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The Clockwork Three

The Clockwork Three is a middle-grade mystery adventure by Matthew J. Kirby.

Giuseppe is an orphaned street musician under the control and guardianship of a legal enslavement in the late 1800s. He sees no way to ever get away until one day he finds a green violin that makes his music even sweeter. His dreams of returning home to Italy seem slightly more possible, if only he can keep the violin a secret…

Frederick is an apprentice to a kindly clockmaker. He was rescued from a cruel orphanage with no memory of why his mother left him there. Despite his change in status, his bitterness drives him to make sure he doesn’t need to rely on anybody. He is working on an incredible clockwork man, automaton, and plans of showing the world his worth.

Hannah is a maid in a grand hotel and her family’s only source of income. Ever since her father got sick their relatively comfortable life has fallen into one of barely getting by. Any hopes of her family ever seeing better days seems impossible, but then she overhears a conversation about a hidden treasure and meets an eccentric, wealthy hotel guest and she begins to hope.

Without realizing it, these three children begin to interweave into each other’s lives.

It seems each of them holds pieces of the puzzle that links them together…

I was happily surprised at the emotional depth in The Clockwork Three. These three children quickly feel real in a sympathetic, non-patronizing way. Their paths begin to cross and their individual mysteries begin to turn more enigmatic by the second.

The Clockwork Three is a charismatic mixture of mystery, clockwork brilliance, hidden treasure adventure, suspense, action and character drama. I was impressed by the effervescent descriptions that created a rich setting.

There’s something so important about making you truly care about the characters, and this novel has that. So when you add that to the intriguing, absorbing multiple storylines that overlapped, entrancing and whisking me away, well, I was transfixed.

A twinge of magical realism in a lovely, touching package with a dash of whimsy and fantasy that only deepens the story further, The Clockwork Three is a story that focuses on genuinely magnetic characters and explores the meaning of family, friendship, and hope in a refreshingly non-mawkish way.

So, clearly, I thought The Clockwork Three was terrific! It can be read by essentially any age group, and I believe, relished by them all. Check it out!

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