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Gerald Elias

The blind musician pursues a deadly case of fraud among high-end violin dealers in this “consistently entertaining series” by the author of Devil’s Trill (Booklist).

When an anxious phone call from violinmaker Amadeo Borlotti disturbs Daniel Jacobus’s Christmas Eve festivities, he and his dear friends Nathaniel and Yumi make light of it. Surely whatever Amadeo needs to discuss can wait until morning. But shocking news arrives on Christmas Day: Borlotti’s home has burned to the ground and Borlotti himself has disappeared—with a fortune far beyond that of a humble violinmaker.

It seems Borlotti had more than his share of secrets. What began for him as an innocent mistake escalated into fraud and larceny. A helpless captive to his past indiscretions, he was consumed by them. Now it is up to Jacobus and his team to find out how and why.

In the fifth Daniel Jacobus mystery, the curmudgeonly, blind recluse “indulges his inner Sherlock in a low-key tale that examines music as metaphor, provides insights into the creation of world-class violins, and exposes how some people can turn arson and insurance fraud into lucrative careers” (Publishers Weekly).

“Readers … will enjoy a most unseasonal fable of the little insurance fraud that grew and grew. ” —Kirkus Reviews

Severn House

The Daniel Jacobus Mysteries

Playing with Fire

While teaching a master class at an elite music conservatory, the blind violinist and amateur sleuth give an extra lesson in how to catch a killer.

When the Kinderhoek Conservatory of Music in Upstate New York has a last-minute cancellation for its “Going for Baroque” festival, they call on virtuoso violinist Daniel Jacobus to sit in on panels and teach a master class. While his expertise in musicology is as noteworthy as his roster of former students, the reclusive curmudgeon’s brusk manner is a shock to the gentile Kinderhoek community. But not nearly as shocking as murder.

When a renowned faculty member dies of apparently natural causes, Jacobus’s finely attuned ear alerts him to the fact that something is terribly amiss. As he roots out false notes and false claims among the students and faculty, he soon discovers that beneath their civil tone is a secondary theme of harassment and deadly corruption.

“Readers will enjoy spending time in the company of the curmudgeonly Jacobus, and many will welcome the absence of fisticuffs, car chases, and Glocks” —Publishers Weekly

“A very good entry in a reliable series. ” —Booklist

Spring Break