The Violin Conspiracy
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- Create Date：2022-02-17 21:21:40
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Brendan Slocumb
- ISBN：0593315413
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Summary
A riveting tale about a Black classical musician whose family heirloom violin is stolen on the eve of the most prestigious classical music competition in the world。
Ray McMillian loves playing the violin more than anything， and nothing will stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a professional musician。 Not his mother， who thinks he should get a real job， not the fact that he can't afford a high-caliber violin， not the racism inherent in the classical music world。 And when he makes the startling discovery that his great-grandfather's fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius， his star begins to rise。 Then with the international Tchaikovsky Competition—the Olympics of classical music—fast approaching， his prized family heirloom is stolen。 Ray is determined to get it back。 But now his family and the descendants of the man who once enslaved Ray's great-grandfather are each claiming that the violin belongs to them。 With the odds stacked against him and the pressure mounting， will Ray ever see his beloved violin again？
Ray McMillian loves playing the violin more than anything， and nothing will stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a professional musician。 Not his mother， who thinks he should get a real job， not the fact that he can't afford a high-caliber violin， not the racism inherent in the classical music world。 And when he makes the startling discovery that his great-grandfather's fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius， his star begins to rise。 Then with the international Tchaikovsky Competition—the Olympics of classical music—fast approaching， his prized family heirloom is stolen。 Ray is determined to get it back。 But now his family and the descendants of the man who once enslaved Ray's great-grandfather are each claiming that the violin belongs to them。 With the odds stacked against him and the pressure mounting， will Ray ever see his beloved violin again？
Reviews
Deborah Cleaves
，
A semi-autobiographical story of a black musician in love with classical music who is gifted an invaluable violin。 It is a story of being underestimated and dismissed because of the dearth of others of his race in the field。 But it is also the story of his violin， it’s provenance， and competing claims for its ownership， of its loss by theft， and betrayal by the woman he trusts。 It is likewise a tale of mentorship and growth。 A taut story of venality and racism and overcoming adversity。 Highly re A semi-autobiographical story of a black musician in love with classical music who is gifted an invaluable violin。 It is a story of being underestimated and dismissed because of the dearth of others of his race in the field。 But it is also the story of his violin， it’s provenance， and competing claims for its ownership， of its loss by theft， and betrayal by the woman he trusts。 It is likewise a tale of mentorship and growth。 A taut story of venality and racism and overcoming adversity。 Highly recommend。 My only misgiving was a jolt early on when he adopts a pejorative to use against himself but it is a momentary lapse that reflects individual truth — he is one with a world of individuals who unconsciously adopt the worst unjustified criticisms as if they are true when they merely reflect the external society rather than our individual value。。 。。。more
Mary
，
CW // racism， police brutality/harassment， ableist language， racial slurs， slavery， toxic family membersImpressive debut。 I recommend the audiobook， especially because there’s a violin interlude between parts。The bulk of the story is told in flashback chronicling Ray’s journey as a violinist。 His story is proof that “historically excluded” is a better term than “underrepresented” when it comes to a lack of representation in any given field。 The guy goes through every racist microaggression， macr CW // racism， police brutality/harassment， ableist language， racial slurs， slavery， toxic family membersImpressive debut。 I recommend the audiobook， especially because there’s a violin interlude between parts。The bulk of the story is told in flashback chronicling Ray’s journey as a violinist。 His story is proof that “historically excluded” is a better term than “underrepresented” when it comes to a lack of representation in any given field。 The guy goes through every racist microaggression， macroaggression， and literal and metaphorical roadblock by pathetically and willfully hateful white people， all because they don’t want Black people in their vicinity。What’s sadder is that， except for Aunt Rochelle， no one in his family was supportive of his dream。 Part of that is poverty; when you have a lot of bills to pay and need food on the table， dreams become a luxury that many people can’t afford。 And then when Ray does get success， his family leeches on to him for money。 🤦🏻♀️I will say， though， that the backstory was more compelling than the mystery of the stolen violin。 In the end， once we learn who did it， it’s as if Slocumb just rushed through the explanations。 🤷🏻♀️ Same goes for all the family drama and the Markses。 Would have liked to see those resolutions play out in real time as opposed to just being told about them。 。。。more
Kristina N。
，
4。5 stars
Katey Thompson
，
Wow！ A brilliant， compulsive read。 Classical music， overcoming racial prejudice AND a mystery。 Incredibly inspiring。 Mr Slocumb？ PLEASE write more books！
Bonni
，
Solid novel。 Good writing and good story。 Easy to read， page-turner that had me rooting for Ray and the fiddle！
Barbara
，
