A life on the line.
"What kind of family draws in an innocent kid and makes him the target of murderers?"
— Jake Rosenblossom's thoughts
The Dead of Night is the third book in the second series of The 39 Clues, Cahills vs. Vespers.
When seven members of his family were kidnapped by the Vespers, thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill knew he was in for the fight of his life. He knew he was up against an impossibly powerful enemy. And Dan knew the odds were that some of his family members wouldn't make it.
But even as Dan steels himself to accept these facts, the unthinkable happens. The Vespers capture a shameless bystander - Dan's best friend, Atticus. With an innocent life on the line, Dan kicks off a frantic hunt that will take him from the back alleys of Prague to the rock caves of Turkey. But Dan better find Atticus fast. If he doesn't, his best friend will surely die.
Tropes:
- Air-Vent Passageway: Somewhat altered, in which Phoenix Wizard and Reagan Holt try to escape the Vespers' prison by climbing up a dumbwaiter shaft. Justified, since the characters are children.
- Something Only They Would Say: To clarify that AJT is really his father, Dan asks him what he always said that would make Dan and Amy laugh. AJT sends the correct answer, "Moon face".
