The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb is a riveting debut mystery novel about a stolen Stratovarius violin passed down through the generations and the greed caused by its discovery. I enjoyed many aspects of this novel, such as the original plot. I don’t know a great deal about the music world, especially orchestral music, and I loved that I learned so much about it through this story since the main character is a professional violinist. I also found the historical backstory of how Ray Macmillan’s family came to own the very rare violin thoroughly compelling. I did guess who stole the violin about halfway through, but I didn’t guess the reason. Guessing correctly in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the novel. The story moves very quickly, and the third-person narration focused through Ray’s eyes allowed for imparting enough information for non-musical types like myself to understand the story. Plus, the fact that the narration followed Ray’s perspective also gave me a more personalized look at the challenges of being a black man in this country, which is eye-opening. There is so much to enjoy about this mystery story, and I think there is something for everyone in this tale of family, greed, a musical dream, and a rare violin.

Not quite a mystery, although at center of the book is who stole Ray’s heirloom violin? Much of that aspect is put aside to tells Ray full story, not in linear time either. The format sort of works.

My heart kept breaking for this guy. He had no one in his family to support his music except his grandmother. His mother was so distant and rejected him yet doted on his twin siblings, makes you wonder about why…yet was never addressed, nor anything about his father. Nearly no one outside of his grandmother seemed to support Ray, although he does win over an aunt later.

Ray is on his own, figuring out life, but all he wants to do is play the violin. His grandmother gave over her grandfather’s violin that turns out to be a rare one worth millions of dollars that now brings more grief to Ray as the family expects him to hand over money he does not have. On and on it went.

Later in the book the repetition of these ills, the racism and travesties thrown at Ray who only wanted to play the violin, was repetitive. The story bogged down, got boring even. It was a trudge to get through. The bright spots were the lyrical descriptions of the music when Ray was playing. It kept me reading.

The book needed more editing, cutting or adding different material. A tighter book would have soared. It read like a first novel that could have been better as a short story or novella.

2.5 stars, round up for a strong start. A good effort for a first-time novelist whose real passion lies in music.

The Violin Conspiracy is much more than just a mystery about a missing violin. The author weaves a wonderfully written story of how Ray McMillian develops the love of music and how his beat-up fiddle turns out to be a much-coveted Stradivarius. The mystery takes a backseat for most of the book, with more emphasis on Ray's coming of age story and how he got to the point of his Strad missing. I enjoyed this book immensely and reading the author's note at the end made me appreciate parts of the story even more. Taken from the author's life experience, you can feel the love for the violin and music seeping from the pages, along with the visceral images of racism Ray endured in the book. Great debut novel and I can't wait to read the next novel by Brendan Slocumb.

The Violin Conspiracy
by: Brendan Slocumb
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Anchor

The Violin Conspiracy is a unique and original mystery It is the story of Ray and his journey to find a special lost violin. Slocumb covers the racism that existed in classical music circles around classical music. This is a well-written tale of trust, dreams and coming of age. It is very socially and culturally relevant.
Thank you to Net Galley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Anchor
for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my review.
#TheViolinConspiracy #NetGalley

3.5 stars

When a gifted musician’s priceless Stradivarius violin disappears before a prestigious competition, who is responsible?

Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, there didn’t seem to be a lot of options for Ray. And when he discovered his talent as a violin player, the chance of him succeeding was almost zero. His mother wanted him to "stop that racket" and get a real job, and he couldn’t afford a real violin to practice on, not to mention the racist way people in the classical music world treated him.

But when his grandmother gave him a fiddle belonging to his great-great-grandfather, he was hooked. He caught the eye of the right teachers and started to get the training he needed to hone his talent. And then he discovered that this beat-up violin was actually a Stradivarius worth millions of dollars. Suddenly not only did his family want to get their hands on it, but so did the family whose ancestors enslaved Ray’s great-great-grandfather. They claim the man stole the violin from their family and are suing Ray.

