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Castiglione and Guastafeste #2
Paganini's Ghost
Paganini – showman, womanizer, dazzling virtuoso – is one of the most charismatic characters in the history of classical music. His violin, il Cannone (the Cannon), is now kept in Genoa, Italy, where it is played only once every two years in a sold-out concert by the winner of an international competition. This year, though, a Parisian art dealer is found dead in his hotel room the day after the concert. In his wallet is a scrap of sheet music, torn from a page that belongs to the competition’s winner. But how did the dead man get hold of it? And why? Detective Antonio Guastafeste asks violin maker Gianni Castiglione to help him navigate the curious world of classical musicians, their priceless instruments, and the unsavory dealers who prey upon them. Together, Antonio and Gianni must unravel another mystery that has gone unanswered for over a century, one that may hold the answer to the modern-day murder. Filled with remarkable history and musical lore, Paganini’s Ghost plays at a breathtaking tempo that will keep you reading until the very last page.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
9 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
About the author
Paul Adam
273 books35 followersLibrarian's Note: There is more than one author with this name on Goodreads database.
- Paul Adam is an English writer of novels for both adults and younger readers. He studied law at Nottingham University, then began a career in journalism, working both in England, in his childhood town of Sheffield, and Rome. Since then he has written 11 critically acclaimed thrillers for adults and the Max Cassidy series of thrillers for younger readers about a teenage escapologist, the first of which, Escape from Shadow Island, won the Salford Children's Book Award. His books have sold widely around the world and have been translated into several foreign languages. He has also written film and television scripts. Adam lived in Nottingham for many years but now lives in Sheffield with his wife and two children.
- Paul Adam is an English writer of novels for both adults and younger readers. He studied law at Nottingham University, then began a career in journalism, working both in England, in his childhood town of Sheffield, and Rome. Since then he has written 11 critically acclaimed thrillers for adults and the Max Cassidy series of thrillers for younger readers about a teenage escapologist, the first of which, Escape from Shadow Island, won the Salford Children's Book Award. His books have sold widely around the world and have been translated into several foreign languages. He has also written film and television scripts. Adam lived in Nottingham for many years but now lives in Sheffield with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
April 27, 2010
The pleasure for me in mysteries these days, as often as not, is not the mystery itself but the setting, research and characters. Paul Adam's Paganini's Ghost succeeds admirably: a fast, charming read about music, history, and love.
Set mostly in northern Italy, the tale is from the point of view of Giovani Castiglione, an aging luthier and gentle widower whose primary interest is in the violins he builds and repairs. His detective friend Antonio Guastafeste is there to provide the requisite police procedural elements to the story, but Castiglione's is the more curious and interesting character.
There are, of course, the requisite dead bodies to be explained with questionable characters and motives rotating on and off stage, but for me the better tale is Castiglione's investigation of the provenance and contents of a 200-year-old, mysterious, hand-crafted box. Both tales are heavily dependent on the history of noted violinist and composer Nicolo Paganini, his music, and his many loves.
If I had to compare this tale to something, it reminded me most of The Flanders Panel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, another mystery that is as much about a historical object as about the people involved.
It's a fine read. Apparently this is the second book in a series. I'm looking forward to reading the first.
Set mostly in northern Italy, the tale is from the point of view of Giovani Castiglione, an aging luthier and gentle widower whose primary interest is in the violins he builds and repairs. His detective friend Antonio Guastafeste is there to provide the requisite police procedural elements to the story, but Castiglione's is the more curious and interesting character.
There are, of course, the requisite dead bodies to be explained with questionable characters and motives rotating on and off stage, but for me the better tale is Castiglione's investigation of the provenance and contents of a 200-year-old, mysterious, hand-crafted box. Both tales are heavily dependent on the history of noted violinist and composer Nicolo Paganini, his music, and his many loves.
If I had to compare this tale to something, it reminded me most of The Flanders Panel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, another mystery that is as much about a historical object as about the people involved.
It's a fine read. Apparently this is the second book in a series. I'm looking forward to reading the first.
