Reviews of The Vanishing Violinist
"Joan Spencer, small-town amateur sleuth of three previous novels, faces a common parental experience: checking out her daughter's suddenly introduced fianc‚, a charming and gifted violinist--but is he all he seems? The rich background, a quadrennial violin competition held in Indianapolis, combines with a strong puzzle and involving, mostly likable characters to create an enjoyable reading experience. Widow Joan's own romantic interest, as is true of so many cozy heroines, is a cop."--Jon L. Breen, "The Jury Box," Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
"Love's in the air in the fourth Joan Spencer cozy (after Murder & Sullivan). While Joan is planning her wedding with Det. Lt. Fred Lundquist in Oliver, Ind., her daughter calls from New York to say she's engaged to one Bruce Graham, a classical musician who will be participating in an international violin competition in nearby Indianapolis. Joan gets a chance to meet her future son-in-law when she's invited to a picnic given by the families who help to host the competition. Tragedy strikes when a German violinist slams his hand into a stone planter while trying to catch a Frisbee, ending his chances to compete. Then a Brazilian musician has her Stradivarius stolen immediately before her first concert. Gamely, she plays on a borrowed instrument, performing well enough to make the cut. Before the second round, however, she vanishes, and the police suspect Bruce of taking her instrument and being involved in her disappearance. Prompted by her daughter's assurance that Bruce is incapable of such crimes, Joan leaps to his defense and decides she must help Fred find the real culprit. Frommer's latest emphasizes Joan's gentle levelheadedness and Fred's devotion to her. It's a well-plotted tale, as the author keeps readers guessing as to whether Bruce is as sweet as he seems, and wisely picks up the pace once the culprit has been identified. The novel's highlights, however, are the exceptional descriptions of the musical performances, passages in which Frommer proves herself, at least for a moment or two, a Paganini of prose."--Publishers Weekly
"A warm cozy with a most appealing heroine. Widowed, fortysomething Joan Spencer from tiny Oliver, Indiana, has finally breached the last hurdle, and she and police officer Fred Lundquist have decided to marry. She's just about to call her daughter, Rebecca, in New York to tell her the news when Rebecca calls her, breathlessly announcing that she is getting married. Rebecca's intended, Bruce, is coming to Indianapolis for the International Violin Competition, and Rebecca hopes that Joan can meet him. Bruce turns out to be a terrific guy, but another competitor has her Stradivarius stolen and then disappears herself. The hit-and-run death of a local cop further distracts Joan and Fred from their wedding plans. The rhythms of small-town life, a good bit about music and musical competition, and the contrasts of Joan's easy relationship with her son and her fraught relationship with her daughter dovetail nicely with twinned mysteries that turn out, of course, to be connected."--GraceAnne A. DeCandido, Booklist
"Widow Joan Spencer, accomplished violist and director of the Senior Center in the tiny town of Oliver, Indiana, is all but engaged to Detective Lieutenant Fred Lundquist of the local PD (Murder in C Major, 1986, etc.). Now, a call from her daughter Rebecca, away at college, tells Joan about Rebecca's own fiancé, Bruce Graham, who's coming to Indianapolis (near Oliver) to compete in the notoriously tough International Violin Competition. Meantime, Dr. Bob and Polly Osborne, Bruce's hosts in Indianapolis, invite Joan to a picnic. It's there that she gets to meet other host families and the contestants enjoying their hospitality. Among them are Nate Lloyd and his mother Cindy from Louisville; Uwe Frech from Stuttgart; and Camila Pereira from Brazil, proud owner of a Stradivarius. The competition is barely underway when Uwe breaks a bone in his hand and Camila's Strad turns up missing, soon to be followed by her own disappearance. At the same time, Fred's police department is mourning the hit-and-run death of their own Sergeant Kyle Pruitt. It takes a call to Joan from an intuitive schoolgirl to chart the means and motives behind all the unhappy events.
Heavily laden with domestic comings and goings, as well as with long passages analyzing the music and skills of the players. Still, there's enough interest and suspense here to hold most readers to the end of Frommer's fourth, her best to date."--Kirkus Reviews
"Oliver, Indiana widow Joan Spencer is planning her wedding to policeman Fred Lundquist when her daughter calls from NY to announce her own engagement. her intended, classical violinist Bruce Graham, is headed for an international competition in Indianapolis where he could use some family support. Meeting Bruce, Joan worries he's too good to be ture. And with reason: first one competitor injures his hand playing frisbee, then another has her Strad stolen, then is stolen herself. The cops suspect Bruce, so Joan, true to her daughter's instincts, defends him while Fred proves his gentle, steadfast devotion. Nicely plotted with a bow to recent headlines, and--often lyrically--to the music."--BOOKNEWS from The Poisoned Pen