The Violin Conspiracy is a wonderful first novel。 I was riveted from the minute I picked it up and couldn't put the book down。 Part mystery， part social commentary， and all music， the novel tells the story of Ray an up and coming black classical musician。 When the violin he's inherited from his grandmother is stolen on the eve of an international music competition， Ray is determined to find it。 Oh，， and the violin is a Stradivarius。 Mr。 Slocumb tells the unvarnished truth of the racism his chara The Violin Conspiracy is a wonderful first novel。 I was riveted from the minute I picked it up and couldn't put the book down。 Part mystery， part social commentary， and all music， the novel tells the story of Ray an up and coming black classical musician。 When the violin he's inherited from his grandmother is stolen on the eve of an international music competition， Ray is determined to find it。 Oh，， and the violin is a Stradivarius。 Mr。 Slocumb tells the unvarnished truth of the racism his character deals with while pursuing his musical career。 His love is music is so clear， you can hear it coming off the page。 。。。more
Barb in Maryland
，
Oh， that was great fun！ Highly entertaining mix of music， mystery， with an important dose of social commentary。Bravo！
Lea
，
The easiest 5 stars I have ever given a book。 Ray McMillian is passionate about classical music and playing the violin， despite the odds stacked against him - there are no Black classical violinists。 Still， Ray has undeniable talent， so much so that his grandmother hands him down his grandfather's fiddle。 Ray is shocked and amazed to discover that the violin is actually a Stradivarius， worth millions of dollars， and suddenly Ray is no longer overlooked in the classical music scene。 As his star b The easiest 5 stars I have ever given a book。 Ray McMillian is passionate about classical music and playing the violin， despite the odds stacked against him - there are no Black classical violinists。 Still， Ray has undeniable talent， so much so that his grandmother hands him down his grandfather's fiddle。 Ray is shocked and amazed to discover that the violin is actually a Stradivarius， worth millions of dollars， and suddenly Ray is no longer overlooked in the classical music scene。 As his star begins to rise， Ray enters the Tchaikovsky Competition， the Olympics of classical music - and his beloved violin is stolen。 The suspect list is long - could it be his family， who believe the violin belongs to them， or the Marks family， who once enslaved Ray's grandfather and believe that his PopPop stole it from them？All Ray cares about is getting to play his violin， but will he ever see it again？If you loved the Queen's Gambit despite having no interest in chess previous to watching the show or reading the book， then I would highly recommend picking this book up。 I know very little about classical music and I don't play any intruments， but the passion that Ray has for music and for playing violin， soars like high notes off the pages。 I was absolutely hooked， absorbed in the cutthroat world of the classical music world。 You can't help but root for the sweet and charming Ray， an underdog at every stage of his career。 This book really packs an emotional punch too。 Ray faces a lot of racism in his life and in his career， with racist tutors， racist policemen， and is constantly threatened and intimidated once the worth of his priceless Strad is discovered。 The author is writing from his own experiences， his own setbacks and being targeted by prejudice and stereotypes， and it was gut-wrenching to read。 The lack of Ray's family support really got to me as well， especially Ray's mother， who seemed to care more about money than about Ray as a human being。 The mystery is intriguing and I didn't guess who stole the violin - maybe others will， but there's so much more depth to this story than the mystery。 I was so caught up in Ray's life and story， I could have easily read another 200 pages。 I absolutely loved and devoured this story and will definitely be putting the author on my "Must Buy" list。 。。。more
Nancy
，
Well， I had a great old time reading this， checking out violin literature on my iPad to enhance the experience。 And I think Slocumb got the story about Black musicians being underestimated， ignored and worse exactly right。 An experience he （Slocumb） had in Baton Rouge made its shameful way into the book。 All of the music stuff--the perceived value of showmanship， the weird dynamics of professional orchestras， crappy school-rental instruments and dismissive teachers--rings true。 I even bought int Well， I had a great old time reading this， checking out violin literature on my iPad to enhance the experience。 And I think Slocumb got the story about Black musicians being underestimated， ignored and worse exactly right。 An experience he （Slocumb） had in Baton Rouge made its shameful way into the book。 All of the music stuff--the perceived value of showmanship， the weird dynamics of professional orchestras， crappy school-rental instruments and dismissive teachers--rings true。 I even bought into the 'finding an amazing instrument in Granny's attic' bit--it's a mystery， and thrillers like this are built on coincidences and dramatic events。 The writing feels like this is the author's first book （it is）， and he used up a whole lot of his real-life history in getting it down on paper。 So it will be interesting to see if he matures--there could be a really fun music/mystery series in him。 Four-plus stars， with a bullet。 。。。more
Gail
，
5 perfect stars。 I loved every second of this book （excellent on audio） and hope this author writes more books！ Love love LOVE！ Great pick for the Currently Reading Indie Press List by An Unlikely Story Bookstore in Plainville， MA。 Also a GMA Book Club pick。
Tiberius Ichabod McCoy
，