September 19, 2020
3 Stars // 77%
Paganini's Ghost works as a murder mystery, a treasure hunt, an engrossing dip into music history and classical music lore, and a fast-paced thriller set in the Italian countryside. At its center are multiple moving pieces and intricate plot threads that ultimately culminate into one solid, albeit a tad too convenient, conclusion. It is certainly one of the more clever books I've read this year.
Throughout the book, Paul Adams sprinkles in bits and pieces of 19th-century music culture, and though I would consider myself fairly knowledgeable regarding this subject, Adams still managed to surprise me. He offers up a handful of myths about Paganini, Rossini, and countless more composers I'm sure you've heard of, and it is truly up to you to separate fact from fiction. I imagine that both musicians and non-musicians alike would get a kick out of this.
All that being said, the writing was quite blunt and lacked a certain air of grace. The atmosphere of Paganini's Ghost was elegant, and I had expected Adam's prose to be the same way —it was a jarring contrast, really. That, combined with the elaborate, convoluted plot, made the story a little hard to get into. I prefer my books to take me away on a journey, yet I couldn't truly do that with this one. This lowered the rating from four stars to a high three stars.
Other than that, there's not much else to say. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in classical music, regardless of whether you play an instrument or have read the previous installment in the series. (I personally have not but will be remedying that soon!)
Paganini's Ghost works as a murder mystery, a treasure hunt, an engrossing dip into music history and classical music lore, and a fast-paced thriller set in the Italian countryside. At its center are multiple moving pieces and intricate plot threads that ultimately culminate into one solid, albeit a tad too convenient, conclusion. It is certainly one of the more clever books I've read this year.
Throughout the book, Paul Adams sprinkles in bits and pieces of 19th-century music culture, and though I would consider myself fairly knowledgeable regarding this subject, Adams still managed to surprise me. He offers up a handful of myths about Paganini, Rossini, and countless more composers I'm sure you've heard of, and it is truly up to you to separate fact from fiction. I imagine that both musicians and non-musicians alike would get a kick out of this.
All that being said, the writing was quite blunt and lacked a certain air of grace. The atmosphere of Paganini's Ghost was elegant, and I had expected Adam's prose to be the same way —it was a jarring contrast, really. That, combined with the elaborate, convoluted plot, made the story a little hard to get into. I prefer my books to take me away on a journey, yet I couldn't truly do that with this one. This lowered the rating from four stars to a high three stars.
Other than that, there's not much else to say. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in classical music, regardless of whether you play an instrument or have read the previous installment in the series. (I personally have not but will be remedying that soon!)
January 7, 2012
Excellent writing, excellent story, and excellent research made for this book to be referred as "Superb" by Publishers Weekly and I completely agree with the sentiment.
Again, we have our crime fighting duo of friends, Gianni and Guastafeste in their second crime puzzle. Gianni, who is in fact, Dr. Giovanni Battista Castiglione, a violin maker of some repute is fond of his policeman friend, Guastefeste and they used to play quartets with their instruments.
The book opens with Dr. Gianni fixing one of Nicolo Paganini's Guarneri "del Gesu". In fact the violin brought to him is the world's most famous and expensive violin known as "Il Cannone." As a Thank You gift, Gianni is given tickets to the concert where it will be played.
Gianni asks his Ladyfriend, Margherita and Guastafeste, a Homicide Dectective, who also plays in the quartet, to join him. Meeting all sorts of persons at the reception, little do either man realize that they will become involved in solving murders, thefts of golden boxes and violins, and intrigue that surrounded Italy and France in the late 1870's to 1900's.
The history of the times and places that Paganini and others is colorfully expressed in this book and lends credibility to the story within. This was a 'Superb' book!
Again, we have our crime fighting duo of friends, Gianni and Guastafeste in their second crime puzzle. Gianni, who is in fact, Dr. Giovanni Battista Castiglione, a violin maker of some repute is fond of his policeman friend, Guastefeste and they used to play quartets with their instruments.
The book opens with Dr. Gianni fixing one of Nicolo Paganini's Guarneri "del Gesu". In fact the violin brought to him is the world's most famous and expensive violin known as "Il Cannone." As a Thank You gift, Gianni is given tickets to the concert where it will be played.
