Notes from the Shelf

This post contains mild spoilers. This post also contains affiliate links. If you buy through Bookshop.org, I may earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the blog and indie bookstores!

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb is a 352-page mystery focusing on main character Ray McMillian. Ray has loved playing the violin since he was a kid and scrounged up enough money to rent one from school to pursue his dreams. His mother thinks he should get a real job despite him bringing in money working at weddings, but he won’t let any naysayers get in his way.

When he makes the startling discovery his great-grandfather’s fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, he begins to rise in the classical music world. But, hearing the news, his family as well as the descendants of the man who once enslaved Ray’s great-grandfather are claiming the violin rightfully belongs to them. In the midst of legal battles and with the international Tchaikovsky Competition looming—the Olympics of classical music—his prized violin is stolen. He must go on a hunt to find his violin and prove to the world, and himself, that he is talented regardless of which violin he uses.

I really enjoyed this book! I didn’t guess who had stolen the violin until toward the end of the story. It was marketed as a mystery/thriller, but I think it was more a coming-of-age story. Ray really comes into his own during the book as we see flashbacks to his life growing up and finding out the violin was a Strad. He proves to the world and to himself that he is not musically talented just because his violin is a Stradivarius; he is talented in his own right, regardless of the violin.

I also thought it was realistic in how family or others come out of the woodwork when they find out you own something valuable. His family never has supported his dreams and had wanted to throw away the violin when it was first found as it needed extensive repairs, but when they find out the violin is a Strad worth millions of dollars, suddenly they’re very interested. He just had one aunt who truly supported him, and I felt bad for Ray growing up in that type of environment.

I learned a lot about violins and the classical music world through this book, and I’m thankful to Brendan Slocumb for writing it. I give The Violin Conspiracy 5 stars.

If you’re interested in buying the book, consider buying through Bookshop.org. Bookshop.org helps indie bookstores thrive, and your purchase also supports my blog—so I can keep reading, reviewing, and recommending great books.

Love what you’re reading here? Support the blog and fuel my next cozy reading session by buying me a coffee.