What if the greatest violin maker in history actually did have a secret formula? And, what if it were stumbled upon, more than 300 years later, by innocent guitar makers, who then became the target of someone who could not let that secret be revealed. Add to this volatile situation a second party who wants the secret made public.

The cascade of events takes our protagonists to London, Paris, Cremona, the island of Sardinia, Phoenix and Ottawa, as they dodge violence and try to uncover the mystery.

The Art and Antiquities Fraud division of MI6 becomes involved; Russian hackers are in the game; the most expensive stolen painting in the world also plays a cameo role in this fast-paced mystery/thriller.

For three centuries musical instrument makers and players have tried to reverse-engineer Stradivari violins. What was it that made them so exceptional, even among the other superb craftsmen of his era? Books and scientific papers have been written. But to this day there have only been theories. Until now…

William 'Grit' Laskin is an award winning guitar maker, an author, a recording musician, a founder of Borealis Records, a founder of the Canadian Folk Music Awards and a founder of the Association Of String Instrument Artisans. He is a recipient of the Order Of Canada, the Saidye Bronfman Award For Excellence and the Estelle Klein Lifetime Achievement award. Originally from Hamilton, Ontario, he lives in Toronto with his wife. He is currently writing his next novel.

Grit Laskin's profile page

"The Stradivari Formula is a superbly written, first-rate thriller with an original premise and the kind of detail that makes it seem real … who knew a guitar could generate such heat? Kudos to Grit Laskin, and here's hoping it is only his first thriller."
— Ian Hamilton, bestselling author of the Ava Lee series

"Guitar history, international intrigue, Laskin's enchanting thriller hits all the right notes."
— Robert Rotenburg, bestselling author of Downfall