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    Orchestrated Murder
    Orchestrated Murder
    Orchestrated Murder
    Ebook78 pages44 minutes

    Orchestrated Murder

    By Rick Blechta

    3.5/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Something is terribly wrong at Symphony Hall. Luigi Spadafini, the symphony's star conductor, has been murdered—and the entire orchestra has confessed to the crime. This is the mess that Detective Lieutenant Pratt walks into one Saturday morning. Overworked and tired, he's also saddled with Detective Ellis, the newest member of the homicide squad and still very wet behind the ears.

    With both the mayor and several big shots from the symphony's board of directors demanding a speedy resolution of the crisis, Pratt is pushed to the limit. The trouble is, he also faces a seemingly endless list of suspects with good reasons to want the philandering Spadafini dead. With the clock ticking, Pratt is forced to use both his wits and the computer skills of Detective Ellis to solve the mystery.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOrca Book Publishers
    Release dateOct 1, 2011
    ISBN9781554698875
    Orchestrated Murder
    Author

    Rick Blechta

    Rick Blechta brings his musician's viewpoint to the thriller genre in such novels as Shooting Straight in the Dark, When Hell Freezes Over, and The Fallen One. Cemetery of the Nameless was shortlisted for an Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel. Rick is an active musician in Toronto.

    Read more from Rick Blechta

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    Reviews for Orchestrated Murder