Gianni asks his Ladyfriend, Margherita and Guastafeste, a Homicide Dectective, who also plays in the quartet, to join him. Meeting all sorts of persons at the reception, little do either man realize that they will become involved in solving murders, thefts of golden boxes and violins, and intrigue that surrounded Italy and France in the late 1870's to 1900's.
The history of the times and places that Paganini and others is colorfully expressed in this book and lends credibility to the story within. This was a 'Superb' book!
February 23, 2010
First Sentence: Over the half a century that I have been working as a violin maker and repairer, I have had instruments brought to me in many different ways.
Luther (violin maker) Gianni Castiglione receives a rare opportunity. He is asked to repair Paganini’s famous violin, “The Cannon,” for that night’s concert by Yevgeny Ivanov, the winner of an international competition. The next day, a Parisian art dealer is found murdered. The only real clue is a corner torn from sheet music belonging to Yevgeny. Also found is a gold box, now missing the 20cm gold and jeweled violin given to Paganini by a sister of Napoleon. Gianni’s friend, Det. Antonio Guastafeste, asks his help in solving the murder linked in history to classical music.
There were so many things which made this book stand out for me. The opening chapter is great. Adam is a very introspective writer, which works wonderfully well with his protagonist.
Gianni is 64, widowed, children grown and gone with children of their own. He has a new love, but it is a mature love that allows each of them their own lives and is described in Gianni’s description of the universal pattern of our sexual lives. His friendship with Detective Antonio Gustafeste is not only, at times, touching, but also adds some wonderful humor to the story. I love an author who can make me laugh. I also appreciated Gianni’s perception of the great churches and his views on faith.
Many authors create a strong sense of place. Adam does that, but he also creates an amazing sense of emotion. Not only does he provide a wonderful description of what sets one instrument apart from others to make it great and valuable, but the way the protagonist feels about being able to touch and play that instrument for just a brief period.
Certainly, it helps to have a love of history, craftsmanship and music to perhaps love this book as much as did I. Adam flawlessly weaves the biographic details of the historic characters and events into the story. Rather than being boring or take you out of the story, it is included in such a natural way as to be fascinating.
The book is also a very well done mystery. It is a matter of following both the physical and historic clues. Although there are coincidences, there are bodies, red herrings and twists along the way. I did not solve the mystery before the end.
This is the second of Adam’s violin series and I do hope there are more to come.
PAGANINI’S GHOST (Trad Mys/Ama Sleuth-Gianni Castiglione-Italy/France/England-Cont) – Ex
Adam, Paul – 2nd in series
St. Martin’s Press, ©2010, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9780312383855
Luther (violin maker) Gianni Castiglione receives a rare opportunity. He is asked to repair Paganini’s famous violin, “The Cannon,” for that night’s concert by Yevgeny Ivanov, the winner of an international competition. The next day, a Parisian art dealer is found murdered. The only real clue is a corner torn from sheet music belonging to Yevgeny. Also found is a gold box, now missing the 20cm gold and jeweled violin given to Paganini by a sister of Napoleon. Gianni’s friend, Det. Antonio Guastafeste, asks his help in solving the murder linked in history to classical music.
There were so many things which made this book stand out for me. The opening chapter is great. Adam is a very introspective writer, which works wonderfully well with his protagonist.
Gianni is 64, widowed, children grown and gone with children of their own. He has a new love, but it is a mature love that allows each of them their own lives and is described in Gianni’s description of the universal pattern of our sexual lives. His friendship with Detective Antonio Gustafeste is not only, at times, touching, but also adds some wonderful humor to the story. I love an author who can make me laugh. I also appreciated Gianni’s perception of the great churches and his views on faith.
Many authors create a strong sense of place. Adam does that, but he also creates an amazing sense of emotion. Not only does he provide a wonderful description of what sets one instrument apart from others to make it great and valuable, but the way the protagonist feels about being able to touch and play that instrument for just a brief period.
Certainly, it helps to have a love of history, craftsmanship and music to perhaps love this book as much as did I. Adam flawlessly weaves the biographic details of the historic characters and events into the story. Rather than being boring or take you out of the story, it is included in such a natural way as to be fascinating.
The book is also a very well done mystery. It is a matter of following both the physical and historic clues. Although there are coincidences, there are bodies, red herrings and twists along the way. I did not solve the mystery before the end.
This is the second of Adam’s violin series and I do hope there are more to come.
PAGANINI’S GHOST (Trad Mys/Ama Sleuth-Gianni Castiglione-Italy/France/England-Cont) – Ex
Adam, Paul – 2nd in series
St. Martin’s Press, ©2010, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9780312383855
December 27, 2017
3.5-4 stars. I read this ahead of Christmas to see if this might be a series my mom might like. I liked the music history and music appreciation aspects of this one. It's not the same kind of book as a Dan Brown book, but the weaving in of that kind of historical detail (e.g., how did people really behave in opera houses in Paganini's day) throughout the investigation was interesting.
November 19, 2016
What better therapy can there be than a classical music mystery tale?
Cremona detective, Antonio Guastafeste, solves crimes with luthier, Giovanni Castiglione. Giovanni records them in story form, and this one starts with a fabulous hook!
With nothing to do but watch and wait, Giovanni provides an eye-witness account as a six-car convoy including police, a young musician, his pushy mother and armed insurance body-guards arrive at his door with an old violin. Not just any violin, mind you! As it happens, this one's Il Cannone—the famous and coveted violin Nicolo Paganini originally owned.
Problem is, it’s producing a buzz. This just won’t do for Yevgeny Ivanov, the soloist scheduled to play it within hours. Giovanni, however, saves the day. Entrusted with finding the violin’s flaw, he replaces the instrument’s damaged bridge, and the concert proceeds without a snag—till the following day, a corpse shows up inexplicably sporting a scrap of Yevgeny Ivanov’s music score.
Responding to Detective Guastafeste’s pleas, the violin-maker investigates, and he’s hardly the personification of “tough.” Stoic by turns, but sensitive too, he gets misty-eyed playing music with friends. A lover of books, he consults his tomes, and cocooned by his personal library shelves, slowly absorbs the juicy details of Paganini’s tempestuous life.
So what does all this have to do with the corpse? The scholarly luthier, Castiglione, finds clues that date to Catherine the Great. These lead him in turn to ateliers in Paris, to another killer, another corpse . . . Where he shines, though, unfolds in his counsellor’s role. As sub-plots go, this is the best! The hunt for the killer and body count both take a lagging second place to the crisis Giovanni strives to resolve when the high-strung soloist, Yevgeny Ivanov, does the unthinkable,
Great stuff! I’ll be looking for more of these.
Cremona detective, Antonio Guastafeste, solves crimes with luthier, Giovanni Castiglione. Giovanni records them in story form, and this one starts with a fabulous hook!
With nothing to do but watch and wait, Giovanni provides an eye-witness account as a six-car convoy including police, a young musician, his pushy mother and armed insurance body-guards arrive at his door with an old violin. Not just any violin, mind you! As it happens, this one's Il Cannone—the famous and coveted violin Nicolo Paganini originally owned.
Problem is, it’s producing a buzz. This just won’t do for Yevgeny Ivanov, the soloist scheduled to play it within hours. Giovanni, however, saves the day. Entrusted with finding the violin’s flaw, he replaces the instrument’s damaged bridge, and the concert proceeds without a snag—till the following day, a corpse shows up inexplicably sporting a scrap of Yevgeny Ivanov’s music score.
Responding to Detective Guastafeste’s pleas, the violin-maker investigates, and he’s hardly the personification of “tough.” Stoic by turns, but sensitive too, he gets misty-eyed playing music with friends. A lover of books, he consults his tomes, and cocooned by his personal library shelves, slowly absorbs the juicy details of Paganini’s tempestuous life.
So what does all this have to do with the corpse? The scholarly luthier, Castiglione, finds clues that date to Catherine the Great. These lead him in turn to ateliers in Paris, to another killer, another corpse . . . Where he shines, though, unfolds in his counsellor’s role. As sub-plots go, this is the best! The hunt for the killer and body count both take a lagging second place to the crisis Giovanni strives to resolve when the high-strung soloist, Yevgeny Ivanov, does the unthinkable,
Great stuff! I’ll be looking for more of these.
