The violin at the center of The Violin Conspiracy (#1,050) by Brendan Slocumb is a rare Stradivarius, valued at between $10 and $12 million dollars. It's been stolen from Rayquan McMillian shortly before he is due to compete in one of the most prestigious music competitions in the world: the quadrennial Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. It's hard enough to be an American and do well in this international pressure cooker, let alone being Black, and having to make do with a substitute violin.
Moreover, the ownership of the stolen violin is contested. Ray was given the violin by his beloved Grandmother Nora, whose own grandfather was given it by his slave master. But the Marks family, the descendants of those slave owners, claim the violin is rightfully theirs. When Ray's own family finds out the worth of the instrument, they want to sell the violin immediately and split the profits between Grandmother Nora's five children. Only one member of his family supports Ray's desire to honor his Grandmother and her Grand-Pop's memory by playing that fiddle.
Brendan Slocumb certainly knows this territory well (except for the dysfunctional family, I expect), since he is a black violinist/musician/educator himself and now, a debut novelist. Anybody can enjoy this book from the thriller aspect, but the more you know about the world of classical music, especially the violin repertoire, the more you'll appreciate Ray's love of playing and the virtuosity involved. On the other hand, I pretty much figured out who was behind the conspiracy from the get-go. It didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book. I encourage you to judge for yourself!
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