As Ray prepares for the prestigious Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow, his violin is stolen, with a ransom note in its place. Who stole the violin—his family, the family suing for the return of what they claim is theirs, or someone else? Can it be found before he has to compete with another violin in its place?

This was a fascinating story. While I figured out the mystery part pretty early, I really liked Ray’s character and the book’s discussion of racism in the world of classical music. Since the author is a classical musician, this felt very authentic.

NetGalley, Knopf Doubleday, and Anchor Books provided me a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

The Violin Conspiracy publishes 2/1/22.

Ray McMillian is a young black man who has a gift for music and wants to become a classical musician. Ray's grandmother gives him her father's violin. He was a slave and would play the violin for the plantation owner and acquired the violin years ago. When Ray finds out that the violin is a Stradivarius worth $10 million dollars, he is sued by the Marks family who own the plantation. Ray's family is also suddenly interested in the violin's worth. On the eve of the world-class Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the violin is stolen. This book is a fast-paced plot that held my attention all the way through. It is a coming-of-age inspirational story that keeps us in touch with Ray's feelings as he goes through lots of racial attacks. But Ray's determination to achieve his goal keeps us invested cheering for him. In the end, the mystery of who stole the violin is solved and is a complete surprise to me. If you like feel-good stories, then you should read this one. I would like to thank Knopf Doubleday Anchor and NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

“music is for everyone. it shouldn’t be an elitist, aristocratic club that you need a membership card to appreciate. it’s a language, a means of connecting us beyond color, race, shape of your face, size of your portfolio.” - author’s note

I loved the concept of this one - a black classical violinist faces adversity at every turn until one day, his violin disappears along with a ransom note. as an artist myself, I really appreciated the in depth look at musicians and their scores.

however, the timeline was not it for me, and the mystery felt way too sidelined as it was advertised. I felt like I would have connected with the characters more if it stayed in chronological order rather than skipping from past to present - and I usually do not say this so I’m shocking myself people

my favorite parts of the story were about the family life and contemporary pieces of it. I knew the mystery would be solved in the end, and I guessed the culprit almost right away - so I really got attached to the side characters in the past.

overall, the story was super well written - just a little mismatched for my taste. a big thank you to netgalley and anchor books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!!

rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: australian shiraz

Intriguing mystery wrapped in a family history of a talented young violinist, who unknowingly inherited a Stradivarius. Within the first few pages, that violin is kidnapped and a large ransom demanded, just as Ray MacMillan prepares for "the Olympics of classical music". Flashbacks explain how he came to hold the fiddle, and who might want to declare ownership, or disrupt his career, by stealing it. Well paced, a sure hit for musicians and fans of psychological fiction.

It's not often that a literary thriller comes along that has it all, and I mean everything. There's superb storytelling from Slocumb, ample twists and turns to keep you bemused, a compulsive and increasingly unputdownable narrative, an interesting cast of characters and an emotionally resonant aspect to it which is often missing from other books in the genre. I raced through it desperate to unravel where it would lead, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Slocumb is one to watch, for sure. Highly recommended.

Ray loves to play the violin and is quite gifted. In the orchestra he is the only Black student and plays the school's violin. His grandmother is the only one who encourages him and finds an old violin played by his grandfather in the attic. As Ray has the old violin cleaned up, he discovers it is worth millions of dollars. Just before an international competition, his violin was stolen. One family declares the violin is theirs because it was first owned by the family that kept Ray's grandfather as a slave. Ray believes the violin was given to Ray's grandfather because of the joy it brought the slave owner when he played. Ray's family also wants the violin claiming it belongs to the grandmother so the family should sell it and profit from the sales.
There is a lot of reference to racism in this book and I am sure it is warranted but I found it got in the way of telling a really good story. I admired Ray's dedication both to his music and to his family as he sends his earnings home to a family that does not care about anything but the money he makes. There are flashbacks that give us insight into Ray as a musician but also seemed to slow the story down. I do believe this is an important book because of the diversity it brings and the strong sense of music dedication and appreciation.

I started to learn the violin when I was about 8-9 years old, and as much as I loved it, I stopped because – and this is going to sound so lazy – I couldn’t be bothered to keep taking it to and from school. I wish I’d carried on because, whilst I wasn’t fantastic at it, I did love playing it. And now whenever I hear people playing it on the telly or on the radio, I always imagine me doing it – albeit not as well.

I read this so quickly, I just couldn’t put it down. Before I knew it, I was over half way through; it was just so gripping.

Brendan is so sensitive, but not afraid to touch on the racism Ray experiences in this book. It still horrifies me that anyone can make assumptions of a person just because of their skin colour, and I know this is a fictional story, but it really made me angry at times. There such a realism under the story that made me so invested. Ray is such a likeable character that you will him on every step of the way, and celebrate all his successes.

The story is gripping, the plot emotional, and the characters became my friends. It’s full of twists and turns and you can never confidently pinpoint who took the violin. You can tell this world of classical music means a lot to Brendan, and his passion is sewn seamlessly through each sentence.

This wasn’t necessarily a book I would have gravitated towards, but I’m glad I did. It was such a well written story that I’m sad to have finished it. There’s a lot of heart to this book, and I think Brendan puts its perfectly in his author’s note:

“Alone, we are a solitary violin, a lonely flute, a trumpet singing in the dark. Together, we are a symphony.”

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Violin Conspiracy is a Netgalley book I selected because I got an email saying I might like this one. So I clicked on the link to request. Once it came in, I wasn't sure about it. But then I started reading.

Ray began to play a rented violin in high school in the orchestra. He'd practice for hours on a muted violin at home or just his fingering on an imaginary violin. His mom thinks its a waste of time and wants him to get his GED and a job to help financially contribute to the family. When his Grandma Nora gives him her Poppop's old fiddle to play, Ray began to take his music to a whole other level. After earning a full college scholarship for music, and beginning to earn a living as a musician, Ray takes the fiddle to get cleaned up and discovers it is one of the most rare violins in the world, a Stradivarius. News of the discovery brings the descendants of Poppop's slave owner father claim the violin was stolen by Poppop and it is theirs. Ray's mom and aunt and uncles claim that their mother wasn't in sound mind when she gave him the priceless violin and it should be theirs. Ray just wants to play music. When in New York after practicing for the Tchaikovsky competition, the Olympics for classical musicians, the Strad gets stolen. Who are the culprits? The Marks family mad that Ray, a black, has the violin? His family who just wants the money the violin is worth? Or a competitor in the competition?

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started the book, but within pages I was enthralled. It was a mystery of who stole the violin, but the book also tracks how Ray got to where he was. From a school boy who is just passionate about music having his supportive grandmother, through college and discovering the Strad and the grind of becoming a professional musician, we see it all. We see all the instances of racism Ray deals with not only as a black man, but as a black musician. It's the story of difficult family relationships, the struggle to excel as an elite classical musician. I play piano as a young girl, but beyond that have no background or understanding of the competitive nature of that world. The book is clear and is able to help the reader understand that world, but not dumbing itself down to do that.

If you want a book that is more than a mystery, this is definitely one to pick up.

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocum is a 2022 Anchor Books publication.

Given a violin by his beloved grandmother, Ray McMillian, discovers the instrument is a genuine Stradivarius worth a fortune.

While he is trying to focus on his music, the discovery of the Stradivarius and its monetary value has generated some distracting publicity.

Now, coming out of the woodwork, is a family who claims the violin belongs to them, while Ray’s own family is blind to his musical abilities, but has no problem seeing the dollar signs attached to him and that special instrument.

Right on the cusp of a very important recital, the instrument is stolen and held for ransom, leaving Ray scrambling, frantic to find the violin and prepare for a competition…

Not all mysteries involve murders. In this case, the theft of a historical violin, is at the center of this multi-layered ‘whodunit’.

