The Rainaldi Quartet
(original UK title: Sleeper)
Cremona Mysteries Book 1
A murder-mystery about the search for a long-lost, priceless violin, The Rainaldi Quartet strikes a highly original chord in the canon of thrillers. Accompanied by two centuries of myth, music and mystery, it provides a fascinating glimpse into a closed world – played at a rhythm that is fast-paced, furious and unforgettable.
An intelligent, civilised mystery… beautifully written, a real pleasure to read. Sunday Telegraph, London.
Tension that resonates like flawlessly tuned strings. The Guardian, London.
Tomaso Rainaldi, an elderly, unassuming violin maker in the quiet Italian city of Cremona is brutally murdered. His friend and fellow-violin maker, Gianni Castiglione, begins to investigate the death, discovering a link to the fabled Messiah violin, Stradivari’s most sublime creation, the Mona Lisa of the music world.
As Gianni probes deeper, he finds himself involved in a sequence of startling events that leads to another murder, a mysterious Englishman and an unscrupulous violin dealer. A train of events that careers across Italy and England as Gianni becomes a player in a game where musical instruments change hands for millions, where forgery is an art form and the preferred method of negotiation is murder…
The book was originally published in the UK as Sleeper by Time-Warner Books. Sleeper is also available in audio edition.
The Rainaldi Quartet is published in the USA in paperback by Felony and Mayhem and is also available in Kindle edition from Amazon.
Other Cremona Mysteries
