The Mask

<p><strong>Fourteen-year-old Rob Vian thought Venice's Carnevale meant gelato gondolas and glittering masks--until a plague-doctor mask tried to drown him.</strong><br>Now the Australian teen is stalked through shadowy alleys by the self-styled Spirit of Death. With every narrow escape the masked figure grows bolder snatching Rob's photograph threatening his friends and kidnapping famed violinist Signora Gina.</p><p>Rob's only allies are quick-witted Luca Gambergini and her exuberant Venetian crew. Together they race from flooded basements to crumbling palazzi following clues that point to a hidden family legacy--and to a ruthless heir who will kill to keep it.</p><p>If Rob can't unmask the villain before the final night of Carnevale the ancient city--and his own life--will sink beneath dark waters forever.</p><p><em><strong>A pulse-pounding middle-grade thriller packed with Venetian history runaway gondolas and edge-of-the-seat suspense.</strong></em></p>