Rating: 
Summary: culture, erudtion and grisly suspense
Review: I don't usually read murder mysteries, but I just finished "NightMusic" which is a real page turner as it kept me awake reading deep into the night. While, on the one hand, you can take your time with this book, savoring its style, it also speeds you along with the smooth writing and compelling storyline. Connoisseurs of European culture and history will be delighted, as they were with "The Name of the Rose", though for different reasons. It also reminded me a bit of Iris Murdoch, another very learned novelist with a flair for suspense and things Gothic.
The musicologist Matthew Pierce, as the lead character, is similar in a way to Harry Potter in the sense that he's neglected by his peers and academic colleagues (as Harry Potter is mistreated by the Dursleys) but then enters a world in which his talents are appreciated. There's even a nod at the end to Agatha Christie, in the drawing room scene in which the characters convene to reveal the truth of what's been going on.
While "The Name of the Rose" is primarily a novel of ideas cast in the form of a murder mystery, "NightMusic" is first and foremost a murder mystery, but one that's full to overflowing with vivid and glittering culture, ideas, music and history as well as sex, skulduggery and dastardliness.
Rating:
Summary: Mozart, mystery and intrigue
Review: "Night Music" spoon feeds the reader fascinating details about Mozart's life in delicious bites. I enjoyed the roller coaster ride through glittering European cities as the duel story line was revealed. Harrison Slater weaves an exciting web of Mozart, mystery, murder and intrigue. I was impressed with the authors' knowledge of Mozart and his ability to keep me in suspense as the plot unfolds.
Rating:
Summary: Totally Absorbing
Review: "Night Music," Harrison Slater's artfully woven mystery, totally absorbed me into its world. A world so fascinating, so evil, and yet so beautiful that after reading it, my intellect, love of music, and senses had all been satisfied. Mr. Slater's prose moves like a musical score with all the qualities of a great symphony. "Night Music" has been an unforgettable reading experience.
Rating:
Summary: Totally Absorbing
Review: "Night Music," Harrison Slater's artfully woven mystery, totally absorbed me into its world. A world so fascinating, so evil, and yet so beautiful that after reading it, my intellect, love of music, and senses had all been satisfied. Mr. Slater's prose moves like a musical score with all the qualities of a great symphony. "Night Music" has been an unforgettable reading experience.
Rating:
Summary: NightMusic -- a great read
Review: "NightMusic" is a great read. Or better still, it's a great romp with a fascinating cast of characters, ranging from prima donnas, to royalty, devious manuscript dealers, and underworld figures. The plot is a wild ride on a corniche road with dangerous twists and turns, sudden stops and starts. The book has sparkling dialogue, stunning personality clashes, hilarious encounters and super sex. Beyond its great entertainment value, the book has real depth. The narrator, Matthew Pierce, goes through an agonizing voyage of self-discovery. Other characters face serious conflicts and life decisions. The book is also a guided tour of the great cities and houses of Europe with intricate detail of art works, furnishings, and the pleasures of gourmet dinners and the world's best wine and champagnes. The solid foundation of the book is the story of Mozart: his travels, music, conflicts and loves - beautifully handled by the author, a well-known Mozart expert. "NightMusic" should appeal to Mozart and mystery lovers, and equally to readers who enjoy a substantial and fascinating novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A good attempt
Review: A nice try, but this author needs a better editor. Many characters could have been cut, the main character Matthew Pierce's POV from time to time just screams "porn star". Maybe if Matthew paid less attention oogling ladies he would have been more astute to the mystery unfolding around him. Just watch out for gratuitous scenes. Roll your eyes and say "oh, please". I think the author wrote some of it to amuse himself, which is fine, but it should have been cut in the end. This book has it all, action, adventure, smut, mystery, research intrigue, but from time to time these elements crash into each other. I was sucked into the the mystery, and was captivated by the Mozart diaries, the rest of the material seemed like extra needless backstory. I will watch this author, and would be pleased to see what he offers next.
Rating:
Summary: A good attempt
Review: A nice try, but this author needs a better editor. Many characters could have been cut, the main character Matthew Pierce's POV from time to time just screams "porn star". Maybe if Matthew paid less attention oogling ladies he would have been more astute to the mystery unfolding around him. Just watch out for gratuitous scenes. Roll your eyes and say "oh, please". I think the author wrote some of it to amuse himself, which is fine, but it should have been cut in the end. This book has it all, action, adventure, smut, mystery, research intrigue, but from time to time these elements crash into each other. I was sucked into the the mystery, and was captivated by the Mozart diaries, the rest of the material seemed like extra needless backstory. I will watch this author, and would be pleased to see what he offers next.
