The Case of Einstein's Violin

by William L. Sullivan

In this wacky mystery, half of a missing Einstein formula turns up in a violin case in an Oregon attic. When Ana Smyth sells the case on eBay she suddenly finds herself dodging international spies. To find the rest of the formula and uncover the truth about her own family history, she races through Europe -- from a Greek monastery to an Italian cyclotron, the Slovenian Alps, and the German city where Einstein was born.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller

Paperback

First published April 1, 2007

About the author

Sullivan completed his B.A. in English at Cornell University, studied linguistics at Germany's Heidelberg University, and earned an M.A. in German at the University of Oregon.
In 1985 he backpacked 1000 miles across Oregon's wilderness. His journal of that adventure, "Listening for Coyote", topped the New York Times' year-end review of travel books and was chosen one of the 100 most significant books in Oregon history.
Since then he has written many novels, hiking guidebooks, and historical works. His memoir, "Cabin Fever", describes the 25 summers he and his wife Janell spent building a log cabin by hand along a roadless river in the wilds of Oregon's Coast Range. Each summer he still lives and writes at the cabin.
Sullivan reads in seven languages, plays the pipe organ, undertakes backcountry ski expeditions, and volunteers to support libraries.

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rec. by: Previous work, and by the author himself at the Portland Book Festival, in 2023
Rec. for: Trailblazers and puzzle-solvers

It's almost unfair, really. William L. Sullivan's nonfictional trail guides are already some of the best gateways to hiking in the Pacific Northwest—but he's also really good at fiction, too! The Case of Einstein's Violin is the second Sullivan novel I've read, and I enjoyed it even more than The Case of the Reborn Bhagwan, which I encountered back in 2017 (back when the Festival Formerly Known as Wordstock was still just named Wordstock).

From its title pun onward, The Case of Einstein's Violin is lively, fast-paced and broad-ranging, global in scope but remaining intimate in focus.

Two fast friends, Ana Smyth and Harmony Ferguson, are our viewpoint characters. Harmony may be the prettier and more popular of the pair, but she's also good-natured—more than willing to play sidekick, smart and willing to help out when Ana decides she needs to go to Europe. Ana's great-aunt Margret (if that is her real name) has just passed away, and part of her legacy is a... collection of gnomes? Sure, whatever. There's also a violin case that could, quite plausibly, have belonged to Albert Einstein. The case has no violin inside, but it might well contain something else of Einstein's...

The Case of Einstein's Violin is also science fiction—the McGuffin is a scientific formula written by Albert Einstein and possibly secreted within that violin case, a formula that could unify gravity with other forces and maybe even produce a "gravity bomb." Sullivan integrates the mysteries of quantum physics into his plot with a lot of skill, never wandering too far into the weeds of exposition.

It also helps, I think, that as Ana and Harmony trade chapters for most of the book, they're a lot more interested in the other aspects of Ana's great-aunt Margret's gnomic legacy... and in the men they meet along the way.

Ana and Harm's globe-trotting adventures include some time in Florence, Italy, a city I've experienced briefly myself, and as far as I can tell Sullivan gets this part right—which makes me feel more confident about the parts I don't have direct experience of, such as Trieste in northern Italy, and Ulm, Germany, and even Eugene, Oregon (where Sullivan's based, although I've only visited it a few times).

Plus, The Case of Einstein's Violin is often just downright funny...

"Am I the only one who thinks SMART cars are dumb?"
—p.155

(Although I think it's more that smart cars don't guarantee smart drivers...)

At any rate, I'm glad I bought my own copy of The Case of Einstein's Violin—it was a pretty good read!

[Leonide Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ana and her friend Harmony, both school teachers in their thirties, were living average lives in Eugene, Oregon until Ana inherited an old violin case from her mother’s mysterious boarder. Purported to be Einstein’s violin case (missing violin), this plus some other odd German elf figurines send the women on a quest to find Ana’s supposedly long-dead father. Clues lead to a Greek monastery on a remote island, where indeed the father lives but is not receptive to Ana. From there the quest weaves through Italy to a research facility exploring quantum gravity, the formula thought somehow attached to the violin case. Pursued by mysterious villains also seeking Einstein’s quantum gravity formula, the women and men friends careen through the Alps into Germany and possibly find Ana’s relatives. The plot thickens and culminates in a strange dinner party in an ancient castle where everyone must reveal a deep secret—and the truth comes out.

