When first violinist Aaron Kortovsky, who is a bit of a playboy, does not return from his vacation in Peru, the quartet’s rehearsal schedule is disrupted. Jacobus is asked to find the violinist and when a severed finger appears in an instrument case, members of the quartet fear it may be Kortovsky’s, but they cannot imagine what message someone is trying to send them. When other musicians disappear and more severed body parts appear, Jacobus begrudgingly steps in, with some help from old friend Nathaniel Williams and a Peruvian detective, to untangle what is going on.  

There is much strife and drama among the quartet, from Kortovsky’s wife, to his replacement, a Russian who is also the cellist’s son. It seems strange that a group so at odds with itself would be able to perform cohesively as a small ensemble. The characters are not very sympathetic and Jacobus could be a very interesting character, but is often unpleasant and caustic rather than merely eccentric. His career as a violinist came to an abrupt halt when he became blind, leaving him to teach and listen to, in his opinion, subpar orchestras’ play the great classical composers. 

Yumi is an interesting young woman and offers a good counterpoint to her older teacher. The mystery is simply plotted, reminiscent of many traditional murder mysteries and will have a familiar feel to it. Elias, a virtuoso violinist himself, excels when writing about the classical music world – from the works of classical composers and history of those works, to the business end of classical performance and much insider lore offering much for readers who enjoy classical music.   

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry