A young black male musician discovers that his family's old fiddle is a priceless Stradivarius. A bit farfetched but it works in this tale. He risks everything to win back the priceless instrument when it's stolen on the eve of one of his and the world's most prestigious classical music competitions. I found an underdog hero that I cared about and discovered a fascinating, cutthroat world I knew nothing about - in this case, classical music

I read this book in one sitting, pulled along by the events and the emotional drama. The Violin Conspiracy follows Rayquan “Ray” McMillian, a vitruoso violinist from childhood through his entry into the world-famous Tchaikovsky musical competition in Moscow. Shortly before he’s due to compete, his violin stolen. The violin belonged to his great grandfather and had been stored in his grandmother’s attic for ages. When Ray has the instrument cleaned, he learns it is a Stradivarius worth $10 million. This debut novel, a combination of a bildungsroman and a heist novel, also reveals the author’s love of music and the violin.

This is a coming of age story about a young black man trying to break into the nearly all-white world of concert musicians. He struggles against what seem to be unsurmountable odds with a family that thinks he should work at Popeye’s chicken rather than play the violin. Ray also faces both overt and covert racism as people reveal their ignorance and racist selves when they assume he should only play Gershwin or jazz or that he’s the help rather than a soloist. Many of Ray’s experiences were based on those of the author, Brendan Slocumb, which amplifies their meaning. As the mother of a young black male, I can confirm that the sort of racism that Ray confronts still exists, and I am pleased that Slocumb wrote these incidents, particularly the slavery endured by Ray’s family, honestly. The author’s notes at the end of the book were as affecting and inspiring as the book itself.

A Stradivarius violin is stolen from the hotel room of one of the few Black concert violinists, prompting a look back at how the family heirloom came into his possession and his struggles to achieve success in his field.

I found Ray's journey compelling, from his start as a self-taught violinist playing a school-owned instrument determined to follow his dream instead of accepting a minimum wage job. The history of the violin and how it was discovered made sense in context, and the resulting family squabbles and money issues rang true.

Central to the story is Ray's experience as a Black classical musician - who make up fewer than 2% of all symphony orchestra members. The author drew from incidents in his own life to show reactions ranging from surprise to scorn and even threats.

A love of music also shines through, with specific pieces and the feelings they evoke described in detail. The violin theft formed a framework for Ray's story. While I didn't find it as compelling as the rest, the mystery was resolved in a satisfying way.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Combination art heist and music theme is an innovative hook. This well-written first novel combines elements of mystery and relationship fiction with a dash of suspense and historical overtones. Ray and his fealty to his musical muse as he discovers, pursues, and lives his dream as a violinist is also a family saga and a meditation on the systemic racial inequities baked into the human condition, especially as the author explores the difficulties Ray encounters as he pursues his musical education, deals with profound bias as a young American Black man, and examines the legacy of Pop Pop’s fiddle and Ray’s family’s slave past. Slocumb creates a vibrant Ray with a passionate desire and talent who must overcome his own family’s greed and pettiness, and more specifically, his mother’s narcissistic selfishness. Once an adult, we see musical and personal growth with the aid of a wonderful teacher mentor, and we experience Ray’s stumbles and advances both as a person and as a world-class violinist. The violin is the other CH in the story that drives the other half of the narrative—its history and the discovery of its provenance as well as its metaphorical importance to Ray as both talisman of his talent and of his grandmother’s wishes and familial past. The quest to find and keep his legacy occupies Ray as we also learn his personal history and quest for validation at the Tchaikovsky Competition, deal with claims of ownership from the bigoted former plantation-owning family, the specifics of the classical music industry, and the insurance game. The mystery and red herrings are adequate but take second place to CH and the exquisite details of Ray’s relationship to music. Music as a panacea for pain is a repeating theme. Secondary CHs could have been more finely tuned (some of the family drama was needlessly repetitive) but the emotional propulsion channels the expectant Tone to make this a page-turner and the descriptions of Moscow, NYC, Charlotte, NC, and various orchestras add depth. I found the dialogue to be sometimes stilted and the ending was adequate but more abrupt than I like, with an epilogue that gave me better closure on Ray if not the mystery portion of the story. What resonates with me is the author’s love and reverence for music and its importance as a universal human art. Impressive Debut. Red Flags: Brutal visceral descriptions of slavery

Ray is a gifted violinist. On the cusp of launching a professional career in music, his $10,000,000 Stradivarius is stolen from under his nose. The suspects are many, some very close to home for Ray. The violin's provenance plays a major role unraveling the mystery.