February 27, 2021
🍷🍷🍷🍷
Ooh, this was fun! Yes, it's a murder mystery. Set in Italy, our protagonist Gianni Castiglione is a luthier (violin maker) as well as a musician and a fount of historical knowledge about all things "violin." Our story begins with the city of Cremona all agog over the upcoming appearance at the concert hall by Russian prodigy Yevgeny Ivanov, who will also be playing "il Cannone" (the cannon) once owned and played by the brilliant violinist Nicolò Paganini. This instrument was made by Guarneri, a local hero of yore.
But first the violin is damaged, which Castiglione repairs, then a shady violin merchant at the concert turns up murdered, and finally Ivanov disappears! Inspector Guastefeste of the Cremona constabulary investigates, asking Castiglione for assistance with the many violin and classical music issues that are involved in the mystery, and the game is afoot!
Great fun, interesting plot well paced and told, and lots of classical music learning to be had - suitably explained for laymen like me. Really held my interest and kept me up way past bedtime to finish the book, as fine a testimonial as I can offer!
Ooh, this was fun! Yes, it's a murder mystery. Set in Italy, our protagonist Gianni Castiglione is a luthier (violin maker) as well as a musician and a fount of historical knowledge about all things "violin." Our story begins with the city of Cremona all agog over the upcoming appearance at the concert hall by Russian prodigy Yevgeny Ivanov, who will also be playing "il Cannone" (the cannon) once owned and played by the brilliant violinist Nicolò Paganini. This instrument was made by Guarneri, a local hero of yore.
But first the violin is damaged, which Castiglione repairs, then a shady violin merchant at the concert turns up murdered, and finally Ivanov disappears! Inspector Guastefeste of the Cremona constabulary investigates, asking Castiglione for assistance with the many violin and classical music issues that are involved in the mystery, and the game is afoot!
Great fun, interesting plot well paced and told, and lots of classical music learning to be had - suitably explained for laymen like me. Really held my interest and kept me up way past bedtime to finish the book, as fine a testimonial as I can offer!
April 18, 2017
If you love the violin--as a musician or a listener--this is a great mystery. And I'm pretty sure it's the only whodunnit to feature a luthier as amateur sleuth. As an expert in repairing stringed instruments, Gianni Castiglione is called on to diagnose a problem in the legendary "Il Cannone," which once belonged to Paganini. The opening scenes in his workshop outside Cremona are spellbinding, and that's before a single corpse turns up. This is a mystery, not a thriller, thoughtful and well researched. A great escape.
February 2, 2019
When Paganini’s famous violin, the Cannon, develops a slight buzz, an armed caravan shows up for repairs at the studio of Gianni Castiglione. Although he has won a prestigious competition, which gives him the prize of playing the Cannon, Yevgeny Ivanov is not happy. Though well into adulthood, his domineering mother controls his every move. When an art dealer is murdered, police detective and fellow amateur musician Antonio Guastafeste, asks Gianni for his help. The murder mystery is not memorable, but the violin lore and history are fascinating.
September 3, 2015
There are a lot of reasons to enjoy this book. Violin Maker Gianni Castiglione would rather repair violins than help his friend Detective Antonio Guastafeste solve murders and yet the two make a great team. The setting is Cremona, an hour or so outside of Milan, has a long history of violin makers. Add in a helicopter mother of a gifted young violin player, some greedy antiques dealers, tales of Paganini and his era and you have a very worthwhile read for a rainy Sunday afternoon.
March 30, 2019
Actual rating: 3.5. This book was largely about history and the background of violin making, as well as fascinating asides into the lives of several famous 18th and early 19th century musicians. However, it's also supposed to be a modern-day murder mystery and as such, it felt quite perfunctory. The murders were gruesome enough and the culprits callous, but if the story had hinged on plot alone it would have been a so-so affair and a lot shorter! In fact, I felt that the murders were irritants that got in the way of the more mysterious questions surrounding the missing music piece (Paganini's Ghost, as his lover wistfully called it,) and also the fabulous golden box and its secrets! The author may feel that he will capture more of an audience by providing a gritty contemporary murder, but the truth is that readers who like his substance and style would actually prefer him to stick with the historic aspect of mystery and classical Italian music!
