The Violin Conspiracy: A Novel (Good Morning America Book Club)

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK! Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the riseundeterred by the pressure and prejudice of the classical music worldwhen a shocking theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his great-great-grandfathers heirloom violin on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world. I loved The Violin Conspiracy for exactly the same reasons I loved The Queens Gambit: a surprising, beautifully rendered underdog hero I cared about deeply and a fascinating, cutthroat world I knew nothing aboutin this case, classical music. Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and Hour of the Witch Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillians life is already mapped out. But Ray has a gift and a dreamhes determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he cant afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music. When he discovers that his beat-up, family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, all his dreams suddenly seem within reach, and together, Ray and his violin take the world by storm. But on the eve of the renowned and cutthroat Tchaikovsky Competitionthe Olympics of classical musicthe violin is stolen, a ransom note for five million dollars left in its place. Without it, Ray feels like he's lost a piece of himself. As the competition approaches, Ray must not only reclaim his precious violin, but prove to himselfand the worldthat no matter the outcome, there has always been a truly great musician within him.