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At the heart of Terrill's intriguing story are two parallel mysteries that converge across centuries. Beginning in 1950s New York, violin dealer Thomas Barlow reluctantly agrees to appraise a rare and beguiling Italian cello. The request comes from his old friend, with whom Barlow has a fraught and complicated history. However, Barlow is uncertain about the assertion that the cello originates from Andrea Guarneri, "the paterfamilias of the Guarneri violin-making family." Before long, Barlow is drawn into a maddening, obsessive quest to determine the cello's true maker as he grapples with his haunted past, buried secrets, and crimes.
In between Barlow's story, Terrill shifts to seventeenth-century Italy, bringing the story to the "golden age of violin making." Here, the plot follows Pietro Guarneri, who is reeling from a terrible loss and unwittingly ensnared by political intrigue involving his employer, the Duchess Anna Isabella Gonzaga. During this period, Terrill sets up a sort of dangerous liaison involving a clandestine letter, rival political relationships, and treasonous intentions. As Terrill weaves together the two protagonists' sometimes perilous journeys, she slowly reveals the truth and unique history of this singular instrument.
With an accessible plot, this part thriller, part historical fiction novel is inspired by real historical figures and Terrill's own discovery of a cello similar to the one featured here. But while many are familiar with Stradivari, Terrill refreshingly tackles a lesser-known figure, introducing readers to the Guarneri family and the luminous world of luthiery, or the craft of instrument making. Each chapter is prefaced with quotes from Ed Heron-Allen's Violin Making as it Was and Is, and Terrill's narrative truly shines when describing the beauty of the valuable instruments' music and the power they hold across generations. This is an unusual and absorbing tale from a new writer to watch.
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