Rainaldi was a violin-maker and when he was discovered slumped over his workbench, murdered with one of his own chisels, both the police and his friends are at a loss to discover a motive. Then it comes to light that Rainaldi had believed he was on the track of an infamous Stradivari - twin to the one housed in the Asmolean Museum and subject to two hundred years of myth and rumour. With nothing else to go on his two close friends pick up the search from where he left off, and plunge headlong into a world where great musical instruments change hands for millions, where forgery is an art form and where murder is often a dealer's chosen method of negotiation.

Tension that resonates like flawlessly tuned strings ... complex and sumptuously pleasing. GUARDIAN A distinctly atmospheric thriller. MAIL ON SUNDAY The exotic settings and the background of the musical world help to add colour to an intriguing mystery that certainly gives value for money. IRISH TIMES An intelligent and civilised mystery... beautifully written, well plotted. SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Paul Adam is a journalist and the author of several novels. He has recently returned to the city of his birth after spending several years in Nottingham.