Rating: 
Summary: unremittingly dull
Review: As a doctor of music, I was intrigued by the idea of a musicologist as the protagonist in a mystery novel. I like mysteries, and I like musicology, so I was sure I would be this book's ideal reader. Its central plot device is the discovery of what might be a lost diary of Mozart. I was encouraged to read that the author is himself a pianist and musicologist, since this would surely enliven the world of the book. Perhaps some interesting insights into Mozart's early life would be found in the imagined diary. And perhaps - best case scenario - the author would help me to hear Mozart's music with fresh ears. Unfortunately, the book fails in every respect to live up to its promise. The author's style is unremittingly dull, and incapable of inspiring in the reader any emotion for his characters. Much of the book is set in Europe, but it might as well be Brooklyn. We get no sense of the locale, even though the author apparently spends much time abroad. I found the main character impossible to like even a little. One reviewer here referred to his angst, but I don't think that adequately expresses the relentless self-involvement we are invited to become accomplice to. If we were to witness even the smallest portion of genuine ill fortune this man imagines himself to be the victim of, the book would be lively indeed. Instead, we are treated to a litany of trivial complaints that read like petulant letters home from a vacationing Evelyn Waugh hero. Perhaps we are not meant particularly to like him, but if this is the case, we ought at least to enjoy not liking him, as in Patricia Highsmith's books. The book's supporting cast of bitchy music queens, enigmatic aristocrats and taciturn acedemes fail to convince as well, though any of them would make a better traveling companion than our hero. Sadly, the Mozart revealed to us through his diary entries is, predictably, as much a cipher as the man reading them. Perhaps most disappointing of all, and most perplexing, is the complete lack of engagement with Mozart's music - the reason we are interested in his life at all. I can't remember when I approached a book with such high expectations and left it so abjectly disinterested.
Rating:
Summary: unremittingly dull
Review: As a doctor of music, I was intrigued by the idea of a musicologist as the protagonist in a mystery novel. I like mysteries, and I like musicology, so I was sure I would be this book's ideal reader. Its central plot device is the discovery of what might be a lost diary of Mozart. I was encouraged to read that the author is himself a pianist and musicologist, since this would surely enliven the world of the book. Perhaps some interesting insights into Mozart's early life would be found in the imagined diary. And perhaps - best case scenario - the author would help me to hear Mozart's music with fresh ears. Unfortunately, the book fails in every respect to live up to its promise. The author's style is unremittingly dull, and incapable of inspiring in the reader any emotion for his characters. Much of the book is set in Europe, but it might as well be Brooklyn. We get no sense of the locale, even though the author apparently spends much time abroad. I found the main character impossible to like even a little. One reviewer here referred to his angst, but I don't think that adequately expresses the relentless self-involvement we are invited to become accomplice to. If we were to witness even the smallest portion of genuine ill fortune this man imagines himself to be the victim of, the book would be lively indeed. Instead, we are treated to a litany of trivial complaints that read like petulant letters home from a vacationing Evelyn Waugh hero. Perhaps we are not meant particularly to like him, but if this is the case, we ought at least to enjoy not liking him, as in Patricia Highsmith's books. The book's supporting cast of bitchy music queens, enigmatic aristocrats and taciturn acedemes fail to convince as well, though any of them would make a better traveling companion than our hero. Sadly, the Mozart revealed to us through his diary entries is, predictably, as much a cipher as the man reading them. Perhaps most disappointing of all, and most perplexing, is the complete lack of engagement with Mozart's music - the reason we are interested in his life at all. I can't remember when I approached a book with such high expectations and left it so abjectly disinterested.
Rating:
Summary: Unredeeming
Review: As a musician and mystery-lover, I expected to thoroughly enjoy this book. I pitched it less than a third of the way through. The protagonist is one of the most obnoxious narrators I've ever encountered - every woman's nightmare date, self-aggrandizing, self-pitying and self-absorbed. The plot seems to be a take-off on the DaVinci Code (another terrible book). There are too many good books to waste time reading bad books.
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