Death and the Arrow [Hardcover]

Chris Priestley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 2003

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

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.

From the Inside Flap

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (May 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375824669
• ISBN-13: 978-0375824661
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,658,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SPECTRUM Children's Book Club Recommendation, December 10, 2003

By 

KB Shaw "incwell.com" (Chandler, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death and the Arrow (Hardcover)

Reading Level: Ages 9 and Up

In the Spring of 1715, London is beset by a string of sensational murders where each victim is found to be in the possession of a card with an ominous depiction of Death holding an arrow engraved upon it.

Fifteen-year-old Tom Marlowe works for his widowed father in the family print shop. He yearns for adventure. Perhaps that is why he is drawn to the likes of Dr. Harker, a well-traveled scholar, and to Will Piggot, a young pickpocket. When Will is found murdered with a Death and the Arrow card upon his body, Tom seeks the aid of Dr. Harker in his quest to bring Will's murderer to justice.

Chris Priestly has crafted a wonderful tale that is a rousing blend of Robert Louis Stevenson adventure and Sherlock Holmes detective story. Priestly's bits of historical detail add texture to the tale without losing sight of his action/adventure pacing.

Although the reading level says ages 9 and up, this is a terrific book for anyone who reads to younger children at bedtime, for it will keep them entertained and will inspire them to revisit the book on their own when they are older.

- KB SHAW, Publisher
Spectrum Children's Book Club - www.incwell.com
Member SCBWI

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Death from Above., November 19, 2006

By 

tvtv3 "tvtv3" (Sorento, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Death and the Arrow (Mass Market Paperback)

Tom Marlowe's father runs a printing company in London. It's 1715 and young Tom dreams of more than just working behind a hot and sweaty press. He wants to see the world. There is tension between Tom and his father and Tom seeks comfort from his mentor, Dr. Harker, and his best friend, Will Piggot. Tom is fascinated by science and reasoning and Dr. Harker encourages his explorations and discoveries. Will is a pickpocket and one of the best in city and appeals to the part of Tom that craves adventure and excitement. One day a body is discovered in the streets of London shot through by an arrow. The victim had a card in his pocket of death holding an arrow. Soon another victim is discovered with the same card. Tom suspects that Will is somehow involved with the killings, but he isn't sure how. Then one day Will is found dead, too. Tom is convince it has to do with the Death & Arrow killings and seeking guidance from Dr. Harker sets forth to solve the mystery and bring Will's murderer to justice. Little did Tom Marlowe know that he was being watched from above with a being who slays with arrows.

DEATH AND THE ARROW is a short book (161 pages) that I was able to read in a little over two hours. The story is a mystery & action tale that includes snippets of historical details. Even though I didn't get much out of the story, I can see why it would appeal to young boy readers: arrows falling from the sky, the death of the main character's best friend, tales about Indians, etc. There's also just enough history tied to the story that readers might learn a thing or two after reading the story. Recommended for reluctant reading boys ages 7-13.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I shot an arrow in the air..., July 26, 2005

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death and the Arrow (Hardcover)

There are lots of remarkable things in this world. The fact that a butterfly comes from a creepy little caterpillar. The array of colors visible in a soap bubble. And the perpetual unending ravenous hunger kids have for murder mystery tales. They just can't get enough. Hardy Boys books obviously were one of the first tales to capitalize on this need, but they were by no means the last. Over the years various authors have made forays into the world of kids-solving-mysteries. Some of the best also take care to tread closely to the original Hardy Boy formula. You take a basic mystery (someone dies) and then add on a potentially supernatural element for the fun of it. Even Scooby-Doo knows that there's nothing like a ghost or phantom to make an already creepy tale just a bit more enjoyable. And few authors have adhered so closely to this formula as historical mystery writer (and resident Brit) Chris Priestley. His books are basically Hardy Boys novels sucked back in time to the 1700s and involving (instead of two boys) a boy and a friend who happens to be an old and wise doctor.

Like any other printer's boy in 1715, Tom Marlowe wants a lot out of life. He wants to see the world and have some fabulous adventures under his belt. He may only be fifteen, but Tom's been itching to get out from under his father's protective gaze for some time, and he enjoys spending time with his good friend and pickpocket Will Piggot. When mysterious murders begin occurring in London, Tom's just as interested in them as anyone. The men killed are always found with cards showing a figure of death throwing an arrow. More mysterious still, the men die of arrows in the heart. Arrows that are Native American (Mohawk, to be exact) in make. Perhaps none of this would have interested Tom were Will not found murdered with one of those very cards in his pocket. Now it's up to our teenaged hero and family friend Dr. Harker to track down the murderer and determine whether or not these deaths are really the work of a demon after all.

This is the first of the Tom Marlowe Adventure series. Subsequent novels are near identical to the form established in this book. Therefore, if you like the way this title reads, you're bound to enjoy its sequels. A review of "Death and the Arrow" from the British "Guardian" newspaper said of it, "a tightly woven plot ... lightly but vividly drawn". I quote this review here because I think its wording is spot on. Priestley doesn't mince words with this slim 161 page novella. You want action, adventure, and a bit of historical mystery? You got it. Because the author and the book itself originally hail from England, it suffers a little from that perpetual and sometimes unhealthy British fascination with Native Americans. Fortunately, for the most part the people in this book are given a fair shake. Some readers may take issue with the ways in which they are presented, but there's certainly a lot of very careful political correctness at work.

Though the book could be called a historical mystery, Tom doesn't really do all that much detective work per say. Mostly this is left up to Dr. Harker, and even he is more inclined to let circumstances take him where they may rather than deduce anything brilliantly. Tom may have more than a little Dr. Watson in him, but Dr. Harker had better work on his Sherlock Holmes impression a bit more.

I also enjoyed the novelty of reading a kid's book set in London in a time period other than Victorian England. There's only so much Dickensian dialogue (not to say naming) a person can take before feeling fully satiated. The novel 18th century setting also allows for far more interesting political and historical events to play out in the background.

No one's going to award Chris Priestley for originality, but if you've a kid who enjoys their Hardy Boys, their Nancy Drew, and their Trixie Belden then I can think of few other books that read as swiftly and enjoyably as "Death and the Arrow". It's a fun ride and a swift to-the-point journey that avoids feeling too slapdash.