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Concerto (Alexis Brooks #1)

by Sandra Miller (Goodreads Author)

3.64 of 5 stars 3.64 · rating details · 28 ratings · 15 reviews

"I see you."

Three simple words from her telephone in the dead of night send violinist Chrispen Marnett’s life spiraling in directions she never imagined. The chance to work with the greatest violinist alive drew her to Newton, but nothing could have prepared her for what she found there. Terror lurks in innocent places–a ringing phone, a late-night rehearsal, unexpected f...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published October 7th 2010 by Sandra Miller (first published October 1st 2010)

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Jan 11, 2012 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Concerto combined the best of mystery, romance, intrigue, and suspense and wove into a story that I just couldn't put down. From the first page, the story drew you in and just wouldn't let you go. Chrispen is a violinist with the local symphony and is looking at a chance to play with one of the greatest violinist. But instead of a rosy future, her life spins out of control as the mystery, fear, and suspense begin.

This was a fantastic book that kept me up far too late because I just HAD to finish...more

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Sep 09, 2011 J.A. Beard rated it 4 of 5 stars

A Good Book Alert Review (http://goodbookalert.blogspot.com)

4 Stars for Concerto

Concerto
Author: Sandra Miller
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 4 Stars

Summary:

At the same time an unknown stalker begins threatening violinist Chrispen Marnett, she finds herself drawn to the brilliant concertmaster Alexis Brooks, a man whose wife was brutally murdered under suspicious circumstances five years earlier. With passion and suspicion colliding, Chrispen must investigate the past to protect her own future.

Revi...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Rhonda rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked it and did not want to stop still I finshed it. I was involved in the story so much that I was crying in part of it.
Chris is a violinist in the Newton Philharmonic Symphony. She joined 6 months ago to work with Alexis Brooks who was the best in world right now. five years ago he was tried for killing his wife and got off on a tech. Most people think he got away with murder including his own father.
Chris does not believe he did it. Even with police,dr.. everyone trying to warn her.
Dwight...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Maxine McLister rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What would you do if you found yourself being stalked by a mad man who leaves pages with the words 'I see you' on your fax and strewn all over your lawn, who sends you pictures of yourself with the head cut off, who drugs your iced tea? Well, I know what I wouldn't do - I wouldn't destroy all of the evidence and I sure as hell wouldn't get all lovey dovey with a guy everybody else, including the police and my mother, thinks is a murderer. But that's just me. Not so, Crispin, the heroine of the s...more

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Nov 15, 2010 Hattie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: any

Recommended to Hattie by: Goodreads

Sandra Miller
Just before the holidays I found myself in the mood for suspense and mystery. Sandra Miller's Concerto fits my reading mood perfectly. When I look at the book, I think of my oldest son. He knows every Classical composer dead or alive especially the deceased ones. He does not miss a concert especially if it is Beethoven's works. So I look at the violin on the cover because it reminds me of my oldest man child.

In the novel Chrispen is a woman who plays the violin with a small group. S...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Karen Fowler rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was excited to read this novel as I've been know to stare dreamily at violins contemplating (yet again) trying to learn how to play. With this novel, CONCERTO, I was lulled in by the musical writing and complex plot arrangements, and enthralled as the tempo increased to a fevered climax. Part romance, part mystery/thriller, this novel blends everything harmonically and with finesse.

I loved almost everything about this novel, from getting to see the inner-workings of a symphony orchestra, to t...more

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Jul 09, 2011 Cate rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: lt-giveaways, 2011-reads

This is a Reading Good Books review.

The premise was really interesting. The whole stalker part was scary and I thought it was very effective. I am a bit familiar with classical music so I liked those parts too. The book started out well – clear explanations of what an orchestra is all about, good character introduction and development, and the stalker issue was creepy. It reminded me of a Criminal Minds episode. But unlike Criminal Minds and similar crime drama shows where they preserve evidenc...more This is a Reading Good Books review.

The premise was really interesting. The whole stalker part was scary and I thought it was very effective. I am a bit familiar with classical music so I liked those parts too. The book started out well – clear explanations of what an orchestra is all about, good character introduction and development, and the stalker issue was creepy. It reminded me of a Criminal Minds episode. But unlike Criminal Minds and similar crime drama shows where they preserve evidence, Chrispen Marnett chose to get rid of it. Yes.

I wanted to like it, I really do. But the story was all over the place. Chrispen, orchestra, Alexis, stalker, murder, Kolbi, crushes, reunions, Mendelssohn, family issues, Dwight, jobs. It had so many goings on. Eventually, it got confusing and tiring. The plot, albeit had promise, was inconsistent. It had good moments here and there. The author could have used the orchestra more as a device to further the story rather than just a setting where often irrelevant and tedious stuff happened. It was kind of hard to read; I found myself re-reading some paragraphs over and over because I would get totally lost. And oh, I never thought I would see the word “fangirl” in a novel.