I have requested this book for a possible future review or consideration for awards, so I am not prepared to offer comments ay this time. I will do so, or provide a link to my review, if that comes to pass.

Thanks so much for your understanding and patience!

Many thanks,

Paula L. Woods

It was love at first sight for Ray.

The second he set eyes on his PopPop’s battered violin, the instrument never left his side. When Ray has the violin repaired, he discovers it holds more than just a sentimental value; it is an irreplaceable, multi-million-dollar Stradivarius.

Living for his love of playing the violin, Ray’s incredible talent boosted by his unique story soon catapults him from his humble beginnings to the height of his colossal success.

While preparing to compete in the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition, his precious violin is stolen. An intense investigation and search for the stolen violin ensues.

I couldn’t put the book down. I read it every chance I had. Even though I determined who had to have taken the violin, it didn’t take away any of my satisfaction upon finding out. Slocumb’s writing is fluid, impassioned, and inspired. He wholly immerses the reader into the highly competitive world of classical music. An exceptional, noteworthy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Anchor, for the read of Brendan Slocumb’s, The Violin Conspiracy.

Opinions expressed in my reviews are my own.

This is a fascinating look into the competitive world of classical music. Most readers were probably unaware of all the hurdles and hoops talented musicians must pass through to be discovered and perform what they love to do.
   Weave into the that basic premise a talented black man and see the challenges of racism he faces in that select “ white” world. It is heartbreaking to read how he has to work to prove himself eligible for their consideration of his talent to be eligible in the various contests.
   Adding to story is the fact that this young man owns a million dollar instrument that was given to his enslaved great grandfather by his owner——discovered only by accident. Now everyone is coming out of the woodwork with claims to its ownership and the financial windfalls due them all.
   The author's description of the musical pieces our young man played were so eloquent and detailed you could almost hear the piece as he payed them on the pages.
   This book had it all……..history, racism, greed and the competitive world of music.

I loved this book! I felt really bad for Ray for the racism he had to deal with, and almost cried when he was describing a certain incident to his grandmother. I was appalled at the information in the letter (can't say more without spoiling it). If that describes a true event, shame on them. The author hinted that parts of the book were based on his life. If that's the case, I envy anyone who was fortunate enough to have been a student of his.

I was not sure what to expect when I started reading this book. I have never read a book with so much emphasis on music. I think it is a great novel for classical music lovers or those who study music. The little twist at the end was nice and I really enjoyed bringing the history of the violin into the story. It was a little slow moving at the start, but then it picked up and held my interest all the way through until the end. The main character's love of music definitely comes through.

This is a well crafted mystery with some nice twists. Like many mysteries, there is more to this tale. I enjoyed most of it, and didn't get bored. Recommended to mystery fans.

I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!

A Stradivarius worth over $10 million in the hands of a young African-American boy is as unexpected as a mystery without a murder. Ray MacMillan has overcome poverty, prejudice, lack of professional training, and an extremely contentious family life. Thanks to a devoted mentor and a supportive girlfriend, he is ready to enter the famously challenging Tchaikovsky Competition when his beloved Stradivarius is stolen for a $5 million ransom. At risk of falling apart and losing focus for the competition, Ray finds strength to carry on and still pursue his lost violin. Having seen the author interviewed and learning that much of the racist struggles described in the novel were based on his own experiences, the story became all the more powerful to me. The behind the scenes glimpses of the world of professional classical music were fascinating. Without giving away the ending, I would nonetheless have appreciated more about Ray's reactions to the resolution.

I could not put this book down. I absolutely loved the mystery, and it was an exceptional window into the life of living as a black man in the States. I was a bit thrown and frustrated by the "flashback" at the beginning that turned into over half the book, but it all made sense in the end. :) Would absolutely recommend this book to everyone!

3 for neutral, will update if able to finish at a later date. Unfortunately, I don’t really think it was fir me and didn’t want to rate poorly, when I haven’t finished,

This is a fictional story about a man and his violin. Only the man is Black and the violin is a $10M Stradavarius that is stolen in the early chapters of the novel. The book draws on many life experiences of the author, who is a violinist in real life and suffered many racist threats during his performing career. The stolen violin comes into play because of two families that are at odds over its ownership: one is the protagonist's own relatives, the other a family that are descendants of the slave owners dating back to the Civil War era. The contexts are life-like and realistic, and the characters have quite the back story that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last. I know little to nothing about the professional classical music world but this novel made me want to learn more about it. I highly recommend this book.

