GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK! • Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the
rise—undeterred by the pressure and prejudice of the classical music world—when a shocking
theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his great-great-grandfather’s heirloom violin
on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world.I loved The Violin
Conspiracy for exactly the same reasons I loved The Queen’s Gambit: a surprising beautifully
rendered underdog hero I cared about deeply and a fascinating cutthroat world I knew nothing
about—in this case classical music.” —Chris Bohjalian #1 New York Times bestselling author of
The Flight Attendant and Hour of the WitchGrowing up Black in rural North Carolina Ray
McMillian’s life is already mapped out. But Ray has a gift and a dream—he’s determined to
become a world-class professional violinist and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother
who wants him to stop making such a racket not the fact that he can’t afford a violin suitable
to his talents not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music. When he discovers
that his beat-up family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius all his dreams suddenly
seem within reach and together Ray and his violin take the world by storm. But on the eve of
the renowned and cutthroat Tchaikovsky Competition—the Olympics of classical music—the violin
is stolen a ransom note for five million dollars left in its place. Without it Ray feels like
he's lost a piece of himself. As the competition approaches Ray must not only reclaim his
precious violin but prove to himself—and the world—that no matter the outcome there has
always been a truly great musician within him.
