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Mystery Book Club

"The Violin Conspiracy" by Brendan Slocumb

Celebrate Black History Month by joining us for a discussion with a novel by Brendan Slocumb, an award-winning local author and teacher.

This novel is a mystery 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?

Raised in Fayetteville, NC, Brendan Slocumb holds a degree in music education with concentrations in violin and viola from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. For the past 23 years, he has been a public and private school music educator, teaching general music, orchestra and guitar ensembles. His debut mystery thriller, The Violin Conspiracy, was published in 2022 to glowing reviews and was selected as a Good Morning America Book Club Pick. Published in 2023, his follow up page turner, Symphony of Secrets, seeks to right a wrong when race intersects with the uncovering of a famous musical piece’s true composer.