Well into his middle years, Gianni Castiglione has a pleasant, quiet life in Cremona. A luthier—a maker and repairer of violins—he spends most of his time adoring his grandchildren and playing chamber-quartets with the local priest, the chief of police, and a fellow aging luthier, Tomaso Rainaldi.
A true romantic, Rainaldi is in thrall to music’s myths, particularly the stories about the “Messiah’s Sister,” a priceless, centuries-old, and possibly imaginary violin. But his end is anything but romantic: the old fellow is brutally murdered and his workroom destroyed. It soon becomes clear that Rainaldi’s violins had something to do with his death, and while the police-chief, Guastafeste, knows little about the luthier’s world, Castiglione has the knowledge he needs.
Following the clues will take the two men to a decaying Venetian palazzo, to an English country estate, and deep into musical history, as they hunt for a secretive collector, a collection of letters, a mysterious portrait, and, perhaps…the Messiah’s Sister itself.
The first of two books featuring Castiglione and Guastafeste, The Rainaldi Quartet is a great choice for classical music lovers.
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“A fascinating historical journey into the mystery of a legendary lost violin” — Sunday Telegraph
“Adam has constructed this tale with all the care and craftsmanship that Stradivari put into his instruments” — Publishers Weekly
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Paperback Price: $14.95
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Shipping Information: Felony & Mayhem charges $3 for the first book shipped within the Continental U.S., with an additional $1 for each additional book; shipping is free on orders of 6 books or more. For shipments outside the Continental U.S., please e-mail Felony & Mayhem.
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About Felony & Mayhem Press:
Felony & Mayhem Press (F&M) recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Founder Maggie Topkis owned a mystery bookshop in NYC’s Greenwich Village for nearly 20 years, and F&M is a direct descendant of that store. She loves the press — and is thrilled to bring back into print many books that had wrongly been disappeared from bookshelves — but she misses making recommendations to readers. She’s proud to note that F&M has had four books shortlisted for the Edgar Award (the Oscars of the mystery-world), and is delighted to have more than 300 titles in print.
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