The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb on February 1, 2022
Genres: Fiction / African American & Black / General, Fiction / Coming of Age, Fiction / Crime
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
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I might not have picked this book up if it weren’t a book club selection. This is a book about dreams, music, and family. This was a fascinating and engaging look into the classic music world with a bit of suspense added in that really had me reading this late into the night.
The main character, Ray, is drawn to music and playing is violin has been his dream. He meets some friends that help him along the way, but he also realizes that being a black man playing violin isn’t going to be the easy path. His obstacles to his violin playing include his mother, who tells him to stop with the noise and get a real job, his financial situation, and all the racism he encounters. His only supporter is his grandma. She helps him in ways that will change his life. He finds his great-great-Grandfather’s old violin in the attic at his grandma’s house and she gifts it to him one Christmas. Then he finds out it is actually a Stradivarius worth five million dollars. He decides this violin will help him at the Tchaikovsky Competition. But before he has a chance to get there, the violin is stolen, a ransom note left in its place. And not just any ransom note, one that includes a Chuck Taylor tennis shoe. Who could have taken it? There are so many suspects, and the cast of suspects grows as the story goes on. As the competition approaches, Ray races time to get his violin back and to prove to himself, and the watching world, that he has always been a great musician.
Music is about communication—a way of touching your fellow man beyond and above and below language; it is a language all its own.
The tension in this one had me turning the pages. The characters were great, and I loved all the red herrings on who took the violin. By the end, I was questioning all the characters. The details on the instruments were so well done, but you don’t have to be musical to enjoy this one. The suspense and musical elements combined makes this a winner. This is a must read for music lovers or anyone who likes to root for an underdog.
About the Author
Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb was born in Yuba City, California and was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a degree in music education, concentrations on Violin and Viola. While at UNCG, Brendan was the concertmaster for the University Symphony orchestra and served as the principal violist. He performed with numerous small chamber ensembles, including flute and clarinet choirs, and in the BESK string quartet.
He is the founder of the nonprofit organization, Hands Across the Sea, based in the Philippines. After touring the Philippines with the Northern Virginia Chamber Ensemble and witnessing firsthand the conditions that many of the young music students and their families endure, Brendan founded the Hands Across the Sea to offer support to the Berea School of the Arts in Manila, by providing instruments, lessons, and monetary support. The organization also supplements school supplies and dental and medical assistance.
In his spare time, Brendan enjoys writing, exercising, collecting comic books and action figures, and performing with his rock band, Geppetto’s Wüd.
I was able to hear Brendan speak to our book club recently and he is the nicest guy with such a great personality. I can’t wait for his next book, Symphony of Secrets, which is going to be released 4/18/23