The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
My wife gave this to me to read when she discovered it was a mystery. I like mysteries, but this isn’t really one. The mystery part is actually fairly well done but confined almost entirely to the opening scene and the last 10% of the book. The rest consists of hundreds of pages of descriptions of classical violin pieces and is a showcase for the author’s personal knowledge of the fine points of playing them. When it’s not doing that, it’s the story of a handsome, decent, young black man who is constantly subjected to racist treatment at the hands of whites. I’m quite tired of reading or hearing from professional victims. Yep, racism is real but I don’t need to be told that for the ten thousandth time. I’m part black although I don’t look it; I’ve been discriminated against for being too white. I just want a good mystery. Concert violin soloists might enjoy this more than I did, but I actually thought the music part was rather clumsy and mostly an ego trip for the author. Other than some bluegrass fiddling and romantic string quartets I don’t care much for violins. Still, the book is readable enough to pass the time.