There’s a lot to like about this Book, but a few things didn’t sit right with me. I really loved Ray’s character and was rooting for him the whole way through. But the timelines were a little disjointed for me: the book starts off in the present time when Ray’s prized violin goes missing. Then about 50% of the book is spent diving into Ray’s past and his family history as well as how he acquired the violin and his career leading up to the present. While that was interesting, it took me away from the suspense of the violin’s theft. 

The best parts of this story are Ray’s complicated family dynamics, his resilience and drive to be the best violinist in the world, and his experiences as a Black man. The author’s note mentions that some of Ray’s experiences are based on his own, and they were very powerful to me.

This is a debut novel by a professional musician. Overall this was a really interesting story, but I did figure out part of the mystery, and it was a bit too long for me to consider it a “thriller.” I would read the author’s next book in hopes that some of the editing is tightened up.