Ingenious . . . Lovers of good music and a good mystery should not miss
this delightful tale. --Washington Post Book World
Peter Diamond, head of the Criminal Investigation Division in scenic
Bath, England, is investigating the murder of a young woman whose body
has been found in the canal, the only clue to her identity a tattoo of a
music note on one of her teeth. For Diamond, who wouldn't know a
Stradivarius from a French horn, the investigation is his most demanding
ever.
Meanwhile, strange things are happening to jobbing violist Mel Farran,
who finds himself scouted by a very elite classical quartet--one whose
previous violist disappeared without a trace. Despite the mystery
shrouding the group, the chance to join is too good to pass up, and Mel
finds himself in a cushy residency at Bath Spa University with the
quartet--and embroiled in the unusually musical murder investigation. As
the story unfolds in fugue-like counterpoint, Peter and Mel both learn
frightening secrets about fandom and about what it takes to survive in
the cutthroat world of professional musicians.