Book Review: The Vanishing Violinist

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Vanishing Violinist     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Sara Hoskinson Frommer
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Woman Main Character   Amateur Sleuth
Series: Joan Spencer # 4
St. Martin’s Minotaur, Sep 1999, $23.95, 229 pp.

In Oliver, Indiana, Joan Spencer and police detective lieutenant Fred Lundquist plan to marry soon. Her happy daughter Rebecca informs Joan that she is engaged to marry violin expert Bruce Graham. Joan meets her future son-in-law when he competes in an international event in nearby Indianapolis. However, at the convention site, someone steals a precious Stradivarius from one of Bruce’s more talented rivals. Subsequently, that same individual soon vanishes. The police suspect Bruce is involved with the missing violin and person. This, in turn, places a cloud on the joyous occasion of meeting her daughter’s future spouse.

Since Rebecca insists her fiancé is innocent, Joan begins to investigate. Joan quickly learns that beneath the veneer of civilized behavior the contestants harbor deep rooted grudges and jealousies. This makes several of them prime suspects, at least in Joan’s mind, to commit both crimes.

The fourth Joan Spencer Midwest cozy is a wonderful mystery that retains the charm of the three previous novels due to the delightful lead protagonist. The support cast adds to the overall feeling of being at a musical competition. The mystery is fun, but the lyrical description of the musical competition is simply heaven, thus confirming that Sara Hoskinson Frommer is a virtuoso.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner