This book is more about resilience and racial injustice than it is a mystery about a young, African-American’s search for his stolen Stradivarius. A violin given to him by his beloved grandmother, the one family member who believed in his talents, and set him on his musical path before the backstory of this magnificent instrument is even revealed.

This book opened my eyes about the difficulties and boundaries placed in the way of black musicians who can play classical music as well or better than others and the enduring hardships they face as they reach for their goal.

The Stradivarius is missing though, and Ray must dig down deep to overcome obstacles as he searches for the instrument that is as much a part of him as his soul. When he discovers who has taken it and why you may be surprised.

This is an excellent mystery about an African American concert violin soloist whose priceless Stradivarius violin is stolen.

Ray McMillan has had an unusual path toward becoming the famous violinist he is. He came from a poor family in North Carolina. He didn't have formal lessons until he was in college, and his own violin until his senior year of high school. And he is black, when just 1.8 percent of musicians playing in classical symphonies are black.

But Ray loves music, and loves playing the violin. His grandmother is his greatest supporter, and remembers her grandfather playing the violin when she was growing up. In fact, she still has his old violin in her attic, and tells him he can have it. Ray spends whole weekends searching the attic, but is surprised at Christmas when his grandmother has wrapped it and gives it to him as a present. He auditions for the regional orchestra, and gets selected. But at school, at gigs, and at the regional orchestra performance, he experiences racism. No one expects the black boy to be able to play, and when they hear he can, they still don't offer him the same opportunities. But one woman sees his potential and offers him a full scholarship to college. She, too, is black, and is always looking for other minority students to encourage to play classical music.

Four years later, Ray is graduating from college, and trying to line up soloist spots and workshops, but he needs a better violin to do so. He asks the music store owner to try to clean up his great great grandfather's violin first, and when the owner does so, he discovers that it is a Stradivarius. But this causes division in his family, who want to see the violin and split the money. Ray's grandmother had told him the story of her grandfather, who had been a slave. When he freed, his master gave him the violin because he played it so well and no one else in his family played (and perhaps also he was the son of the master). But now the former master's descendants (the Marks) also want to claim the violin as theirs and state that the violin was stolen, not given as a gift.

The story jumps back and forth in time, as the book begins right after the violin has been stolen, then goes back to when Ray was in high school and was given the violin. In the present, Ray is a month away from competing in the most prestigious music competition in the world, the Tchaikovsky Competition, in Moscow. Did someone steal the violin to hurt his chances? Was it his family, or the Marks family, looking to sell the priceless violin or own it for the prestige?

The ending of The Violin Conspiracy was satisfying (and a little shocking). I also really enjoyed the author's note at the end, which talked about his experiences as a black classic musician. While this story is certainly fiction, Slocumb has included a lot of things based on his life and the racism he faced.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this thrilling book!

Ray McMillian loves classical music and his violin. However, no one in his family supports him but his grandmother.

After being granted a scholarship to study music and be allowed to perform, his life takes a turn when he discovers that his family’s fiddle, gifted by his grandmother as no one wanted it, is actually a Stradivarius. The media becomes more and more interested in him as he hopes to win the international Tchaikovsky competition with this famous violin.

However, a few months before the competition : his violin disappears. Several people are suspected: his family and the Marks, a former slave-owning family who claims to own the violin after it was allegedly stolen.

It was very interesting to have the songs played by Ray mentioned in the book. I listened to them regularly while reading, it was really pleasant as my knowledge of classical music is limited.

Moreover, the writer criticizes the under representation of musicians of color in the music world and denounces its elitist and aristocratic aspect.

Through the main character, you can see all the brutality and violences black people go through their lives and how unfair it is they constantly have to prove their worth

When Ray’s invaluable violin goes missing the investigation takes us back in time, tracing his path from the only Black kid in the school orchestra, playing on a rented instrument with little to no family support - save for his grandmother - through to his burgeoning career as a touring prodigy.

The book is billed as a thriller, but the mystery of the missing violin takes a major backseat to Ray’s coming of age story, a searing look at racism in America and especially in the classical music world. In fact, the mystery is so besides the point it is resolved in a few unsatisfying pages at the end. So, don’t go into this expecting a full blown thriller. The other aspects often verge into “movie of the week” territory, but the emotional beats still hit.

The plot is drawn in incredibly broad strokes and it’s clear the book doesn’t know what it wants to be, but I was still engaged throughout and appreciated the crash course in violin knowledge.

I really enjoyed this book! Ray McMillian works unbelievably hard to become one of a very slim few of Black classical violinists without any formal training. After a family heirloom fiddle he is gifted by his beloved grandmother turns out to be a near priceless Stradivarius, he is inundated with attention. Both positive attention and a few unpleasant lawsuits. Amid all this, his violin is stolen and he is preparing for the most intense competition for classical musicians.
I loved hearing Ray’s story and learning so much about classical music. I did get frustrated with Ray’s interactions with his family and wished he would have been more firm with them and also felt like that storyline was left unfinished but other than that I am a big fan of this book!

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!