The Violin Conspiracy(108)

Twenty-five years of the absolute best students on the face of the earth deserve all my heartfelt thanks and love. You guys have been instrumental in shaping me to be the best teacher I could be—from “rap sessions” to kickball games between concerts to Power Stone 2 tournaments. Some of the best, most impactful moments of my life have been because of you guys, and I deeply appreciate every minute I’ve spent with you. David, Schotzee is in the house!

Colossal amounts of love and thanks go to Glenn Fry, who has supported me through every step of this process. The encouraging words, the push to explore aspects of this story I never even considered. Thank you with all my heart. I love you.

An immense thank-you to Dr. Dean Maynard for your kindness and kinship. You did so much for me when I needed it most. I love you, bro.

I can say with all confidence that Dr. Rachel Vetter Huang is the reason for so many good things in my life. I literally can’t say thank you enough. Thank you for teaching me how to play the violin. Thank you for teaching me how to teach. Thank you for believing in me and instilling a confidence that I had no idea existed. Thank you for allowing me to make mistakes and for steering me back on track. Thank you for making it easy to write Dr. Janice Stevens, one of the most important characters in this book. Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you.

A tremendous thank-you to Dr. Hao Huang: You always pushed me to be better and to do more. You showed me that something worth doing is worth doing to the best of my abilities.

Tom Schleef, you are gone too soon. Because of you, I’m still here. You meant so much to so many. Your dedication, love, and friendship got me through the worst of times. I am forever grateful. Rest in peace, my friend.

Sachi Rosenbaum, you could teach a course on how to be a great friend. You stood by me with some of the most heartfelt, kindest, most timely words I’ve ever read. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for your selfless acts of giving in the name of friendship.

Ralph Brooker and Jeannie Perron, true friends: Thank you for supporting me in so many different ways. From hospital buddies to quartet partners to hummus tasters. I love you both.

So many people selflessly gave me their time and insights as I researched and learned about violins and the dark world of stolen antiques and antiquities. First and foremost, thanks to Bobby Reed of Hiscox Insurance for insights into how insurance companies deal with incredibly expensive violins. Thanks to Chris Marinelli, Douglas Bort, Mark Kohanski, and, above all, Robert Wittman for sharing their wisdom, experience, insights, and stories. Talking to all of you made it very clear that I’d never make it as an art thief—you were always three steps ahead of me.

A special thanks to Kelly Hall-Tompkins for sharing stories of not only her triumph and success but also her ever-present struggles. Your perspectives helped shape the more difficult subjects I tackled in this novel.

A shout-out to my band, Geppetto’s Wüd, and my gaming alliance, DB4E. I love you guys!

Ian Scott William Hargis Bouvier: I love you, buddy. Look at me!

Aim: I love you, dude. You know DC just hasn’t been the same without you.

Finally, massive thanks to the Anchor Books team: to my editor, Editorial Director Edward Kastenmeier, whose keen and thoughtful editing made this novel vastly stronger than it had been; to Publisher Suzanne Herz and Associate Publisher Beth Lamb, whose faith in me is both humbling and astonishing; to Editor Caitlin Landuyt, whose insights into Ray’s relationship with his violin really transformed the narrative. Production Editor Kayla Overbey and copy editor Lisa Davis: Your eagle eyes caught thousands of errors, and your graciousness allows me to seem vastly smarter than I am. Thank you, thank you, to Publicity Director James Meader, Director of Marketing Jessica Deitcher, and Social Media Manager Alexa Thompson for your creativity and tirelessness, and to Mark Abrams for designing such a dazzling cover. To all of you at Anchor: I am so proud to be one of your authors.





About the Author


Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and holds a degree in music education (concentrations on violin and viola) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. For more than twenty years he has been a public and private school music educator for kindergarten through twelfth grade, teaching general music, band, orchestra, and guitar ensembles. As a violinist, Brendan has performed with orchestras throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC. He has also been a frequent adjudicator and guest conductor for district and regional orchestras.

Brendan’s a fitness buff who collects comic books and action figures and, in his spare time, performs with his rock band, Geppetto’s Wüd.

He is currently working on his second novel.