"Murder at Midnight," Avi, Scholastic Press, $17.99 (272 pages)

In this exciting prequel to Avi's "Midnight Magic," 10-year-old Fabrizio, a homeless waif, has just begun his work for Mangus the Magician in the poor village of Pergamontio. Fabrizio is thrilled to have a roof over his head at last. But there is trouble brewing. King Claudio is being threatened by fliers circulating among the villagers proclaiming: "Citizens. Pergamontio is ruled by weakness! The kingdom needs a strong ruler!"

No one in the royal court knows of the German invention, the printing press, brought by Maria and her parents, who were commissioned to print the fliers. The king thinks Mangus is responsible since only an act of magic could duplicate the words in the many fliers so exactly. Mangus and Fabrizio are jailed for treason with a deadline of midnight to clear themselves.

Prince Cosimo tries to protect his father against the incriminating Count Scarazoni, but the tables get turned and Fabrizio and Maria perform an illusion with a burial coffin that saves the magician's life.

"Murder at Midnight" is a fast-paced adventure with cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter. The story provides all the elements of a 1490 medieval mystery set in a small town blanketed with a sky of fog, rain and mysterious shadows. In the castle there's a superstitious king whose henchmen follow without question, crypts full of human bones, clammy cold prison cells, torture chambers, executioners and even old-English courtesies.

In typical Avi fashion, the characterizations are precise and memorable: a small boy who makes good (even teaches himself to read), a magician of worthy intentions and the bully Primo Magistrato DeLaBina, the long arm of the law. Balancing out the evil doings is Agrippa, the executioner, portrayed with a sense of justice, "a huge, filth-slathered, pale-skinned man with knobby legs and long-muscled arms … He wore a stained leather smock that reached scabby knees. His feet were bare, with hammertoes that curled upon themselves with claws. To Fabrizio, the man looked like a gigantic maggot."

But to Fabrizio's ears, the big man's voice was laced with mildness.

While "Murder at Midnight" stands alone as a great read for ages 8-12, the sequel, "Midnight Magic," is equally enjoyable. They are terrific companion pieces.

"Murder at Midnight" is Avi's 70th published book.

Email: marilou.sorensen@att.net