Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers
Holiday 2009 Selection
A drop of blood. An aged Stradivarius. A garroting. And a shady cast of characters.
Sound like the elite world of classical music, or a great game of Clue? The first mystery from Elias is a bit of both as he transports readers into the refined world of the most gifted musicians -- and their teachers, agents, and instrument dealers -- where we're surprised to learn that great musical talent can often flourish amid unseemly circumstances. How is it possible for brilliant music to exist in an atmosphere of crass consumerism? And how far will one man go to separate the two?
That question is at the crux of this mystery, focused on the fabled Piccolino Stradivarius, the venerable Grimsley Competition, and a cantankerous blind violin teacher named Daniel Jacobus. From Carnegie Hall to Japan, this mystery -- not unlike Clue -- abounds in potential villains. From a music conservatory to the plush home of a child prodigy to a sleazy Manhattan talent-booking office, Elias keeps readers guessing at the outcome until the final page is turned. Who stole the Strad and committed the murder, and why? Jacobus is a natural suspect. He even admits to the theft, but can he find the instrument and the real killer before he's locked up for life?
Rich in music detail and featuring a fabulously roguish cast, Devil's Trill will delight music lovers and mystery fans alike.

Devil's Trill chosen Best Weller's Selection for Oct/Nov
Review by Bruce Christensen
In this delightful novel Gerald Elias, Associate Concertmaster of the Utah Symphony, has written a thrilling tale set in the mysterious world of Classical Music. A world famous Stradivarius of mythic origin is stolen after a concert in Carnegie Hall, setting in place a sequence of events guaranteed to keep the reader up late to see what will happen next.
The characters in Devil's Trill are memorable. Daniel Jacobus, a blind misanthropic violinist and teacher; Yumi, his strong-willed pupil; and Nathaniel Williams, a former member of his musical trio and now an investigator of stolen violins, add to the enjoyment of reading this book.
The author does not answer the question 'Will classical music survive?' but he gives an insightful portrait of this world of musicians, agents, teachers, and reviewers in all their tarnished glory. While reading the Devil's Trill I listened to some of the wonderful music mentioned in this informative novel; it enhanced the pleasure the book gave me.

By Celia R. Baker - Special To The Tribune
Utahns know Gerald Elias as the Utah Symphony's multitalented associate concertmaster -- a gifted violinist, conductor, composer and teacher. Now Elias has earned his way to the brink of fame in another creative arena, one as difficult to break into as the music business.
His debut novel, Devil's Trill, is winning glowing advance reviews and was chosen as Barnes and Noble's "Discover Great New Writers" pick for the company's fall catalog.
The mystery is set within New York City's cutthroat classical music scene, where high art must survive greedy impresarios, crooked competition directors, unprincipled teachers, shady violin dealers -- and, of course, music critics.
The protagonist is a washed-up violinist and teacher, Daniel Jacobus, who is old, blind and embittered, but passionate about his art. To the delight of readers, Jacobus is also a master of the humorously sarcastic rejoinder.
The story revolves around the Piccolini Stradivarius, a priceless three-quarter-size violin stolen from Carnegie Hall. Jacobus becomes the prime suspect for the theft and for a death committed with a weapon only a musician would choose. To clear his name, he must find the missing Strad and solve the murder.
Josh Getzler, Elias' book agent at Writer's House, was drawn to the voice of Jacobus, the novel's unusual hero. "He's interesting, funny and somewhat tragic," Getzler said. "I saw that this was a character who could come back in other books."
And he will. Elias has already written a sequel, which took him less than one-10th the time his first book required.
The not-so-sudden success of Devil's Trill started in 1997 when Elias drafted a manuscript about violin technique for students of the instrument. "My idea was to write a book that was informative, but not boring, which most of these are," he said. "So, I wove a story line around a series of violin lessons. It started out as a mystery, but a very superficial one."
The manuscript received a pile of rejections. But instead of giving up, Elias sent it to Katharine Weber, author of the novels The Little Women and Triangle and a writing professor at his alma mater, Yale. Weber decreed the first of many rewrites and brought the book to the attention of Writer's House agent Simon Lipskar, who had trained as a professional musician.
"It's hard to find books on music that are compelling to a broad audience and written at a high enough level to convince me," Lipskar said. "Here was a book for both sides of who I am as a person. I was deeply impacted by Jerry's obvious commitment to a life in music. He's written a really rollicking tale of murder and mayhem in the music business -- a great way to tell a story about the classical music world."
Lipskar suggested more rewriting to turn the book into a real mystery and turned the book over to his colleague, Getzler, a mystery specialist who called for even more work. "Jerry is a very dedicated writer and a dedicated musician," Getzler said. "It's one of the things that helped him and made him willing to sit down and do what was necessary."
From Elias' perspective, the 10 years spent honing his first book for publication didn't seem excessive. After all, musicians take for granted the idea that creating art requires fine tuning, through countless repetition and corrections.
At least he didn't have to worry about doing extensive research. He set the book in a world he already knew inside out. The authentic tone was what sold the story, said Michael Homler, Elias' editor at the Minotaur Books (a division of St. Martin's Press), which published Devil's Trill.
"You really feel when you read it that you are there in that world," Homler said. "Jerry makes fun of parts of the music business that deserve to be made fun of, but his passion for music always comes across very strongly."