I absolutely adored this book。 When I heard there was a mystery coming out about a Black violinist written by an actual Black violinist， I really couldn't resist。 The love of music radiates from every page， I could practically hear the music drifting from the book。 It has kick-started my love of classical music。 It also has those moments of punch-in-the-gut racism that are difficult but important to read。 And then has such a satisfying ending。 I know it's probably too much to ask， but I really r I absolutely adored this book。 When I heard there was a mystery coming out about a Black violinist written by an actual Black violinist， I really couldn't resist。 The love of music radiates from every page， I could practically hear the music drifting from the book。 It has kick-started my love of classical music。 It also has those moments of punch-in-the-gut racism that are difficult but important to read。 And then has such a satisfying ending。 I know it's probably too much to ask， but I really really REALLY want more music-based mysteries starring BIPOC。 。。。more
Jess
，
This wasn’t just a book。 This was a musical masterpiece through writing。 While focusing on an intense mystery of a missing violin， the author also writes about social justice issues that myself， as a white settler in Canada， don’t experience in my life。 I saw the world in another perspective。 I was forced to see what my white privilege gives me and takes away from others。 At the same time， the mystery/crime element was so engaging - I couldn’t stop both from wanting to know more about the violin This wasn’t just a book。 This was a musical masterpiece through writing。 While focusing on an intense mystery of a missing violin， the author also writes about social justice issues that myself， as a white settler in Canada， don’t experience in my life。 I saw the world in another perspective。 I was forced to see what my white privilege gives me and takes away from others。 At the same time， the mystery/crime element was so engaging - I couldn’t stop both from wanting to know more about the violin’s story and it’s future。 A “must read now” book。 And be prepared to want to read it in one go。 。。。more
Ashwini Nagarajah
，
This book is so much more than a mystery/thriller。 This is a story of a classical violinist without wealth and privilege， where having private music lessons as a child is a different world from that which he grew up in。 It is a story of being black in the world of classical music where astoundingly less than 2% are of the same background。 It is a story of how he has to endure racial injustice every day， the constant need to prove himself， and to work twice as hard as everyone else。 It is a story This book is so much more than a mystery/thriller。 This is a story of a classical violinist without wealth and privilege， where having private music lessons as a child is a different world from that which he grew up in。 It is a story of being black in the world of classical music where astoundingly less than 2% are of the same background。 It is a story of how he has to endure racial injustice every day， the constant need to prove himself， and to work twice as hard as everyone else。 It is a story of having a gift， a love， and a dream where against all odds including the lack of support from your own family will not stop you from reaching beyond the limits set on you by society。 For me， the most gut-wrenching part of this story was the belittlement and constant criticism from his own mother especially after he faced all this already in his outside world。 She was never encouraging and I felt her only motive for his success was when he could bring in a paycheck。 Was it that she understood that his plight as a musician under his circumstances would lead to failure and she was afraid of that dejection or if she had no other foresight of what he could achieve due to the hardship and poverty she faces， I will not know。 This was in contrast with his relationship with Grandma Nora who was the only one that held him， dear， to her heart and loved him unconditionally。 I felt she was his driving force to his vision and the beautiful Stradivarius violin represented the love he had for her and also to his heritage of being African American and his grandfather's story。 The story was so beautifully written especially the parts of classical music， not a surprise as the author is a musician himself。 I did read that parts of this story were in fact true which makes this book even more amazing！ Sometimes you only need only one or two advocates and mentors for your genuine success。。 the force of their love will transcend barriers。。。 。。。more
Jules
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There were moments in this book that made me so sad but I know things like that happen and I hate that they do。 Great thriller that kept me listening！
Lisa Sanden
，
So good。 Loved the story。 I suspected the end， but it was still wonderful。
Kim
，
Audiobook- 3。5
Donna Lewis
，
This is the second book I’ve read that talks about how a master violinist is one with his/her instrument， particularly one as magnificent as the Stradivarius in this book。 When it disappears， for whatever reason， the musician is barely able to function with a violin of lesser quality。 “It wasn’t just him playing: it was the instrument itself。”The prodigy here is Rayquan McMillian。 He grew up in racist Atlanta and constantly had to deal with the fact that “no matter how nice the suit， no matter h This is the second book I’ve read that talks about how a master violinist is one with his/her instrument， particularly one as magnificent as the Stradivarius in this book。 When it disappears， for whatever reason， the musician is barely able to function with a violin of lesser quality。 “It wasn’t just him playing: it was the instrument itself。”The prodigy here is Rayquan McMillian。 