Fiction Review: The Violin Conspiracy

I've been reading books for the upcoming Booktopia weekend (my 2019 summary at the link; info for Booktopia 2022 here - click Events and scroll), and they have all been outstanding, as always. The booksellers at Northshire Bookstore always choose amazing books and authors. My latest Booktopia read, The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb, was perhaps my favorite of the bunch so far! It starts out as a mystery but turns into so much more: family drama, history, up-close look at racism, romance, and more. It was so compelling that I could hardly bear to set it down!

Ray McMillian is a rising star in the world of classical violin, but he is often not recognized as such for one simple reason: he's Black. But Ray has struggled against racism his whole life and has finally proven himself; he's soloing with top orchestras and will be competing in the Tchaikovsky Competition, the Olympics of classical music. Then one day, as he leaves New York for his home in North Carolina, his world crumbles. His beloved violin--a Stradivarius valued at $10 million--has been stolen. This violin is not only a big part of what helped him finally rise in others' estimation, it also has great personal importance to him, given to him by his beloved grandmother. That violin is like one of his own limbs, and its absence is unbelievably painful. Given its value, a whole team jumps in to investigate its disappearance: the NYPD, the FBI's Art Crimes Division, and a top investigator from his insurance company (which stands to lose $10 million). As the investigation continues with few good leads, the story moves back in time to show how Ray came to this extraordinary life he's been leading. We learn about his very unsupportive family, his loving grandmother, his family's history, and the astounding history of the violin, going back to slavery times. Along the way, we also watch Ray's rise to stardom, from a poor kid excelling with a cheap rental violin from school to the extraordinary international reputation he now has as a top violinist. Oh, yes, and we finally find out what happened to the missing violin but not before some big surprises.

This is such an extraordinary novel, with so much depth to it and so many layers. It's a twisty mystery, particularly at the beginning and the end. In between, though, the underlying story completely engrossed me with its fascinating family history, the horrifying racism Ray experiences (based on the author's own experiences as a Black musician), his rags to riches rise to fame, and even a love story. Through it all, the author maintains a steady tension that kept me glued to the book, staying up much too late each night because I just had to know what happened next. This novel is, itself, a virtuoso performance incorporating complexities and emotions that kept me on the edge of my seat and building to a stunning crescendo. I can't wait to meet the author next week at Booktopia!

337 pages, Anchor Books

This book fits in the following 2022 Reading Challenges:

Alphabet Soup Challenge - V

Diversity Challenge

Travel the World in Books - Russia

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Listen to a sample of the audiobook here and/or download it from Audible. The narrator, JD Jackson, sounds great!

 

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Or you can order The Violin Conspiracy from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.