It is a fun and captivating story with lots of mystery and action. The author tells the story first person from the two women’s viewpoints, alternating chapters between Ana and Harmony. I found this confusing, since the women’s voices sounded too similar. Their personalities were quite different but not their style of first person, and sometimes I had to go back to chapter headings to remember who was speaking. The end held some surprises and worked out satisfactorily, though quantum gravity’s secrets were not completely unlocked.

[Marie Carmean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fun romp through the world of mystery laced with fantasy. I don't often read contemporary fiction but found the premise to be intriguing. A young woman, Ana, decides to sell the items her great aunt left her in her will so she can finance a trip to Greece to find her father. Unknown to her the old beat up violin case had belonged to Einstein and when it appears for sale on ebay suddenly everyone seems to be trying to get a hold of a secret formula for quantum gravity that was rumored to be in the case. Her life is in danger as well. Ana and her friend, Harmony, try to solve this mystery and find out at the same time about Ana's family and why her father disappeared. All the while they try to keep from being killed. The plot is complex and has a lot of clever twists. Some of it is as I said somewhat fantastical but if you approach the book as pure escapist fare, you end up enjoying it a great deal, as I did.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much fun. A mystery full of physics and not much or any of murder. Whats not to love. The book was very well written and quite entertaining. I read it over 2 days and it was a blast. I wish I could give it more stars. It includes a cyclotron, spies,a baroness, black holes and an imaginary dog who perhaps was not so imaginary.

[Rusty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two friends, Ana and Harmony, find themselves involved in a strange situation involving a violin case said to be once owned by Albert Einstein. The case is supposed to have a secret formula focusing on the use of gravity which several people including physicists and spies want. Of course, there are chases and strange encounters with those who are certain that the formula is hidden in the case or that Ana has it herself. The tale winds around the crazy antics and experiences of the two women as they work to avoid these individuals and look for the formula which neither the womon nor those who want the formula cannot find. Obtained the book from a friend who was happy to share it. This is the author of another book I need to check out: Listening for Coyote: A Walk Across Oregon's Wilderness

[Dana Berglund · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an ambitious mystery novel, with many motives, clues, and mistaken identities bringing the reader on a trip through family history, scientific possibilities, and the Europe of WWII. To further stretch out reading capacity, chapters are (not exactly alternately) from the perspectives of three different characters. It's a lot to carry around, a lot to keep in order, and a lot to figure out by the end. Perhaps that's the hallmark of a good mystery novel...?
I am not sure how or when I ended up with a copy of this book on my shelf, but this summer it declared itself ready to be read. The author is well-known in Oregon for his hiking books (frequently heard in the car, heading toward the woods: "Did you remember to bring the Sullivan?"), but I hadn't known he was also a mystery writer. as afr as local ties go, the book begins in Eugene and has enough details to be amusing. Most of the book, though, is a romp/run/chase through Europe. About halfway through, the tension finally gripped me, and I finished the book in only two more sittings.
The characters were interesting enough, the wordplay interesting enough, and the intrigue interesting enough to keep me attached as it all unfolded. I had some suspicions about the ending, but I think it's all worked out now. Lots of loose ends to tie up, and I think I finally understand it!

[John Orman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talk about weird objects selling on eBay--how about Einstein's violin case? That arouses the interest of spies, and sends the seller traveling around the world, seeking "a lost formula for quantum gravity"! Oregon author William Sullivan is better known for his non-fiction describing the wonders of hiking and living in the Pacific Northwest, but his second novel is quite entertaining and keeps up a good pace.

[Robert Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up based on the title. It made me think of all those mysteries I read as a kid. You know, like The Three Investigators and the Case of the Dancing Dinosaur, or the Hardy Boys. What you get is closer to The 39 Steps with and a hunt and chase around the globe for clues to Einstein's violin CASE and a missing formula. The title design is a complete misnomer. Other than that I enjoyed the romp.

[Karen Smith]

Having just listened to Bill Sullivan's talk in person I couldn't help but check out a few of his books. This one turned out to be a little interesting story with a full complex of twists and turns...I enjoyed it.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mystery where nobody dies, but a woman uncovers her past.
Told from the viewpoint of two different women, both of whom find romance.
And Einstein's formula for gravity.

[Pam Joslin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick romp, reminiscent of tales by a campfire gone crazy. I enjoyed reading this from one of my favorite hiking authors.