadly mystery when his best friend, pickpocket Will Piggot, is murdered by the same person who is killing others around the city and leaving his "Death and Arrow" calling card. As Tom and his friend Dr. Harker investigate, they find an odd connection between the local crimes and an alleged Indian ambush of a silver shipment traveling across the colonies. As they get closer to the killer, they almost become the next victims. The mystery has enough excitement and intrigue to keep even reluctant readers turning the pages. The historical background and intermingling of the untamed British colonies with more urban London is well done and easy to follow, and the writing is rich with descriptions of the sights and smells of the city. Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WI Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. Fifteen-year-old Tom Marlowe, and the rest of London, is fascinated by a string of murders: People are being killed with arrows shot from above, and each victim has a ?Death and Arrow? card with him. Danger and intrigue abound, especially when Tom?s friend, a young pickpocket, is also found murdered. But who would want to kill Will? To avenge his friend, Tom sets out with Dr. Harker, a family friend and retired adventurer, to discover who is behind these seemingly unsolvable murders. Unbeknownst to them, they?re caught up in a dangerous web of murder and deception that began years before in the American colonies with a massacre of the Mohawk tribe. A captivating and richly detailed historical novel, set in atmospheric 1715 London and the colonies, is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seat. Chris Priestley is a writer and political cartoonist. This is his first young adult novel. m At that moment, a youth burst in with an armful of newspapers. "Murder in the town!" he shouted to no great effect, for murders were all too common in these violent times. "Extraordinary murder!" he called, perhaps a little disappointed at the response. "How so?" called a wag by the window. "Have they caught the murderer, then?" The coffee-house clientele erupted into laughter. "Beskewered by an arrow right through his heart, that's how so!" replied the youth. He had their attention now. "An arrow?" said Dr. Harker quietly to no one in particular. "Now, that is rather unusual." "It's the work of the Mohocks, I'll be bound!" said the Reverend Purney, and there was a grumbling of agreement. The newspapers had been full of horror stories about the gang of upper-class thugs. "I think not," said Dr. Harker. "Oh?" said Purney. "And why not? They name themselves after savages and behave like savages. Murder with arrows would seem a logical step." "What difference does it make?" said a young man nearby. "With lords for fathers and uncles in the government, they're never going to be chatting to you in the Condemned Hold, now are they, Reverend?" Several people nodded and said, "That's right," but Dr. Harker ignored this diversion. "The Mohocks cannot be ruled out, I agree. But we need more information. Do you have any other facts for us, lad?" he called to the youth. "I do, sir! There's witnesses that say that this here skewered gent runs past them seconds before the deed, and on into a courtyard with no way out but locked doors--locked, mark you. They follows him and finds him nailed...but not another soul in sight! Not a sparrow, not a tick." A murmur ran round the room. "But there's more," said the youth, pointing his finger at no one in particular. "It turns out that this here stiff was dead already." "Dead already?" said Dr. Harker. "What do you mean?" "Well, sir," replied the newspaper boy, smiling now that he had his audience in his grip, "this here corpse--Leech was his name--he was a soldier-boy, fighting the French in the Americas, God save the King." "Yes, yes," said Dr. Harker impatiently. "To the point, lad!" "Well, it's like I was just saying. A military man, he was, and paid the price. Cut down by heathen savages. Murdered by Indians out in the Americas while he was fighting the Fren