This is also the first time where the author gave away who the suspect was somewhere in the middle of the story. I mean, I knew who it was from the start anyway. It was not enough that it was obvious, the author had to point him out. I was so close to giving up after that but I soldiered on. I think the author tried to put doubt on who it really was when it was mentioned that Chrispen’s best friend’s hobby was lock-picking. REALLY NOW? How convenient. Come to think of it, it would’ve made for a better ending if it really was her best friend who threatened her.

The characters were poorly written, in my opinion. Like the story, they were all over the place. Chrispen was so frustrating. As the heroine of the story, she was so naive and it became irritating. Why would you destroy evidence of creepy, stalkerish behavior? To forget about it? Maybe it’s just me but I would preserve that and submit it to the police. Why would I keep the police out of it? I didn’t get it at all. The whole romance with Alexis Brooks started out nice but I… okay, would you get engaged to someone you barely know personally? Everything came out of nowhere and I thought it was nothing but filler. Also, was Chrispen psychic? Eh, whatever.

The other characters were confusing too. Except Kolbi Edwards. I liked her. The others were just so impossible and shallow. The ending tried to redeem the whole piece but fell short. It all came together in a nice red bow as all happily ever afters do. Eh.

I dislike giving low marks to books. I appreciate the effort the author put in to it. But I just could not wait for this book to be over. I probably won’t read it again.

Rating: 2/5.

Recommendation: If you are familiar with orchestras and classical music, you’ll find a couple of familiar names in this book.(less)

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Jul 28, 2011 Michele Minor rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books

This book is about musicians in a symphony orchestra. The parts of the book are named after the parts of a concerto. Chrispen is drawn to Newton with the chance to work with the greatest violinist alive. Alexis is under suspicion after the death of his wife and his release from prison on a technicality. When Chrispen starts to receive spooky messages and threats when she starts to see more of Alexis. She also helps Alexis in rebuilding his relationship with his father while investigating who is...more

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Nov 12, 2010 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I was very excited to read this book as I won it as a first-read on Good-reads! I am not very learned when it comes to classical music but I feel I learned a lot of interesting things about orchestras in this book. And despite not being a symphony kind of person I enjoyed the plot and the two main characters however there were a number of grammatical problems that made the read less enjoyable and therefore I gave it only 3 stars. There were several times when a word would be used twice or the wr...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog-reviews

Concerto by Sandra Miller is a fairly well written suspense novel. It follows Chrispen as she deals with what starts out as a fairly normal life. Chrispen is a violinist in the Newton Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. She is there because Alexis Brooks plays there. Alexis is a world renown violin player who also happens to be the main suspect in the brutal murder of his wife. Chrispen doesn't believe the allegations and nurses a pretty heavy duty crush on him despite being told he is a danger to...more Concerto by Sandra Miller is a fairly well written suspense novel. It follows Chrispen as she deals with what starts out as a fairly normal life. Chrispen is a violinist in the Newton Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. She is there because Alexis Brooks plays there. Alexis is a world renown violin player who also happens to be the main suspect in the brutal murder of his wife. Chrispen doesn't believe the allegations and nurses a pretty heavy duty crush on him despite being told he is a danger to her.

When Chrispen receives a message her life begins to change radically. The message is a simple one I see you.

I thought the book had a lot of good thing going for it, but there were a few drawbacks as well. Chrispen was a little bit of both. I actually liked her character for the most part, but she did a lot of stupid things with the evidence of her stalker. I'm not sure if Sandra intended for her to be a frustrating character (if she did she did an amazing job!) or if it just turned out that way, but it took me out of the story a bit. Also the villain wasn't terribly hard to figure out and is actually revealed about two thirds of the way through the book. The level of suspense is kept at a pretty good level through trying to figure out what is going to happen next, but knowing who the bad guy is takes a little away as well. I have to say that the while the stalker remained mysterious he was exceedingly creepy and that part was done extraordinarily well.

The characters Chrispen, Dwight, Kolbi, and Alexis were are done well inspiring the emotions that I felt Sandra wanted felt about them. There were even some little humorous parts injected with Alexis telling orchestra jokes. The flow of the story moved fairly well with only one or two places that slowed down a bit.

Overall once I got into the story I didn't want to stop reading until I finished. I believe it took two or three sittings to go through the whole book. If you are a fan of suspense novels this one is definitely one to check out.

