- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Time Warner Paperbacks; New edition edition (3 Oct 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0751534072
- ISBN-13: 978-0751534078
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.2 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 533,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
'Tension that resonates like flawlessly tuned strings … complex and sumptuously pleasing.' The Guardian
Product Description
Rainaldi was a violin-maker and when he was discovered slumped over his workbench, murdered with one of his own chisels, both the police and his friends are at a loss to discover a motive. Then it comes to light that Rainaldi had believed he was on the track of an infamous Stradivari - twin to the one housed in the Asmolean Museum and subject to two hundred years of myth and rumour. With nothing else to go on his two close friends pick up the search from where he left off, and plunge headlong into a world where great musical instruments change hands for millions, where forgery is an art form and where murder is often a dealer's chosen method of negotiation.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The easy-going pace of life for a group of 4 old friends who spend their time together enjoying gentle philosophising and playing string quartets is brutally disrupted by the violent murder of their oldest member - a 60-year-old violin maker, Tomaso Rainaldi. The plot follows the path taken by his friend and fellow luthier, Gianni, as he tries to find out what could possibly be behind the murder, enlisting the help of friend, cellist and detective, Antonio. It seems that the victim had been on the trail of the holy grail of violins, the Messiah, a priceless violin made by the legendary Stradivarius - is it a myth or a reality? Who else knew of its existence and how far would they go to find it?
You don't have to know anything about violins or indeed classical music to be totally captivated by this book. I found myself immersed in the mediteranean setting and completely compelled by the sympathetic main character, Gianni - feisty, intelligent, compassionate and middle-aged. It shows you don't have to have a virile young hunk leading the action to create a truly exciting, atmospheric and genuinely thrilling novel. Sleeper has all the tension and flawless research of Adam's Unholy Trinity combined with the breathless tension of his more recent Flashpoint. Bravo! Can't wait for more...
You don't have to know anything about violins or indeed classical music to be totally captivated by this book. I found myself immersed in the mediteranean setting and completely compelled by the sympathetic main character, Gianni - feisty, intelligent, compassionate and middle-aged. It shows you don't have to have a virile young hunk leading the action to create a truly exciting, atmospheric and genuinely thrilling novel. Sleeper has all the tension and flawless research of Adam's Unholy Trinity combined with the breathless tension of his more recent Flashpoint. Bravo! Can't wait for more...
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book is the same novel as The Rainaldi Quartet published in hardback. How confusing this makes ordering! A jolly good read as are all Paul Adam's books. Highly recommended but not if you are short of time - hard to put down!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The violin is not my favourite musical instrument so a murder mystery set around the Italian world of such fiddles did not suggest to me that this would be much to my taste.
How wrong was I? This is a delightful novel full of charm yet within there is the need to solve the crime of just who did kill one of a group of elderly friends and why. Obviously, a violin is involved in the subplot but no matter one's views, the violin on this occasion rises to the challenge beautifully,
I do know now much more about the instrument, the hugely talented luthiers and similarly talented collectors, though perhaps not the same sort of talent. I know, too, much more about Cremona.
The book has a gentle pace, interspersed with scary moments as two of the friendly quartet set about solving the case. It's a delightful journey toing and froing between Italy and England, drinking a good many bottles of wine and yet, managing ultimately to source the answers. It made a very welcome change from my usual foray into the blood and guts of the current thrillers, so I shall make every effort to read another of Paul Adam's novels; possibly, next time, not involving the vioiln.
How wrong was I? This is a delightful novel full of charm yet within there is the need to solve the crime of just who did kill one of a group of elderly friends and why. Obviously, a violin is involved in the subplot but no matter one's views, the violin on this occasion rises to the challenge beautifully,
I do know now much more about the instrument, the hugely talented luthiers and similarly talented collectors, though perhaps not the same sort of talent. I know, too, much more about Cremona.
The book has a gentle pace, interspersed with scary moments as two of the friendly quartet set about solving the case. It's a delightful journey toing and froing between Italy and England, drinking a good many bottles of wine and yet, managing ultimately to source the answers. It made a very welcome change from my usual foray into the blood and guts of the current thrillers, so I shall make every effort to read another of Paul Adam's novels; possibly, next time, not involving the vioiln.
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