This book was as much a story of the violin as it was the violinist. I loved reading this perspective of a black musician climbing into the elite ranks of orchestra through sheer grit and determination. His journey is heartbreaking, hopeful and an absolute enthralling read. I really liked the music for all message and the lesson of what a little support can ignite in a young spirit.

Slocumb's passion for music is evident throughout the novel, creating its own magic and immersion. I would not call this book a thriller. The pace isn't there and the mystery plot line felt like the weakest part of the novel. That said, the history of the violin and violinist were so well drawn out and balanced with the family drama and the lawsuits, I was fully engrossed in the pages and didn't need it.

Ray was a wonderful character and his story is one I will keep with me for a long time.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love this quote from the violin conspiracy, "Ray of course, would disagree. He would tell you that music is truly a universal language, and that we, the listeners, will always impose our own fears and biases, our hopes and hungers, on whatever we hear."

The Violin Conspiracy is a mystery about a young man's ancient violin and his struggle to overcome racism to rise in the classical music world. The plot is the strongest part of the story and mystery. I kept thinking I had it all figured out but didn't accurately guess it at what I think is a perfect time-about 90% in.

The strongest aspect of the story was describing Ray's musical world how hard he had to practice, what he had to overcome in regards to not having access to the best teachers, and schools. Also the doubts and triumphs he went through playing the violin were very well described.

The best was when the author described the rapturous feelings Ray had while playing the music. Then it made sense after reading the authors note-Brandon Slocum is a violinist!

I'd say the weakest point of the story was the characterization of Ray and surrounding characters. We got a bit more from Ray but most everyone else was one note. Also, I may be mistaken but there was a plot Point dropped in regards to his family?

All in all this was an enjoyable read that got better as the story continued!

thank you NetGalley and Anchor Books for this ARC.

A promising young black prodigy has his Stradivarius stolen before the key Tchaikovsky competition in Russia. We learn the backstory slowly as he and his girl friend try to figure out what happened. His tales of travail as a black violinist, suffering racism in North Carolina and elsewhere, but persisting because of his extraordinary talent, give us a number of important lessons. But it’s also a compelling mystery with some very clever plot twists. And the story of how he got the Strad is itself fascinating and fraught with family and other drama. An important read.

Violin virtuoso, Ray McMillan, has his priceless violin stolen just before his trip to Moscow for the Tchaikovsky competition. There are several suspects, and through a series of flashbacks we learn Ray's story, how he came to be such an expert violinist and how he came to possess a "Strad". His struggles will both break your heart and warm it.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I purposely did not read anything about the author or the book except for a brief "teaser" on the NetGalley site. I wish I had known that many of Ray's experiences were taken from the author's own experiences. Realizing that now brings the impact of the story to new levels. The mystery is not really the main story, and actually it's the weakest point. (I had the culprit figured out early on) The strength is in Ray's story itself. It's one of resilience and determination against seemingly insurmountable odds. It's the story of a drive to succeed, and how the kindness and support of strangers can make all the difference. Well done.

This is the story of Ray McMillian and his beloved heirloom violin which is stolen right before the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition. This action happens in the first chapter and then we go back and forth between Ray's past and present leading up to the competition. There's a lot of turmoil, lawsuits regarding the violin that Ray is contending with and you cannot help but to empathize with him.

Ray is a great character; his relationship with his family is fraught and the racism he experiences as a black violinist while unsurprising is important to acknowledge. Slocumb writes in the author's notes that Ray is imbued with his own experiences including these moments of racism.

The descriptions of music are wonderful, particularly the performances. I felt like I could see Ray performing and it helps readers understand how much the violin means to him, how much music means to him. I loved learning about the world of soloists through the lens of this mystery though it isn't entirely difficult to guess the culprit. The reveal is well done and I appreciate Ray's response in the epilogue. What is most compelling, here , is the family history, the generational trauma of racism, and Ray's resilience. It's also a story about mentorship, the people who support your aspirations. Both Ray's grandmother, his Aunt Rochelle and his mentor Dr. Janice Stevens all play important roles when his development and while I don't typically read author acknowledgements, I read this and they had me in tears.

I think college students, people who like music and a little mystery and a little history should read this book now. The family history was the mystery I wanted solved almost more than when and how the violin disappeared. 4 stars