Review copy provided by the author.(less)

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Aug 08, 2011 Madison rated it 3 of 5 stars

Rating: 8 out of 10
Pages: 281
First Line: “The dream was always the same.”
Summary: Everything was going for Chrispen. She was fresh out of Julliard and is now the assistant concertmaster at the Newton Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under her idol, Alexis Brooks. Then she starts getting creepy messages from a violent stalker. The police can’t seem to help her other than telling her to stay away from Alexis, who was accused, but not proven to be the murderer of his first wife. She must guard herse...more Rating: 8 out of 10
Pages: 281
First Line: “The dream was always the same.”
Summary: Everything was going for Chrispen. She was fresh out of Julliard and is now the assistant concertmaster at the Newton Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under her idol, Alexis Brooks. Then she starts getting creepy messages from a violent stalker. The police can’t seem to help her other than telling her to stay away from Alexis, who was accused, but not proven to be the murderer of his first wife. She must guard herself and her friends from the stalker while solving the mystery behind the murder. The farther she finds herself in this mess the more it seems that these two problems are closely related and that history may be repeating itself. And if it is, then Chrispen is in the same situation as Madeleine, Alexis’ late wife.
Review: To tell you the truth, I was not expecting such a good storyline and characters from this book. I won it online and I had entered the giveaway because the cover looked interesting (yes, I do judge books by their covers, but I’ll discuss that another time). Yet when I received the book, the synopsis on the back cover did not promise much. After finally starting the book, I read it in a few hours I was so engrossed. I had not been prepared for the raw emotion I encountered so quickly in the book.
It had a very good plot with a few twists that added a lot to the mystery. I thought it was well planned out and was intricate enough to remain interesting. The duel conflicts kept me guessing and eliminated many of the lulls you might find in a book with a single struggle.
My trouble with the story was the predictability of the culprit(s) of the crimes. Maybe I have read so many mysteries (especially Nancy Drew novels) that I am extremely perceptive with these sorts of things, but I doubt it. Almost immediately after the background details and introductions I knew who killed Madeleine and who the stalker was. Luckily there were enough other tidbits and unfinished pieces I kept reading to see how everything played out. But when I got to the end of the book I found that I had been exactly right on both accounts.
*SPOILER ALERT* Also, I thought the bit about Madeleine the violin could have been better explained and that it kind of came out of nowhere. I understand that it was Chris’ grandmother’s violin and I liked how that came back up, but why did Dwight have it? Did he see Madeleine’s name on it in the window of a pawn shop? Furthermore why did he buy it? Was he that obsessed with Madeleine to such an extent that he bought a violin for the singular reason that her name was inscribed on it? I would be a bit more satisfied if these questions were somehow answered in the epilogue.
Overall, this novel was a very exciting and partially nerve-racking mystery. I was happily surprised with the development the relationship between Alexis and Chrispen. I appreciated how Ms. Miller described music and how it affected Chrispen. The story was entrancing and it kept me on edge, yet there was enough comic relief that I wasn’t stressed out by the intensity of it all.
Recommended: Yes, especially to those who are interested in music, though you do not need to know your way around classical music if you want to read this.
Similar: Blue is for Nightmares, White is for Magic, Silver is for Secrets, Red is for Remembrance by Laurie Faria Stolarz
(less)

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Feb 06, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nice romantic thriller. Violinist Chrispen Marnet has been a fan of Alexis Brooks as long as she can remember. The reason she joined this particular orchestra was because she would be playing along with the world famous virtuoso. As she becomes closer to Alexis she realises that there is a large cloud of suspicion hanging over him for his wife's murder. Chrispen knows Alexis had nothing to do with it and sets out to prove it not realizing the real killer is stalking her.

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Aug 08, 2011 Jade rated it 4 of 5 stars

Couldn't put it down! Yes, Chrispen made me crazy with how she dealt..or didn't deal..with certain things. I was already so interested in her and others I still needed to know how she worked it out. Even if you feel you know what will happen, you have to keep going to find out if you're right or wrong! It's a really fun easy book to read..a fun little getaway!

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Jul 20, 2011 Lisa Kistler rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, modern, own

This book has a lot of twists and turns. Just when you think you have figured it out it just turns again. I really enjoyed it and was glad there was a love story thrown in. I really enjoyed this book!

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Feb 23, 2011 Dgoll rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

What great fun this mystery/thriller is! I thoroughly enjoyed its pace and concise prose! The classical music angle gave it yet another element.

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Apr 06, 2013 Karen marked it as to-read

Mar 02, 2013 Shirley marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 200-pgs, cozy-mystery

Oct 01, 2012 Deborah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sep 27, 2012 Linda Stegner rated it 3 of 5 stars

Aug 12, 2012 Vicki rated it 2 of 5 stars

Feb 16, 2012 Patricia Wesslink rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jan 12, 2012 Heather marked it as to-read

Dec 23, 2011 Angela White marked it as to-read

Dec 16, 2011 Loripdx marked it as to-read

Dec 16, 2011 Dierdra Byrd marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

Dec 13, 2011 Flo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Dec 13, 2011 Diane rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-books

Dec 08, 2011 Jeanne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Dec 02, 2011 Denise marked it as to-read

Nov 16, 2011 Khrystina marked it as to-read

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About Sandra Miller

Sandra Miller is an author. She's that girl you knew in school who always had a notebook in one hand and a pen in the other, and spent every spare second experimenting with ways to put them together.

She's also a violinist who has performed with the Las Vegas Symphony Orchestra, the UNLV Symphony Orchestra, and played in the band for a Kenny Rogers show. She's done productions of Oklahoma!, Le Nozz...more

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Concerto (Alexis Brooks #1)

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