Elias' multiple talents have been put to good advantage on his book tour. "He not only reads from the book at his appearances, but he plays his violin, which is something unique that booksellers seem to have found attractive," Getzler said. "All these things together have created a nice groundswell of attention out of the box."
Minotaur will release Elias' second book, Danse Macabre, next year, giving readers another chance to enjoy the machinations of Jacobus and a couple of intriguing sidekicks. Elias wrote the book while on sabbatical from the Utah Symphony last year and has a third installment in the works.
Still, he remains loyal to his first love. "My commitment to the Utah Symphony is fixed, and that will still be the center of my professional life," Elias said.
He plans to continue playing, conducting, composing, teaching -- and writing books that draw people of all kinds into the world he loves. "I don't want to be a missionary," he said. "I just want to tell a good story. But if as a result of reading the book a few more people go out and start listening to Beethoven, Bach and Mendelssohn, or maybe even learning an instrument, I'd be thrilled."

A casual observer wouldn't expect to find greed, lust for power and intrigue in the world of classical music.
But an insider knows that there is a dark side, too, just as in any enterprise. The classical music business can be, and often is, ruthless and cutthroat.
This callous disregard for who gets hurt is present in music competitions, in the behind the scenes dealings of record companies and management agencies — but it is usually always well hidden behind a facade of genteel manners.
It isn't something anyone wants to admit or talk about, but it's there.
And for Gerald Elias' fertile mind, the corruption that exists there is the starting point for his delightfully wicked and no-holds-barred debut novel, "Devil's Trill," which taps into the shady side of competitions.
The Holbrooke Grimsley International Violin Competition is held once every 13 years for musicians 13 and younger. The grand prize is a concert in Carnegie Hall and the chance to play the legendary "Piccolino" Stradivari, a three-quarter sized violin made by Antonio Stradivari in 1713 for the diminutive (and fictional) virtuoso Matteo Cherubino, known as "Il Piccolino," who was killed by his lover's husband while holding the instrument trying to protect himself.
Misfortune plagues all those who come into contact with the "Piccolino," or so Daniel Jacobus believes. He is the curmudgeonly, vulgar and chain-smoking main character of "Devil's Trill."
Struck by blindness on the eve of becoming the Boston Symphony's new concertmaster, Jacobus now lives in western Massachusetts. A violinist and teacher of profound talent and artistry, he takes private students but hates it. Jacobus goes to Carnegie Hall to attend the recital by 9-year-old Kamryn Vander, the latest winner of the Grimsley Competition. But his real reason for being there is to steal the "Piccolino" and destroy it. But somebody beats him to it, and circumstances make Jacobus the prime suspect.
His old friend, Nathaniel Williams, who now works for the insurance company that has insured the "Piccolino," asks for Jacobus' help in recovering the violin.
In the meantime, Victoria Jablonski, a former student of Jacobus' and now a celebrated teacher and his rival, is brutally murdered and everything points to Jacobus as the killer.
Searching for the violin takes Jacobus, Williams and Yumi Shinagawa, Jacobus' newest student, whom he drags along, to Japan and back to New York.
Eventually, Jacobus figures out who killed Jablonski and what happened to the violin, but not without risking his life in the process.
Elias has written a nicely paced thriller that turns into a page turner. It starts out a bit slowly, with a violin lesson where Jacobus explains to Yumi in great detail how to approach the music she plays and how to play the violin to bring out feeling and emotion. And occasionally, the action slows down with extended discussions of music, but "Devil's Trill" ends up being a good, old-fashioned mystery that the reader will find hard to put down.
With Jacobus, Elias has created a memorable character, who despite his gruffness and anti-social behavior, one can't help but like.
And throughout their adventure in trying to retrieve the "Piccolino" and solve the murder, Jacobus and Yumi develop a bond, and both end up respecting each other for who they are and what they can bring to their relationship.
Mystery buffs will enjoy "Devil's Trill." It's quite a musical and suspense filled ride that will keep the reader wondering until the end.

