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(3)
4-6
Blackthorn Key series.
After saving King Charles from an attempted poisoning, apothecary's apprentice Christopher and friends Tom and Sally are sent to Paris to protect Charles's sister. They navigate court politics and solve puzzles in hopes of locating the lost Knights Templar treasure, thus breaking a rumored curse on the royal family. This third entry is darker than the previous novels, but the characters' humor and intellectual curiosity add moments of levity.
(3)
4-6
Blackthorn Key series.
Apothecary's apprentice Christopher (The Blackthorn Key) is tapped by traveling healer Galen to help produce a plague "cure." Christopher doubts the cure's authenticity and soon uncovers a conspiracy with Galen at the center. Though Sands portrays epidemic-stricken 1665 London as rampant with panic and superstition, Christopher's first-person narration, full of curiosity and humor, makes this fast-paced historical adventure fairly light.
(3)
4-6
Orphan and apothecary's apprentice Christopher Rowe lives a happy, hardworking life in seventeenth-century London until a string of murders comes too close, killing his mentor, Master Benedict Blackthorn. Using his training in codes and medicines and his quick mind, Christopher must discover the killer without getting killed himself. Sands's adventurous, fast-paced debut will keep readers on the edge of their seats from page one.