As a veteran mystery reader, I did guess early-on who was behind the theft. Despite that, the particulars are well hidden, and worth sticking around for. But in my opinion, this book is far more than just a standard mystery/thriller.

It’s an eye-opening story, giving the reader a look at the classical music world, which can be an adversarial environment, especially when it comes to competitions. The story examines some ridiculous stereotypes, which caused Ray to receive some open surprise sometimes, and maybe even some skeptical dismissal by his musical peers.

The best thing about the story, though, in my opinion, was Ray characterization. I loved his dedication to his craft, his determination, and his principles.

His family is a mixed bag, but others step up on his behalf, giving him the support and encouragement, he needs. But it’s Ray’s big, honest heart, his confidence, and moral code, along with his dedication to his craft and his will to succeed that makes this an inspirational feel-good story, just as much as it is thrilling and enlightening.

This book has everything that you could possibly want from a mystery. There are strong emotions, manipulations, red herrings, and really great writing. This story does a great job of making you feel the emotions from the characters. I loved this unique story of a black musician who discovers that his family heirloom fiddle was actually a rare and priceless fiddle. When it comes up stolen, he takes it upon himself to do everything he could to get it back. I loved this inside look into classical music and a look into a community that I never realized was so cut throat.

As someone who played violin from elementary school through college (and who needs to pick it back up), this one was always going to have my heart. I'll be honest I didn't quite know what this was going to be, and Y'ALL, what a captivating and thrilling ride. This is one of those books I couldn't read fast enough because I needed to know what was going to happen. The story centers on a black violinist and his instrument. As the story progresses, it is revealed that the violin he's been playing is worth quite a lot of money. And with that, different people start to lay claim to this instrument. This is then a story about a violinist on so many levels - It's about the racism and systemic issues he encounters, it's about greed, and it's about the beautiful music he's trying to make. This was both a pageturner and an emotional read. It's a must read for 2022, and I cannot wait for others to get swept away into this one!

One of the best books I read in 2021. A great mystery. Characters I cared about. Just a great read. I will be recommending this book to EVERYONE!!!

I really enjoyed this memorable story of a young Black male, Rayquan McMillan, who loves to play classical music on the violin in his high school orchestra. Ray, as he is called, cannot afford additional violin lessons or his own violin and has been renting an old one from the school. His mother is not supportive of the music career that he so desperately wants to pursue and she wants him to just get a job so he can give her his wages. Ray begins to win competitions and is offered a full ride scholarship to college which he accepts. His grandmother, who is very supportive of his music career, gives him the violin that she used to listen to her grandfather play when she was growing up. The violin is old and dusty and after a few repairs, he is encouraged to take it to New York to be appraised. It is discovered that this old violin is really a Stradivarius and is worth millions. Of course, all his greedy relatives think he should sell it and split the money with them which he will not do. As Ray is preparing for a prestigious classical music competition in Moscow, someone steals his violin and leaves a ransom note. Will he get his violin back in time for the competition???

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book that I could not put down once I started it. This is a wonderful, thought-provoking read.

I received an electronic ARC from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group through NetGalley.
Though not much of a mystery, this book brings readers into the intense world of classical musicians. Ray's Stradivarius violin was stolen before the first chapter begins. It's rather obvious who stole it but that did not significantly distract from the overall storyline. As a Black classical musician, Ray has struggled to be accepted and not seen as a PR stunt. The story unfolds by taking readers to past events that led to his current situation. His commitment and belief in himself despite his family's lack of support serves to encourage others to pursue their own dreams. He even figures out who took his violin and recovers it himself. These actions are a bit unrealistic and add to the reason this is not a well done mystery.
I do recommend reading this to appreciate the story of Ray's life and drive but don't go in expecting to see a serious mystery.

I'm always intrigued where talent comes from and how much talent is wasted because of lack of opportunity. In this case we have a black musician determined to become a classical violinist whose violin is stolen before an important event. The story line could have been better - a few more surprises? but the author definitely knows the world of classic music.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish