Ok, I read it way back in 4th year at school when I was 15. It was based loosely on the coup by general Pinochet in Chile, about this boy who was being hunted by the secret police, and he ends up falling in with these travelling performers who specialise in marionette puppets. Now I can't remember much about it, but I do remember a train station locker and the key being integral to the story, and the main character gets siezed by the secret police near the end, interrogated and tortured by leccycution, and left for dead, but his companions save him. I know it's all pretty vague, but I hope someone can help. I want to track it down. It was a crackin' story.

The general in the story was NOT Pinochet though. I think it started with a Z. And one of the marionettes was a parody of him. There was also a Skeleton puppet called Silvestro or something that they used.

Pinocchio?

No, no, it's not Pinocchio. Damn it's frustrating.

Might you be talking about Pinochet among the Puppets?

>goes and checks<

That's it! Bella I love you!!

Thanks very much, that's great. It's actually been plagueing me for about a year now and I couldn't get any leads. Thanks very much.