4.5 out 5 books
THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY was a surprise for me. I didn’t know it was a mystery until I started reading it. It’s about Ray, who loves classical music and the violin. He wants to be a professional musician, but he doesn’t have a violin of his own. His grandma gives him her grandpa’s old violin, which turns out to be a rare and expensive Stradivarius.
Ray faces a lot of challenges because of his violin. His relatives fight over who should have it. Some people from the past claim it belongs to their family. Someone steals it right before his big competition, the International Tchaikovsky Competition. Ray must deal with all this while trying to practice and perform. He also faces racism and prejudice in the music world. He is determined to follow his passion and his gift.
I liked this book a lot. It was well written and showed how people can be greedy, how families can be complicated, and how racism can affect someone’s life. The book was sometimes slow, but I was always interested in what would happen next. This was the first book I read by Slocumb, and I want to read more of his work.
Reviewed by Paula Allen
