An exceedingly accomplished violinist who rose above the obstacles placed in his way by his family's financial circumstances, their lack of support, and their general disdain for his passion for music, Ray's star rose even further when he discovered that his violin, a family heirloom, was actually a priceless Stradivarius. Now, as Ray is engaged in intense practice for the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition, the violin is stolen.

What I loved about this novel were the immersive focus on music and music terminology, as well as the dramatic storytelling. I was sucked in immediately and had many thoughts about the "whodunit" from the get-go. It was a respectable debut novel, though I did have a few quibbles. Some of the characters felt like little more than caricatures. Ray's younger siblings were never named (unless I missed it?) and were referred to only as "the twins," making them seem like cardboard placeholders. It was also disappointing that most of the antagonistic characters were described as fat and/or ugly. There were times when I would have desired a bit more subtlety (more showing, less telling) in the narrative, and some of the contrived drama and the ending neatly wrapped up with a bow was almost too much, but I'll forgive these in a first novel. Recommended. ( )

“He would tell you that music is truly a universal language, and that we the listeners will always impose our own fears and biases, our own hopes and hungers on whatever we hear. He would tell you that the rhythm that spurred on Tchaikovsky is the same rhythm that a kid in a redneck North Carolina town would beat with a stick against a fallen tree. It is a rhythm in all of us. Music is about communication, a way of touching your fellow man, beyond and above and below language. It is a language all its own.”

First novel by this author about a young man who loved the violin. He used a beat up rental during his school years and was always told by his mother to get a real job so he could help with household expenses. It was not until he grandmother mentioned that her great, great grandfather received a violin from his Master at the time of the slave owner?s death that he began searching her attic for this mysterious violin. As it turned out, his grandmother gave him the violin and he secured a full scholarship to a music school. When he was encouraged to get a new violin and knew he could not afford one, he asked that his violin be cleaned up. The fun begins here when it is discovered to be a Strad worth $10 million. It is then stolen from him and that opens up all kinds of events. An excellent story and one with a surprise ending. Kirkus: classical musician tries to find his stolen violin in this entertaining debut novel.There are few worse nightmares for a musician than having a treasured instrument stolen. For Ray McMillian, the protagonist of Slocumb?s debut, the theft of his violin is especially painful�not only was it a gift from his beloved grandmother, it?s also a Stradivarius, one of the rarest instruments in the world. And it happens to be worth more than $10 million. Ray, a classical music phenom who?s about to compete in the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, discovers his violin has gone missing in his Charlotte, North Carolina, house; when he opens its case, he finds only a tennis shoe and a ransom note demanding $5 million in Bitcoin. He has a few suspects in mind, chief among them the members of two families: the Marks clan, who claim that Ray?s great-great-grandfather, an enslaved person, took the violin from their ancestor; and his own family, a collection of grasping doubters who don?t care much for Ray but do care about his valuable violin. Ray trusts only a few people, including his violist girlfriend, Nicole, and his ?mentor, friend, and surrogate mother,? Janice. Slocumb?s novel is told in flashbacks, chronicling Ray?s early years and fraught relationship with his uncaring mother and his ascent as a star violinist who takes America by storm. Ray, who is Black, has to deal with not only lawsuits from his family and the Marks family, but also with vicious racism from both inside and outside the music world: ?No matter how nice the suit, no matter how educated his speech or how strong the handshake, no matter how much muscle he packed on, no matter how friendly or how smart he was, none of it mattered at all. He was just a Black person. That?s all they saw and that?s all he was.? While the whodunit element of Slocumb?s novel is unlikely to stump mystery fans, his writing is strong, if a little unpolished in parts. Still, it?s a gripping novel, and Slocumb, himself a violinist, does an excellent job explaining the world of classical music to those who might be unfamiliar with it.A solid page-turner.

(2022) 1st time novelist, a concert violinist and violist. Great narrative about a black kid who gets a beat-up violin from his doting grandmother that turns out to be a long-lost Stradivarius. Goes on to become a renowned violinist whose Strad is stolen for ransom just before performing in a prestiguous international competition. Uses a series of flashback chapters to build his back story and the discrimination he suffers to attain his fame. A little rough in style but quick read. Didn't see the end coming as his girl friend Nicolle turns out to be the culprit in the theft, but that story line is almost secondary to Ray's struggle to the top..KIRKUS: A classical musician tries to find his stolen violin in this entertaining debut novel.There are few worse nightmares for a musician than having a treasured instrument stolen. For Ray McMillian, the protagonist of Slocumb's debut, the theft of his violin is especially painful�not only was it a gift from his beloved grandmother, it's also a Stradivarius, one of the rarest instruments in the world. And it happens to be worth more than $10 million. Ray, a classical music phenom who's about to compete in the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, discovers his violin has gone missing in his Charlotte, North Carolina, house; when he opens its case, he finds only a tennis shoe and a ransom note demanding $5 million in Bitcoin. He has a few suspects in mind, chief among them the members of two families: the Marks clan, who claim that Ray's great-great-grandfather, an enslaved person, took the violin from their ancestor; and his own family, a collection of grasping doubters who don't care much for Ray but do care about his valuable violin. Ray trusts only a few people, including his violist girlfriend, Nicole, and his ?mentor, friend, and surrogate mother,? Janice. Slocumb's novel is told in flashbacks, chronicling Ray's early years and fraught relationship with his uncaring mother and his ascent as a star violinist who takes America by storm. Ray, who is Black, has to deal with not only lawsuits from his family and the Marks family, but also with vicious racism from both inside and outside the music world: ?No matter how nice the suit, no matter how educated his speech or how strong the handshake, no matter how much muscle he packed on, no matter how friendly or how smart he was, none of it mattered at all. He was just a Black person. That's all they saw and that's all he was.? While the whodunit element of Slocumb's novel is unlikely to stump mystery fans, his writing is strong, if a little unpolished in parts. Still, it's a gripping novel, and Slocumb, himself a violinist, does an excellent job explaining the world of classical music to those who might be unfamiliar with it.A solid page-turner.Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2022ISBN: 978-0-593-31541-5Page Count: 352Publisher: Anchor

Overall I liked this and thought the audio was pretty good at 1.3 speed. There were some sections that felt very repetitive but overall the plot and story were entertaining enough to keep me listening.

I think it's really useful to read books by black authors who detail their experiences so we can understand some of the barriers that they face from day to day. The fact that these important topics are rolled in to a fun mystery plot is a whole lot easier to sneak in to people's lives than asking them to sit down and read a book about racism that they might turn away from.

Can't wait to listen to some of the music discussed in the book. ( )