Well into his middle years, Gianni Castiglione has a pleasant, quiet life in Cremona. A luthier – a maker and repairer of violins – he spends most of his time adoring his grandchildren and playing chamber-quartets with the local priest, the chief of police, and a fellow aging luthier, Tomaso Rainaldi.

A true romantic, Rainaldi is in thrall to music’s myths, particularly the stories about the “Messiah’s Sister,” a priceless, centuries-old – and possibly imaginary – violin. But his end is anything but romantic; the old fellow is brutally murdered and his workroom destroyed. It soon becomes clear that Rainaldi’s violins had something to do with his death, and while the police-chief, Guastafeste, knows little about the luthier’s world, Castiglione has the knowledge he needs.

Following the clues will take the two men to a decaying Venetian palazzo, to an English country estate, and deep into musical history, as they hunt for a secretive collector, a collection of letters, a mysterious portrait, and, perhaps…the Messiah’s Sister itself.

“A fascinating historical journey into the mystery of a legendary lost violin” – Sunday Telegraph (UK)

“From the first stirring theme to the last fading chord, mystery fans and music lovers alike will be captivated by Adam’s excellent contemporary thriller…Adam has constructed this tale with all the care and craftsmanship that Stradivari put into his instruments” – Publisher’s Weekly

“You don’t have to know a Stradivarius from a Guarneri to be amazed and delighted by Paul Adam’s new mystery, The Rainaldi Quartet. Adam makes everything about violins – the people who create them, play them, collect them, fake them, kill for them – as natural as breathing” – Chicago Tribune