He grew up in racist Atlanta and constantly had to deal with the fact that “no matter how nice the suit， no matter how educated his speech or how strong his handshake…no matter 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。” Add to this， a mother who hated his music， wanting his to get a job at Popeyes instead。 She refused to see any benefit to his attending college—even with a full scholarship。 His music career was an up-hill battle， especially considering how few black violinists there were in major orchestras。Major wrinkle: when the raggedy fiddle given to him by his grandmother， it was found out to be a Stradivarius worth more than ten million dollars。 His mother wanted to sell it （and give her the money）， as did the rest of his family And the white family， whose slave-owning predecessors had given the fiddle to Ray’s great great grandfather—their slave， they wanted it back （also for the money）。So who stole the violin？A music and literary smorgasbord， with horrifying racial overtones。 。。。more
Allison Bosco
，
Absolutely loved this book。 Kept me up until 3！ And I also looked up much of the music that is played。
Gail （Neuroknitter）
，
I loved this book！ I enjoyed the narration immensely！ Especially the voice of Nora， Ray’s grandmother。 The writing， especially descriptions of the music and playing was amazing。 The illustrations of racism， stereotyping， slavery， and discrimination were deftly woven into the main story。 And do take the time to read/listen to the author’s notes at the end！
Chelsie
，
This was a good mystery with some historical fiction wound into the storyline。 Ray has fought tooth and nail， and has put in the double work of most of others to get to where he has gotten with his musical talents and his grandfathers violin when all of it could potentially be crashing down on him。 Threats that this violin was stolen and not really his families to have， and then it is stolen right out of his hotel room just weeks before he is to preform in one of the most prestigious internation This was a good mystery with some historical fiction wound into the storyline。 Ray has fought tooth and nail， and has put in the double work of most of others to get to where he has gotten with his musical talents and his grandfathers violin when all of it could potentially be crashing down on him。 Threats that this violin was stolen and not really his families to have， and then it is stolen right out of his hotel room just weeks before he is to preform in one of the most prestigious international competitions， the Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia。 His dream within his grasp and it seems everything in the universe is working against him。 Ray， as he has learned to always do- decides to take things into his own hands to get to the bottom of the truth of this violins history as well as who stole it， how and why。 Very fast paced read and this story really gives insight into racism from the main characters POV， and it is very disheartening that this is still happening every single day。 Thank you to Goodreads and Anchor books for the free ARC。 I really enjoyed this novel and will look to reading more by this author。 He really poured his heart and soul into this novel and getting you to feel the music right along with him。 。。。more
Jillian
，
Thank you Netgalley for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。Wow！ I devoured this book about a Black violinist and his beloved violin。 As a music educator and lover of classical music， I hope that Ray’s inspiring story about breaking barriers in the classical music world， and the discrimination that he faced， will shine a light on these issues in the music world and maybe inspire a student or two。
Cudahy Family Library
，
Fast paced narrative， interesting reading about all things classical violin， and a well-developed main character。 Insightful discussion of the inherent racism in the classicalmusic industry and society as a whole。 Some of the plot points and character interactions felt a bit forced， but on the whole it was quite well done。
Michelle Gibbs
，
Fast paced narrative， interesting reading about all things classical violin， and a well-developed main character。 Insightful discussion of the inherent racism in the classicalmusic industry and society as a whole。 Some of the plot points and character interactions felt a bit forced， but on the whole it was quite well done。
Megan
，
5 stars。 Amazing story， amazing writer。 I thought the ending was a bit abrupt and would have liked more of the mystery to come out， but， wow， what a book。
Holly
，
I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 The inside book jacket calls this a riveting page-turner and it is but it's so much more！ First and foremost it's an ode to music。 The author has created a book that absolutely awakens the appreciation of music and the love of music。 Kudos to him for making that front and center。 The characters are memorable and developed so well。 Ray， the main character， has many dimensions to him and he grows throughout the book as he matures gaining life experiences。 The suppor I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 The inside book jacket calls this a riveting page-turner and it is but it's so much more！ First and foremost it's an ode to music。 The author has created a book that absolutely awakens the appreciation of music and the love of music。 Kudos to him for making that front and center。 The characters are memorable and developed so well。 Ray， the main character， has many dimensions to him and he grows throughout the book as he matures gaining life experiences。 The supporting cast is very interesting and colorful。 The pacing of the book is pitch-perfect as it's a bit of a thriller to find the missing violin， but it also touches on such topics as the history of slavery， family greed， competition， and racism。 There's so much dignity and hope with Ray as he navigates in the face of adversity at every step。 It's his love and enjoyment of music that perseveres and makes this book such a success。 。。。more