January 30, 2020
When I started reading Paganini's Ghost I felt some narrative dissonance. It took a bit to figure it out, but I think I did: supposedly the story is set in Italy and narrated by a real deal Italian, but the book is written by a Brit who lived in Italy for a while (I didn't bother to find out for how long). In this case I'd say that the author went into Italy but Italy did not go into the author. What does this mean? It means that the author was in Italy long enough to perceive a bunch of stereotypes and be able to weave them into the story. He was not in Italy long enough to actually understand the Italian point of view, or he was not open minded enough to do so. Because of this you find yourself reading about an Italian main character that thinks like a Brit.
If you can go past this dissonance, the murder mystery mixed with historical and musical search is quite entertaining.
If you can go past this dissonance, the murder mystery mixed with historical and musical search is quite entertaining.
August 18, 2019
A missing person/murder mystery involving a police detective and a violin maker who team up to track down a missing violinist and discover dead bodies along the way. There is a lot of Italian history and music history woven into the story. Paganini emerges as a rascally womanizer with a penchant for the fine life. I must say, although there were charming moments, I found the plot very boring and the characters somewhat hackneyed, but I read to the end because I was interested in the history.
March 4, 2023
I would have given it a five but it was poorly edited, sometimes irrelevant information interrupted the story, and background history and information, though interesting and important to the story, was interjected in a way that was distracting and so instead of reading this book every evening as I would normally do with whatever book I’m reading, I’d put it aside for a day or two before finally returning to finish it.
September 9, 2024
An Unexpected Pleasure
On one hand this is a crime story which I enjoyed reading. While reading the story the author takes you through an interesting path talking about violin construction, history of famous violin makers. There is also a third side where author guides through a brief study of human development. Yet the author ties every story line into a neat bow at the end. I highly recommend this lovely work.
On one hand this is a crime story which I enjoyed reading. While reading the story the author takes you through an interesting path talking about violin construction, history of famous violin makers. There is also a third side where author guides through a brief study of human development. Yet the author ties every story line into a neat bow at the end. I highly recommend this lovely work.
January 11, 2019
This was very well written. The author created a wonderful sense of emotion. The descriptions of time and place both past and present were well done. Historically accurate. However, I thought there were no real villains in the story. Motives were weak. A few "aha" moments too many for my taste. Still, this was quite enjoyable.
December 17, 2017
I totally enjoyed this read. Castiglione is a great character with just the right amount of musical knowledge, intellectual prowess and curiosity. The old violin maker as detective is wonderful. I highly recommend this book to all. I just wish there was a follow-up to this story.
February 12, 2018
What is the opposite of noir detective stories? Whatever you call it, this is it. Plus, you get to learn a lot about violins and violin making! It's too bad there are only two of these...I would read more gladly.
October 11, 2020
It was good, but I confess that I get confused because there were so many characters. At one point when another person was discovered dead, I had the wrong character in mind as the victim for about 20 pages.
July 29, 2023
A very enjoyable read. I learned a lot about classical violin and it's history, and without feeling like I was in a classroom. All the characters were real to me, the good guys were good and you knew who the bad guys were! I'd read another by this author.
January 9, 2018
Loved this book!
January 1, 2018
Great historical fiction, lots of fun stuff for violinists and a good read.
June 25, 2019
A quick read. Charm and I love the music history. but the "formula" is already apparent.
August 4, 2020
A most enjoyable read!
November 8, 2020
Nicely written.
January 5, 2021
Loved it!
February 22, 2022
Fabulous. I love Adams’ violin crime books. Wish there were more of them.
December 27, 2022
Nice detective story. Nothing brutal, with drop of music and violins. Nice dude as main character.
May 23, 2023
Amazing plot based on real history!
October 31, 2023
I like the narration style of this book. It's a murder mystery based off real life. But still has believable fictional elements to it. Very easy read with little to no plot holes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews