Dunlap, Suzanne The Musician’s Daughter

Dunlap, Suzanne The Musician’s Daughter
Bloomsbury see St. Martins 2009 322p 16.99 978-1-59990-332-3 ms/hs
Set in eighteenth-century Vienna, this spellbinding mystery brings the private lives of both the Court and the Orchestra into focus. The death of her father and the theft of his violin has left Theresa determined to unravel the puzzling events and bring his murderer to justice. Set in eighteenth-century Vienna, this spellbinding mystery brings the private lives of both the Court and the Royal Orchestra into focus. Fifteen-year-old Theresa is waiting for her father, a violinist, to return after the court concert on Christmas Eve. Instead, his body is discovered in a gypsy camp and brought home by his fellow musicians but without his precious violin. Unusually well educated, especially in music, Theresa must now care for her very pregnant mother and younger brother. Virtually destitute, she goes to her godfather Franz Joseph Haydn and is given the position of music copier. As she becomes more involved in the lives of the musicians, she discovers that her father was part of a group dedicated to stopping the persecution of the Gypsies by Hungarian nobles. Her father’s missing violin becomes the key to many doors as Theresa and her friends, both high and low, begin to unravel the dark and tangled threads that had led to her father’s death. Rich in plot and characterizations, this enthralling book will appeal to those fascinated by historical fiction and a strong female protagonist. The story is interesting, the locations are beautifully rendered, and the characters are very three-dimensional. They come from different places in society and have different points of view but seamlessly join together to help each other. The author mixes adventure, political intrigues, and a little romance into this very well done book. Ogintz, Susan