Stealing the Countess

March 28, 2016
The brazen theft of a Stradivarius violin known as the Countess Borromeo, valued at $4 million, provides Rushmore McKenzie with some ethical challenges in Housewright’s entertaining 13th mystery featuring the unlicensed St. Paul, Minn., PI (after 2015’s Unidentified Woman #15). Maestro Paul Duclos, whose violin was stolen during a visit to his hometown in Wisconsin from the bed-and-breakfast where he was staying, turns to McKenzie for help. Unfortunately, the musician’s insurance company refuses to pay a reward for the violin’s return until someone has been convicted for taking it. Duclos asks McKenzie to play middleman and offer $250,000 for the safe return of the countess, no questions asked. In accepting the assignment, McKenzie knows he’s guilty of committing a felony. The charming lead enhances the crime puzzle, which is both complex and logical. Agent: Alison Pickard, Alison J. Picard Agency.

Starred review from May 1, 2016
A Stradivarius goes missing and all hell breaks loose in the thirteenth entry in Edgar-winning Housewright's consistently strong Mac McKenzie series. McKenzie is a former St. Paul cop, now a millionaire through reward money, who works as an unlicensed private investigator, mostly to keep himself amused, but also to lend his street smarts to people who need it. Though the novels are loosely based in Minneapolis/St. Paul, the series makes great use of the variegated landscapesfilled with opportunities for crime and escapeof Minnesota and Wisconsin. This time out, a renowned violinist calls on McKenzie when his Stradivarius, known as the Countess Borromeo and valued at $4 million, has gone missing from a B & B where the violinist was staying prior to a concert in Bayfield, Wisconsin. The violinist wants McKenzie to act as middleman, tracking down whoever took it and paying a huge reward for its return, an action that could land McKenzie in prison as the receiver of stolen goods. As McKenzie, who can't stand the idea that this priceless objectcould be dumped or destroyed, proceeds with his investigation, he meets with opposition from the very agencies, like the insurance company and the FBI's Art Crime Division, who should be eager to find the Countess. Greatly enhancing the story are the fascinating details Housewright provides on the history and design of these priceless instruments.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2016

Unlicensed PI Rushmore McKenzie is hired by Paul Duclos to recover his priceless Stradivarius violin. But when Mac gets to Bayfield, WI, where the instrument was stolen, too many things don't add up--and then the shooting starts. Following Unidentified Woman #15, Housewright's 13th series title is well plotted and engaging. [Library marketing.]

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2015

Edgar Award winner Housewright's unlicensed PI Rushmore McKenzie is asked to find the Countess Borromeo, a Stradivarius priced at $4 million. The violinist currently playing it desperately wants it back, but its insurer and the foundation that owns it refuse to pay the thieves.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.