I really enjoyed this book. It is in that lovely sub-category of mysteries that includes a bit of well-researched historical trivia as part of the plot, in this case a bit of biographical trivia about Paganini and his violin, il Cannone, along with stuff about violin-making and about Paganini's music. The characters are nicely crafted and the murder mystery blends well with the historical elements. I looked up some Paganini videos on youtube to listen to while reading, and it was especially fun to watch concerts where real violinists were playing il Cannone, while I was reading about this famous violin (though I prefer a richer, less whiney tone than that of Paganini's violin, it turns out).

I was a bit annoyed at how old-fashioned and sexist the protagonist is, despite his attempts at egalitarian chore-sharing with his girlfriend, but it does fit with the fact that he is supposed to be an older Italian man. ( )

Another nice entry in this series, which follows an Italian luthier. Really interesting back story about Paganini and other famous violinists and violin makers. This is almost a cozy mystery, due to mild descriptions of the violence and almost no sex. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. It is in that lovely sub-category of mysteries that includes a bit of well-researched historical trivia as part of the plot, in this case a bit of biographical trivia about Paganini and his violin, il Cannone, along with stuff about violin-making and about Paganini's music. The characters are nicely crafted and the murder mystery blends well with the historical elements. I looked up some Paganini videos on youtube to listen to while reading, and it was especially fun to watch concerts where real violinists were playing il Cannone, while I was reading about this famous violin (though I prefer a richer, less whiney tone than that of Paganini's violin, it turns out).

I was a bit annoyed at how old-fashioned and sexist the protagonist is, despite his attempts at egalitarian chore-sharing with his girlfriend, but it does fit with the fact that he is supposed to be an older Italian man. ( )

After all that dark and grisley nordic crime fiction, this was a thoroughly enjoyable light-weight murder mystery that took me on a wonderful journey into the world of violins and classical music. I enjoyed it so much, I will definitely be looking out for some more Gianni Castiglione mysteries! ( )

A thoroughly enjoyable mystery with perhaps bit of a heavy touch on the extensive music research that Adam must have done. However, the narrator is a really enjoyable character and most of the extra musical material is interesting and well-integrated into the story. Some of the clues stuck out a mile but mostly I just let the story carry me along and it was a fun trip.