I always find it hard to write a review for a book that I truly loved reading. A lot of times, my emotions are caught up in the story and what happens, and it is a fine line when talking about a story and not spoiling it. Let's start the review like this:
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb is my current book of the year. Yes, I know we are only in February, but this book has set the bar for the rest of the books that I read in 2022.
The Violin Conspiracy is Brendan Slocumb's debut novel. I must admit, I actually didn't know this book came out until I received an email from Audible that talked about books their staff was enjoying. In the email, it mentioned The Violin Conspiracy. I saw the cover and knew I needed to see what this was about.
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Synopsis
Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian’s life is already mapped out. If he’s lucky, he’ll get a job at the hospital cafeteria. If he’s extra lucky, he’ll earn more than minimum wage. But Ray has a gift and a dream—he’s determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he can’t afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music.
When he discovers that his great-great-grandfather’s beat-up old fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, all his dreams suddenly seem within reach. Together, Ray and his violin take the world by storm. But on the eve of the renowned and cutthroat Tchaikovsky Competition—the Olympics of classical music—the violin is stolen, a ransom note for five million dollars left in its place. Ray will have to piece together the clues to recover his treasured Strad ... before it’s too late.
With the descendants of the man who once enslaved Ray’s great-great-grandfather asserting that the instrument is rightfully theirs, and with his family staking their own claim, Ray doesn’t know who he can trust—or whether he will ever see his beloved violin again.
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I had started reading Murder On The Links by Agatha Christie when I got the email for this book. This might be one of the few times I have stopped reading a book that I was enjoying to read something else. I have no regrets about that decision either.
The Violin Conspiracy is listed as a mystery/thriller, but I don't know that I would put it in that section at a bookstore. When I think about mysteries and thrillers, I think about murder, solving a crime, etc. Yes, I know this book does have a mystery aspect to it, who stole the violin and why, but this book is so much more. This book is a journey, with characters you will love and characters you won't care for.
The book starts the day the violin goes missing and the funk that it puts Ray in, he is competing in the Tchaikovsky Competition and he debates if he can do the competition without his violin. We then go back and start to learn about his journey to becoming who he is today. We learn about how Ray grew up with very few family members who supported him and his love of music. His mom even wanted him to graduate early and get a job to help pay the bills around the house. We learn about the special relationship he had with his grandma. The book even deals with racism and musical prejudice.
Ray's journey up to the present time is full of ups and downs. It will touch on several emotions. I found myself gripping the book hard because I was so angry at things happening to Ray. I remember even laughing and wanting to cheer at one point.
There was a certain chapter that really got my blood boiling. I decided to send the author a message and asked:
"Is this book based on any experiences you had?"
To which he replied:
"There are several examples in the book from my personal experiences."
I am actually attending an event where the author will be speaking about the book and I hope he goes into this a little more. I hope to gain an even bigger appreciation for this book after the event is done.
If you are an audiobook fan, you are in luck. This audiobook is fantastic. I would listen to it when doing housework and stuff, and JD Jackson did an amazing job bringing this story to life. His voice was perfect for Ray. There is one thing that I wish they would have done with the audiobook. During the scenes of Ray playing his violin, I wish they would have put whatever song Ray was playing in the background, that way we could have known what the song was. I think that would have put the audiobook on another level.
I consider myself a person that likes short chapters. I tend to stay up late to read since I can be busy during the day as a stay-at-home dad. I love being able to knock out several chapters and feeling accomplished. I would say that these chapters are a little longer than I would like. With the audiobook, each chapter seemed to be around 25-30 minutes. But those chapters just flew by. The way that Brendan Slocumb writes just pulls you into the story and you find yourself lost in the story. I would start reading after everyone was asleep and the next thing I would know is that it was after 1:00am and I needed to get to bed, even though I wanted nothing more to do than to keep reading.
The Violin Conspiracy is a book that I will proudly display on one of my bookshelves. It will be a book that I recommend to others. If you are a music lover, you will enjoy this book. If you enjoy mystery, you will enjoy this book. If you enjoy a story that is so easy to get lost in, you will enjoy this book.
Do yourself a favor and read this book or listen to audio. For me, Book Of The Year.
The Violin Conspiracy: 5.0 / 5.0 Stars.
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