There is a mystical bent to this novel that transcends the present and delves into the far distant past. One man wants the real precious violin.--another the letter left with it. This book will not turn out the way you think it will-far from it! It revolves around real art and forged art and those that deal in both at times and what some people will do to get their hands on the best of the best.
There is a violent assassin out there and FBI investigator Chris Clarke and his partner Chubbs Gonzales are tasked with finding this person and bringing him to justice. Along the way they also become increasingly involved with the Violin which has been called the Devil's Violin.
There is very little romance in this novel and in all honesty I think I would have liked a different cover for this book. All in all I enjoyed reading this book and think you might enjoy it also.
About the Book: (from Amazon)
The world’s most prized violin becomes the centerpiece of intrigue as FBI Special Investigator Chris Clarke and his partner Carlos “Chubbs” Gonzales weave their way through a maze containing a notorious assassin, Illuminati, secret documents, a master violin forger and his deceptive and charismatic daughter, a Hollywood film producer and one of L.A.’s finest and most neurotic sneak-thieves.
The chase across two continents resolves in an art gallery in the South of France for a shocker of an ending.
FBI Special Investigator Chris Clarke doesn’t like “…anything or anyone” in his way while working a case. In his seventeen years with the Bureau, he has dealt with everything from retrieving stolen works of art to tackling some of the world’s biggest scumbags.
With his diverse background of art evaluation and Desert Storm duty, Chris Clarke is ready for all comers. Only one fugitive haunts his thoughts: the notorious and ruthless assassin known only as “The Man in Black," whose trail of contract killings had never led law enforcement to anything but a figure lurking in the shadows.
One morning in August 2010, the “man in black” suddenly popped up, seen by witnesses in Cremona, Italy to have been in the area where a young violinist was found dead with his throat cut. Chris Clarke and Gonzales head off to Europe to track down the assassin while attempting to decode the mystery that lies behind the motive.
Weeks before, Hollywood movie-mogul Max Pendleton, who loves fine works of art, no matter how they are acquired, hires veteran sneak-thief Gus Edward Happy to fly to Europe and steal the most valuable violin in existence—the famed violin coveted by the Jimi Hendrix of the nineteenth century, Niccolo Paganini--thought to be in league with the devil because his genius was unexplainable in earthly terms.
Through a tangled web involving Illuminati, secret documents in the possession of Paganini at his death, a master violin forger and his deceptive daughter, thieves, and assassins, Clarke faces the challenge of his career as he and his partner Gonzales move across Italy to the South of France where pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place with the Devil’s Violin center stage, leading to a rapid-fire conclusion.
Read a Chapter or two here
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About the Author: (from Author's Website)
Born in San Diego, California in 1945, at the age of twenty-three, Arthur Johnson moved to Hollywood where he spent the next twenty-one years as a studio musician, composer for films and records and touring musician to the stars. In 2002, he moved to Monaco with his wife Patricia where he still resides along with residences in Nice and Montréal, Canada. He continues to perform and teach and has currently finished an autobiography entitled “Memoirs of a Sideman” and a novel, “The Devil’s Violin”.
(from Amazon) From jazz clubs smelling of stale beer to Carnegie Hall, the journey of Art Johnson has been diverse. As an accompanist to Luciano Pavarotti and Lena Horne, with credits for Grammy and Academy Award winning music, his background of world travel and experience has provided him with a story-telling nature which has produced his first novel, The Devil’s Violin.
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I received a paperback version of this book for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own honest opinions. For more information please check my Disclosure Statement. Our giveaways are in no way sponsored or promoted by Facebook.
27 comments :
Sounds like a great book! I love when the ends aren't what you would think!
If there is a naked woman on the cover of a book, I wont read it. No matter how good the story is. It's offensive.
For some reason this book doesn't grab my interest and I admit the cover isn't very appealing. I based my books a lot on the cover art and this one doesn't reach out to me. I'll have to pass on this one.
I thought it was going to be an erotic novel or something, judging from the book cover.
The cover doesn't do much for me. Not sure if I would want to read it. Plus based on your review not sure if I would enjoy it. THough, I have a friend who I think might like it!
I actually like the cover of this book... it will stand out on the shelve in the shop
I was just talking to a friend from church yesterday and told her I plan to try and play the violin sometime. Of course, curiosity killed the cat, so I would be anxious to know what the letter said he he
The cover is definitely misleading, but I'm a strong believer of don't judge a book by its cover :) So I may still check it out
Just by your reading your review I am interested in reading it. Thanks for sharing.
I want to read this one now!
The cover sort of freaks me out a bit, does not tell the story of what it is really about.
I love fine art too, but perhaps not to the same extent. ;) Sounds like a fun and intriguing read. You're a gem to share it.
That's quite the cover. That alone would suck me into this book. ;)
It does look like it would be a romance novel but your review makes it sound very suspenseful. Sounds like a great read.
The cover had me intrigue and then I read review adding it to my reading list.
I might just have to add this one to my summer reading list. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I agree with your thoughts on the cover too--sadly I've passed on a few books just because of the cover.
Like the other readers, I don't enjoy the cover. But it sounds like an interesting read!
Racy but I but the storyline sounds so good!
Oh I like the sound of this - even the cover art is drawing me in :) x
Very sensual cover! This sounds like a great book. Violin mystery is quite unique.
I think I would love to read this one, sounds very interesting!
I agree the cover looks steamy, sounds like an interesting book!
Sounds like an interesting book! Glad you mentioned the irony from the beginning. Maybe I'll take a look into this. Thanks for the review! :)
By just looking at the cover I wouldn't think it's a crime story. Very intriguing, not the common story you will read.
This story sounds like it has a little bit of every thrill and excitement.
The cover is kinda tricky. :) But sounds like a good read though.
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