His novels include Devil's Trill, Danse Macabre, and the newly released Death and the Maiden.Elias applied the Page 69 Test to Death and the Maiden and reported the following:
Where the hell is Kortovsky? Is he dead or alive? In hiding or just being his usual arrogant, manipulative self? Those are some of the maddening, exasperating, frustrating questions that hound Daniel Jacobus and his cohorts throughout Death and the Maiden. With an unlikely alliance between our hero, the blind, cantankerous, over-the-hill violin teacher, Daniel Jacobus, and the flamboyant police chief of Lima, Peru—Espartaco Asuncion Ochoa Romero, aka Oro—the manhunt for Aaron Kortovsky, narcissistic first violinist of the world-renowned but dysfunctional New Magini String Quartet, leads them to the back stage of Carnegie Hall and a back alley of Lima.Learn more about the book and author at Gerald Elias's website and Facebook page.
Page 69 of Death and the Maiden touches upon these central themes and characters. Jacobus, an ardent admirer of Beethoven and the idealism of his music, takes exception to Oro’s preference for Mozart. Oro, who Jacobus considers a mere dilettante, says, “For me, the heroism of Beethoven’s music tells us what humanity should be, which no doubt is wonderful but un poco utopian for me. That is why I prefer Mozart, because he tells us the way humanity really is.” As their investigation continues, and body parts begin to show up in violin cases with disconcerting frequency, we see a side of humanity that Mozart could only have dreamed about in his worst nightmares.
The Page 69 Test: Devil's Trill.
The Page 69 Test: Danse Macabre.
My Book, The Movie: Devil's Trill and Danse Macabre.
Check out the complete list of books in the Page 69 Test Series.
--Marshal Zeringue
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