Carol
，
I was all ‘in’ from the first page。 So many facets packed into this first novel by the author。 One of those books I was anxious to return to and at the same time not wanting to race to the finish。 Gives the reader a first hand view of the world of a struggling musician and especially one going unrecognized or overlooked due to race。 The family dynamics are so believable and well written。 The characters in the story are well developed and the emotions that draw you to each one whether in the nega I was all ‘in’ from the first page。 So many facets packed into this first novel by the author。 One of those books I was anxious to return to and at the same time not wanting to race to the finish。 Gives the reader a first hand view of the world of a struggling musician and especially one going unrecognized or overlooked due to race。 The family dynamics are so believable and well written。 The characters in the story are well developed and the emotions that draw you to each one whether in the negative or positive。 It was a bit of an eye opener to the inner workings of a person of color trying to make it into a world dominated percentage wise by those of another color or lack there of。 It was not a surprise to learn of the racial division in this particular genre’ but still found it even more then I imagined。 About a third of the way in I could see where the story was going to end as far as the culprit/s in the theft…but it was still intriguing enough to wonder if my assumption would be correct。 Highly recommend the book and look forward to future writings from this author。 。。。more
Sherry Monger
，
4。5。 It took me much longer to read The Violin Conspiracy than I would normally take……。mostly because I had to listen to the many classical pieces referenced in the story。 Ray is a Black violinist of remarkable talent whose Stradivarius is stolen shortly before the world famous Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow。 Violin concertos are my favourite form of classical music - I listened to hours of pieces as I read the novel。 The author is highly familiar with the music world and the racism people of 4。5。 It took me much longer to read The Violin Conspiracy than I would normally take……。mostly because I had to listen to the many classical pieces referenced in the story。 Ray is a Black violinist of remarkable talent whose Stradivarius is stolen shortly before the world famous Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow。 Violin concertos are my favourite form of classical music - I listened to hours of pieces as I read the novel。 The author is highly familiar with the music world and the racism people of colour are regularly subjected to。 A great read。 。。。more
Martha
，
The tale of a missing violin captures less attention than the story behind the violin and the dedicated musician， Ray， who has music in his bones。 Definitely not a thriller but a well-written story about love of music， difficult family relationships， music competitions and perseverance in the midst of trials。 You have to love Ray and his grandma Nora as they have good hearts and wonderful outlooks on life。 I couldn’t put the book down because I fell in love with Ray and wanted him to succeed AND The tale of a missing violin captures less attention than the story behind the violin and the dedicated musician， Ray， who has music in his bones。 Definitely not a thriller but a well-written story about love of music， difficult family relationships， music competitions and perseverance in the midst of trials。 You have to love Ray and his grandma Nora as they have good hearts and wonderful outlooks on life。 I couldn’t put the book down because I fell in love with Ray and wanted him to succeed AND find his violin。 So happy I bought this book。 。。。more
Robyn
，
started with so much potentialThis story started off with so much potential， the thriller aspect of it had me biting at the bits。 Even when the story just back in time and gave us the pov of ray’s love of music and his relationship with his family and how he got the violin was interesting。 But at some point maybe when the competition happened i feel the story dragged for a good 50-80 pages and i found myself skimming pages just to finish。 The racism was rough to get through but i think the autho started with so much potentialThis story started off with so much potential， the thriller aspect of it had me biting at the bits。 Even when the story just back in time and gave us the pov of ray’s love of music and his relationship with his family and how he got the violin was interesting。 But at some point maybe when the competition happened i feel the story dragged for a good 50-80 pages and i found myself skimming pages just to finish。 The racism was rough to get through but i think the author wanted us to really really know how unusual and tough it is for a POC especially a black person to be in concerts and orchestras。 I feel like this was supposed to be a thriller， then it was a historical fiction and then mystery， and a story about justice and in equality all rolled into one。 I think if less words would have been placed and some type of resolve with his family i would have been happier。 The way Ray’s family treated them and to just end up with that result in giving them the money。 And omg his trifling mom， I wanted more with that outcome。 That really upset me。 3。5 stars 。。。more
Sue
，
4。5 stars
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Violin Conspiracy
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Violin Conspiracy&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Violin Conspiracy&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0