From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. At the start of British author Adam's superb second mystery to feature Gianni Castiglione (after 2006's
The Rainaldi Quartet), the accomplished luthier has the honor and privilege of repairing an Italian national treasure, Nicolo Paganini's priceless
il Cannone (the Cannon), in time for a rising young Russian, Yevgeny Ivanov, to play it at a recital that same evening in the Cremona cathedral. After Ivanov's triumphant performance, events takes a sinister turn with the puzzling murder of a well-connected art dealer and the even more perplexing find of a rare and valuable Paganini artifact. Though Castiglione is by no means a detective, his knowledge and musical expertise prove indispensable to his policeman friend, Antonio Guastafeste, as they travel around Europe in search of the killer (or killers). Readers will find Adam's full-bodied characters captivating but never transparent as the clever plot, enriched by meticulously detailed historical intrigues, builds to its satisfying conclusion.
(Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A day after a heavily promoted violin recital in Cremona, Italy, at which prize-winning Russian prodigy Yevgeny Ivanov plays the priceless violin once owned by Paganini, a visiting French art dealer is found murdered in his hotel room. When a scrap of paper torn from a Paganini piece played by Ivanov seems key to opening an ornate gold box found in the victim’s possession, violin maker Gianni Castiglione (introduced in The Rainaldi Quartet, 2006) is called into the case by his friend, police detective Antonio Guastafeste. Castiglione cracks the code to find that the now-empty box once housed a small violin, setting him—with Guastafeste—on a cross-continental search, during which other murders are committed, and Castiglione must call on his knowledge of history, genealogy, and provenance to find long-missing treasures and solve the crimes. In this stylish mystery, widower Castiglione is further humanized by his developing romance with Margherita Severini and his relationship with young Ivanov. An intriguing puzzle combines with an enthralling mix of Italian ambience, history, and—most of all—music. --Michele Leber
