book cover

Saint Death

by Marcus Sedgwick

Interest age: 14 to 18
Reading age: 14+

Published by Orion, 2016

  • Around the world
  • Coming-of-age

About this book

Arturo lives in Anapra, one of the poorest neighbourhoods around the Mexican border city of Juarez, where drug lords rule and illegal people traffickers make their living from the poor and desperate. One night, when his childhood friend Faustino turns up after having disappeared for a year, it transpires that not only has he joined one of the criminal gangs, but that he's 'borrowed' some of his boss' money and can't repay it. Arturo has 36 hours to win it back for Faustino playing cards - but can he do it?

A tightly plotted, dark and thrilling tale of crime, poverty and desperation, Saint Death pulls no punches in painting a horribly accurate picture of life for the poorest young people in Mexico, where savage criminality may be the only choice.

Arturo and Faustino are beautifully drawn, and the story is completely compelling until the dramatic, tragic conclusion. There is some swearing and adult content.

About the author

Marcus Sedgwick began to write seriously in 1994, and his first book, Floodland, was published by Orion in 2000, and won the Branford-Boase award for best debut children's novel. Witch Hill followed in 2001, and was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Independent Reading Association award and the Portsmouth Book Award. In 2002 The Dark Horse was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, The Carnegie Medal and the Blue Peter Book Award.

The Book of Dead Days was nominated for the Guardian Award, and was shortlisted for the Sheffield Book Award and the Edgar Allan Poe Award. He wrote more than 40 children's books and won many awards. Sadly, Marcus died in November 2022.

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