The King of Ragtime

Mirron Willis gives a virtuoso performance in Larry Karp's second immersion in the syncopated rhythms of ragtime. In THE RAGTIME KID, listeners were present at ragtime's beginnings. Here, the musical genre is dying, as is its most famous practitioner, Scott Joplin. In desperation, Joplin takes his latest work to Irving Berlin, although he believes Berlin plagiarized his earlier work. Because of the advanced state of his illness, Joplin's grip on reality is shaky, and when he's found standing over a body holding a straight razor, no one is sure of what happened. Willis never strikes a false note in Karp's well-researched period mystery. He fashions living human beings of all colors, textures, and dispositions with only his smooth, sultry voice. A rich listen. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

June 30, 2008
Set in Manhattan in 1916, Karp's well-crafted second homage to ragtime (after 2006's The Ragtime Kid
) charts Scott Joplin's race against time and the effects of a ravaging illness to secure his musical legacy. Joplin has written a musical play that he wants Irving Berlin to publish and produce. In the past, Joplin has accused Berlin of plagiarizing his music, but Martin Niederhoffer, a piano student of Joplin's and an employee of Berlin's firm, persuades Joplin to try Berlin again. When Niederhoffer and Joplin are seen fleeing the scene of a murder, they're forced into hiding while Scott's friend Nell Stanley, a musician, and her music publisher father try to find the real killer. Going undercover at Berlin's publishing company, Stanley proves to be a formidable detective, though her investigation uncovers some painful truths about both Joplin and her father. Karp's meticulous research helps create a vivid picture of the time and locale. Memorable, authentic characters are another plus.