The Vanishing Violinist

Joan Spencer #4

by Sara Hoskinson Frommer

The disappearance of a Brazilian violinist in the entourage of her daughter's fiance drags Joan Spencer into the fray as she tries to clear her future son-in-law of a murder change

Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Music

229 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1999

Reviews

[L Y N N · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay read. The mystery was well done. It read rather like a “cosy” to me without much in-depth characterization. I didn’t enjoy it enough to read any more in the series.

[Mardi D · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was OK, not spectacular, just OK. I would read another of this author's books if I come across one.

[Ellen Marchessault · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in the Joan Spencer series of "cozy" mysteries. Joan has agreed to marry Fred Lindquist and Rebecca, Joan's daughter, surprises her with news of her own engagement. Rebecca's fiance is a violinst who is competing in the competition in Indianapolis. Another competitor's Stradivarius is stolen, then she herself disappears.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is about a 3.5 star book. I enjoyed the story and the setting. It revolves around a violin competition in Indiana. One of the contestants has her violin stolen and then goes missing herself. A good enough series, but not really anything special. Still, I liked this one.

[Mary Talbot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cozy up with a hot cup of tea. Hoskinson Frommer writes a nice, easy little read that is fun and relaxing. The enjoyable characters jump off the page. The author is an underrated, unknown little gem. Check her out!

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable cozy set in the Midwest.

[Marion Ziegler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Musical Interlude

I enjoyed the way Sara drew you into the concert world and explained the different steps needed for the competition with a little mystery thrown in

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things are heating up in Joan Spencer's life. The amateur viola player and oftentimes amateur detective's third outing in The Vanishing Violinist (1999) by Sara Hoskinson Frommer finds her finally planning a wedding to Lieutenant Fred Lindquist, being told that she's soon to be a mother-in-law, and landing in the middle of a mystery at the International Violin Competition in Indianapolis, Indiana. Joan lives in the small college town of Oliver but when she calls her daughter to tell Rebecca that she's planning a wedding, Rebecca has news of her own. She is engaged to a violin virtuoso who will be performing at the International Violin Competition. Rebecca wants her mom to meet up with Bruce in Indianapolis and give him some moral support during the competition. Joan winds up providing support for much more than just that....

When the Stradivarius violin belonging to one of Bruce's rivals disappears, he becomes a prime suspect. He had gone to Camila Pereira's host family's house to wish her luck before her first performance. As chance would have it, he was left alone (while she dressed for the competition) for a time period long enough to have snatched the violin from its case and stashed it somewhere. Then when the Brazilian beauty herself disappears the Indianapolis police are once again sizing him as a kidnapper. After an Oliver police officer is killed in a fatal hit-and-run accident, clues provided by local schoolchildren surface that make Joan believe answers may lie closer to her home than she'd like. She and Fred untangle the remaining threads that allow the Indy police to make a dramatic arrest on the night of the Competition's awards.

This is the first of the Joan Spencer series that I've read. I'm sure reading the first two would provide some backstory, but I didn't really feel like I had missed anything vital to the plot of novel number three. Frommer introduces the characters in such a way that readers can settle right in and feel like they already know these people. Joan is an engaging protagonist and her family and friends round out the recurring characters nicely. If the rest of the books are as interesting, then this definitely seems like a cozy series worth reading in its entirety. Not quite fair play in its cluing, but modern mysteries don't always follow such niceties. However, there are strong indications which the clever reader may pick up on. Good solid cozy mystery fare.

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