First the Piccolino Stradivarius, a tiny violin, is stolen before it can be played by the winner of the Grimsley Competition at Carnegie Hall. Then, the main rival of blind, cranky violin teacher Daniel Jacobus is murdered, and Daniel falls under police suspicion. With his friend and former musical partner, William, who represents the insurance company that must pay out $8 million if the violin is not found, Daniel searches for the instrument in an effort to prove his innocence.

VERDICT This captivating and wholly originally debut by a former concert violinist is packed with insider tidbits on the classical music scene in New York City. The mystery, though a bit weak, still leads readers on a merry chase. Meeting the wily Jacobus only wets our appetite for more. A good choice for mystery fans wanting something new and music lovers who do not usually consider crime fiction.

Elias, a violinist and music professor, puts a priceless violin at the center of his taut debut. The violin in question is part of the highly exclusive Grimsley Competition, open only to child prodigies under the age of 13, held every 13 years at New York's Carnegie Hall. The winner receives cash, symphonic appearances and, most coveted, the use of the world's only three-quarter-size Stradivarius, the legendary Piccolino, for a Carnegie Hall performance.
Daniel Jacobus, a former Grimsley contestant who eschews the modern music world in his belief that it destroys gifted children, is accused, first, of the theft of the Piccolino and, second, of a rival violin teacher's murder. Blind, bitter and determined to destroy those who have turned classical music into a greed-saturated industry, Jacobus sets out to find the Piccolino and clear his reputation.
This richly plotted mystery will thrill music lovers, while those not so musically inclined will find it equally enjoyable.

Dueling violin aficionados disrupt Carnegie Hall.
The Grimsley Competition, held once every 13 years, offers its preteen winner a chance to play the Piccolino Stradivarius, currently valued at $8 million. Child prodigy Kamryn Vander is about to be honored when the three-quarter-sized violin is stolen from a locked room in Carnegie Hall, to the horror of the Music Arts Project group (MAP) responsible for the gala.
Also on hand, but more chagrined than horrified by the failure of his plan to smash the Piccolino to smithereens, is blind curmudgeon Daniel Jacobus, who since losing out in the competition years ago has tutored aspiring musicians of dubious skills. When his pal Nathaniel, an insurance investigator, asks his help in recovering the Piccolino, Daniel agrees and drags along his newest pupil: Yumi, a green-eyed Japanese girl with several family secrets.
Combining the deductive reasoning of Sherlock Holmes with the rhetorical finesse of Don Rickles, Daniel tracks the 17th-century origins of the Piccolino and the motives and whereabouts of MAP and its competitors past and present. Falling under suspicion himself, he sidesteps the law and the killer by fleeing to Japan, where the author unfurls dandy plot twists.