Playing with Fire, The Daniel Jacobus Mysteries

The blind musician pursues a deadly case of fraud among high-end violin dealers in this “consistently entertaining series” by the author of Devil’s Trill (Booklist).

When an anxious phone call from violinmaker Amadeo Borlotti disturbs Daniel Jacobus’s Christmas Eve festivities, he and his dear friends Nathaniel and Yumi make light of it. Surely whatever Amadeo needs to discuss can wait until morning. But shocking news arrives on Christmas Day: Borlotti’s home has burned to the ground and Borlotti himself has disappeared—with a fortune far beyond that of a humble violinmaker.

It seems Borlotti had more than his share of secrets. What began for him as an innocent mistake escalated into fraud and larceny. A helpless captive to his past indiscretions, he was consumed by them. Now it is up to Jacobus and his team to find out how and why.

In the fifth Daniel Jacobus mystery, the curmudgeonly, blind recluse “indulges his inner Sherlock in a low-key tale that examines music as metaphor, provides insights into the creation of world-class violins, and exposes how some people can turn arson and insurance fraud into lucrative careers” (Publishers Weekly).

“Readers . . . will enjoy a most unseasonal fable of the little insurance fraud that grew and grew.” —Kirkus Reviews