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Published Aug 2010
288 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
Daniel Jacobus, reclusive blind concert master and amateur sleuth, returns to solve a most despicable crime and to clear an innocent man.
Just after his Carnegie Hall swansong and before his imminent departure for retirement in France, beloved violinist and humanitarian Rene Allard is brutally murdered with a mysterious weapon. His young African American rival, crossover artist BTower, is spotted at the scene of the crime hovering over the contorted body of Allard with blood on his hands. In short order the aloof and arrogant BTower is convicted and sentenced to death, in part the result of the testimony of blind and curmudgeonly violin pedagogue Daniel Jacobus, like millions of others, an ardent admirer of Allard. Justice has been served…or has it? Jacobus is dragged back into the case kicking and screaming, and reluctantly follows a trail of broken violins and broken lives as it leads inexorably to the truth, and to his own mortal peril.
"The refreshingly caustic Jacobus, a cast of superbly drawn supporting characters, an interesting classical music milieu accessible to aficionados and neophytes alike... an engrossing read." - Publishers Weekly
"Elias’s debut, Devil's Trill, was a great reading experience; his new book is outstanding. A musical feast for mystery and music lovers." - Library Journal
"Elias is no stylist, but the twists and turns of his plotting will keep readers guessing." - Booklist
"A scrambled plot with far too many references to Jacobus's debut, but there are riveting insights into violin bowing, maestros' mannerisms and the interpretation of musical scores." - Kirkus
This information about Danse Macabre was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Melanie Patton
A graduate of Yale, Gerald Elias has been a Boston Symphony violinist, Associate Concertmaster of the Utah Symphony, adjunct professor of music at the University of Utah, first violinist of the Abramyan String Quartet, and Music Director of the Vivaldi Candlelight concert series. He is also the author of the Daniel Jacobus Mystery series - the first volume of which, Devil's Trill, was selected by Barnes and Noble for their 2009 Discover Great New Writers catalog, and the second, Danse Macabre, was hailed as one of the top five mysteries in 2010 by Library Journal.
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