The Black Circle



The Black Circle is the Fifth Book of the First Book Series, and is by Patrick Carman.

Overview
The book starts with Amy and Dan Cahill getting a telegram in Egypt. Fearing for their lives, they had changed hotels in the night. The telegram told them to go to a locker in the airport, but to come alone. They leave Nellie a note and leave. They are closely followed by Hamilton Holt. In the airport, they lose him, but then run into the Kabras. Dan makes a run for it but Ian grabs Amy quickly, but she then kicks him in the leg extremely hard. They make it to the locker in time to discover objects in a box left by a mysterious person going by the name of NRR. In the box there is a guidebook, disguises, passports, a snow globe, a credit card, a note with random letters on it, and a photo of their parents outside the Russian Embassy. Dan and Amy unscramble the random letters and find out that the next clue(s) are in the following Russian cities: Volgograd, Moscow, Yekaterinburg, and St. Petersburg. They board their plane quickly without Nellie or Saladin. Then they both fly to Russia, ending up in Volgograd. Here they meet and work with the Holts, climbing the inside of The Motherland Calls to discover a hint to the clue around Rasputin, Anastasia, and Alexei. They check out the cities on the list they found by the eye of the statue, buying a car in the process, leading them to the place Rasputin died.

During an attack by the Kabras, the Holts alert them of a location code which guides them to a Lucian base, the Kremlin. There, they discover who the mysterious NRR is; Nataliya Ruslanovna Radova, Anastasia's only daughter. They also find the clue in the Amber Room in the St.Petersburg Cathedral which has been given black circle clearance, meaning that only Lucians given permission directly from Vikram Kabra can enter. They then find the clue, a half gram of melted amber, and as Spasky catches them, the man in black bursts in, attacks Irina and the other Lucians, indirectly saving the duo. They call the Holts and tell them what the next Clue is, only for Eisenhower to call their alliance off.

Quote
"Come alone, as your parents did, or don't come at all."

-NRR

It was said on the telegram that is given to Amy and Dan.

Back Summary
"A GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE

''A strange telegram lures fourteen-year-old Amy Cahill and her younger brother, Dan, deep into Russia and away from the only trustworthy adult they know. Signed with the initials NRR, the telegram launches a race to uncover a treasure stolen by Nazis and the truth behind the murdur of the last Russian royal family. All too soon, the treasure hunt starts to smell like a Lucian trap. But the bait might just be irresistible...what will Amy and Dan risk to find out what  really  happened on the night their parents died?"''

Characters
Irina Spasky

Ian Kabra

Natalie Kabra

The Holt Family

Dan Cahill

Amy Cahill

The Man in Black

Nellie Gomez

Nellies Da

NRR

Clue
One gram of melted Amber.

Secret Messages
This book has no code key, but the key is on the Anastasia card which is card 94. Compare that to codes in the book, and you might decode them.

Inside front cover: Remember Madeleine

Pages 39-56: Olivia had another

Letter
To: All Lucians

From: Vikram Kabra

Re: New strategy

My esteemed fellow Lucians,

The hunt for the 39 Clues has proved more complicated than expected. It's time to make the other Cahill branches feel the full force of Lucian power, even if it gets a little... messy. I am sending all agents into the field to join the hunt, and I authorize you to use whatever means neccesary to find the Clues. Any "accidents" involving rival Cahills will be overlooked. Just get the job done.

Vikram Kabra

-Vikram Kabra

Cards

 * Card 90: Hamilton Holt
 * Card 91: Kremlin Surveillance
 * Card 92: Simon Bolivar
 * Card 93: The Amber Room
 * Card 94: Anastasia
 * Card 95: Police Report