The Violin Conspiracy

The Violin Conspiracy is the debut novel by classical musician Brendan Slocumb. It follows a young Black musician on the rise and the theft of a priceless heirloom violin. The novel deals with themes of racism, family, greed and commerce, and the value of art. This study guide is for the 2022 paperback edition from Knopf Doubleday.

Content Warning: This novel contains discussions of racism and enslavement, graphic descriptions of torture, and allusions to sexual assault.

Plot Summary

Ray McMillian is a young Black violin player preparing to take on the world-famous Tchaikovsky Competition in a few months’ time. He’s staying with his girlfriend, Nicole, at a hotel in New York. After he returns home from New York, he opens his violin case to discover the violin is missing, and a ransom note for $5 million was left in its place. Very quickly, the theft is picked up by the FBI and the press because Ray’s violin was a priceless Stradivarius worth $10 million. Ray knows that there are two likely suspects in the theft: the Marks family and his own blood relatives. He goes to confront his mother to see if she knows anything about his missing violin, and he becomes ostracized from his family.

The novel moves to the past, a few years prior to the theft. Ray’s mother is encouraging him to graduate early and get a minimum-wage job. She discourages his music because she thinks it’s too unreliable. A friend in his school orchestra, Aiden, invites Ray to play a wedding show with his quartet for $200. The show is a success, but Ray is accosted by a racist guest who doesn’t want him there. The experience is traumatizing and exposes Ray to a new and dangerous level of systemic racism. He begins playing more shows with Aiden and bringing in more money. When the holidays arrive, Ray and his mother go to see his grandma, Nora, who is his favorite and most supportive family member. Unlike the rest of his family, she enjoys Ray’s playing because it reminds her of her own grandfather, Leon, who was enslaved by the Marks family and a talented musician. Grandma Nora tells Ray that she still has Leon’s old fiddle, and Ray spends his visit searching for it. He’s unsuccessful, but Grandma Nora surprises him with the violin as a Christmas present.

Ray joins his regional orchestra where college scouts often visit seeking new talent. He’s mostly ignored because of his skin, but a Black violin professor, Janice, offers him a full scholarship to her university. Ray’s mother forbids him to go, but he ignores her and embarks on a rigorous program of study. Because he didn’t receive the same level of private education as other music students, Janice offers him special attention to help him catch up. Meanwhile, his grandmother passes away from lung cancer. As his career progresses, he brings in his violin to be professionally restored and learns that it’s actually a priceless Stradivarius. He becomes an overnight sensation and prepares to take on the highest level in the classical music world: the Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia. His family becomes increasingly demanding of financial aid, and his career gains international renown. However, he’s contacted by the siblings Andrea and Dante Marks, descendants of the family that enslaved Leon, who claim that his violin is actually their stolen property.

Ray deals with regular discrimination and prejudice throughout his career trajectory. In one extreme incident, he’s stopped on his way to a performance by a police officer for making an illegal lane change and taken to prison for the night. Not long after, he meets Nicole, a musician in a small orchestra, and they have an immediate connection. They begin seeing each other regularly. As the Markses become increasingly desperate, Ray prepares to take on the competition until the day his violin is stolen. He is devastated, but he buys a provisional violin and moves forward. He launches a crowdfunding site to earn the ransom money and uses every opportunity to reach out to his fans for support. Once at the competition, Ray progresses through to the final round and ultimately places second—a historic accomplishment for a Black American violinist. As he celebrates his victory, he discovers a continuity error in Nicole’s past and decides to investigate her. He learns that she was already involved with someone when they met, and he is able to track down the man, who lives nearby. Ray breaks into his house and discovers keys to a storage facility, where he finds his missing violin. He also discovers a recorded account of the Marks family’s torture of Leon’s family, which persuades the Marks siblings to leave Ray alone. In the aftermath, Nicole and her boyfriend are given a jail sentence, and Ray goes on to inspire others with his music.