    3.5/5

    27 ratings11 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The conductor of an orchestra is murdered. When the entire orchestra confesses, Detective Lt. Pratt knows he and the young detective sent with him have their work cut out for them. Using their own unique skills, they are able to determine the identity of the person who did the dastardly deed. This book is part of the Rapid Reads series designed for persons learning English as a second language or who are reluctant readers. I read the entire book in under an hour and enjoyed it immensely. This book did not suffer from many of the plotting issues that short stories and novellas do, although it could have been developed in greater detail and with richer words for more advanced readers. This is the first book I've read by Blechta, but I'll be looking for other books he has written.
    • 3/5
      This is another selection of the Rapid Reads program, As with a previous story from them, it took me less than an hour, start to finish. This go round, I didn’t care as much for the story, perhaps because it felt like I was reading a script for a entertainment news re-enactment more than reading an actual short story. As with my prior selection, as a tool for helping in adult literacy programs, this would be another good choice. I also think it would be great for someone that wanted a light ,quick read, something that could be finished in a waiting room.
    • 3/5
      This was my first experience with a "Rapid Reads" book, and I was surprised when it arrived, at how small it was.That said, this was a concise, interesting murder mystery that wrapped up in 122 pages. I enjoyed the details of behind the scenes of the orchestra as much as I did the who done it.
    • 2/5
      When Detective Pratt arrives at Symphony Hall to see what all the brouhaha is about, he is told that Luigi Spadini, the orchestra leader is dead; not of natural causes judging by the cello wire wrapped around his neck. Detective Pratt and his rookie squad member, Ellis, start the investigation in the normal way but are flummoxed when they find out the entire orchestra has confessed to his murder. Really? Seriously? I can't get 5 people to agree on dinner, never mind getting a large crowd to lie about committing a major felony. A little implausible to say the least.As it turns out, of course, everyone hated Spadini; admittedly a genius but he was a tough taskmaster, a womanizer and just a plain old SOB. It seems the orchestra members used to joke about the different methods of doing him in. I guess someone really meant it!Even though Ellis is brand new in the department, he is skilled in technology while Detective Pratt is pretty much just putting in time until his retirement and thinks technology a waste of effort. Good old-fashioned police work should suffice. You guessed it! The rookie shows up the veteran detective. Quite the cliched plot we have here. No sense of place and with little character development along with a few weak plot points, this book was a "meh" read for me. The best thing is it was short.
    • 4/5
      I received this book as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer. It is a good quality short story/novella that is fast paced, which accords with the "Rapid Reads" theme, and is also entertaining. It can be read in a couple of hours.The shortness of the story means there is little character development -- the characters are cartoonish: the hard boiled older cop, the young rookie, the arrogant symphony executive and so on. Readers do not get the opportunity to know the protagonist, Detective Pratt. The resolution of the murder mystery comes naturally, although there's no explanation of the murderer's means. There's a motive and opportunity, but the means is not discussed at all, e.g. how did he access the cello?A lot has been sacrificed for the sake of brevity. It is good as a short story/novella and it would have been much better as a longer book.
    • 4/5
      Detective Pratt's love of classical music earns him an assignment to investigate the murder of conductor Luigi Spadafini. He has plenty of suspects since the whole orchestra has confessed to the murder. Who are they trying to protect?This book is part of the publisher's Rapid Reads collection, and, as promised, it can be read in one sitting of under an hour. It is more like a short story than a novel. I'm not sure how much the book will appeal to adults who struggle with literacy. Is classical music and its performance a high-interest topic for the majority in the target group? I do think it would be useful for many ESL learners. It also has appeal for crime readers who enjoy reading short stories or novellas.Music is one of my special interests, and I enjoy reading mysteries that involve the music world. The author is a musician and has written other novels, including one that was shortlisted for the Ellis Award. I'm happy for the opportunity to discover a new-to-me author, and I've already added another of his books to my wish list.This review is based on an advance reading copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
    • 3/5
      Labeled a "Rapid Reads" books, the novel delivers. Quick paced and minimalistic, the story of an extremely talented, yet certifiably obnoxious conductor's murder has the police up in arms. Detective Pratt and Detective Ellis are assigned to the case to determine who did it. With the entire orchestra claiming responsibility, the officers have much to plod through. Suffice it to say that they do and the guilty party is found and arrested.
    • 4/5
      "Rapid Read" is right -- I pulled this out of the mailbox about noon and had it read by 1:30. It's an interesting concept, and the author did a really good job cramming a an almost full-size mystery into a pint-size book. I felt a tiny bit cheated by the detection, which relied a bit too much on data not presented to the reader, but the setup, pacing, and tone were all nicely done. As long as you know this is a novella and not a tome, I'd recommend it.
    • 4/5
      I'll start by saying I really like the Rapid Reads series from Orca. I have worked with students who have difficulty reading, and I know from statistics that many adults have low literacy skills. Too often the books available to them are not interesting. Rapid Reads provides fast-paced stories from well-known authors. They are quick reads for a regular reader and they provide a hi/lo experience for someone who needs it.Orchestrated Murder was great -- a mystery set in an orchestra is perfect for a music lover like me. It had all the intrigue you would expect from a group of musicians and a solution that made sense once it was revealed. Highly satisfying.
    • 5/5
      Orchestrated Murder by Rick BlechtaPublished by Raven Books: Rapid ReadsA most unusual way to begin an investigation into a murder--the entire orchestra has claimed they are guilty! Someone has murdered the conductor, Luigi Spandafini, but which one of the orchestra is the murderer, and who is being protected by everyone else? Detective Lieutenant Pratt has been assigned to the case, and his partner in this is a rookie, Ellis. It just happens that Pratt is familiar with the orchestra as a patron. Luigi has been strangled, and though Pratt knows symphonies, it is the newcomer Ellis who can identify the "weapon". He has been strangled with a cello string, both ends of the string tied with timpani mallets which makes for a better grip for tightening the string without injury.This was an entertaining book and a quick read. Smoothly written and easy to follow, but still with a satisfying mystery. Spandafini was not a well-liked person overall, though a brilliant conductor. He was also well-known for chasing skirts and attacking the orchestra members. Apparently the members of the orchestra held him to blame indirectly for the deaths of two members. Curiously, the timpani player and the cellist were the victims.Rick Blechta has done an excellent job of creating a fascinating closed-room murder mystery packed into a short book, maintaining the feel and allure of the murder mystery genre. Just right for the commuter or someone with a busy schedule. There are the usual twists and turns, misdirection, and of course what is probably the largest group of suspects all in one place. I really enjoyed it and read it in one go.
    • 4/5
      In “Orchestrated Murder” by Rick Blechta the much hated, but highly successful conductor, of a large symphony orchestra is found dead and the entire orchestra confesses to the crime. They don’t know who did commit the murder but they know it was an ‘inside job’ so they confess to protect an unknown fellow musician. Detective Lieutenant Pratt is being pressured by the mayor, and some big shots on the board of directors to close the case quickly and with as little publicity as possible. With his long list of suspects with motives to kill the egotistical, philandering, nasty Spadafini Pratt is feeling the pressure. However with some luck and good police work the case is solved within a few hours.The novella format works but I think it leaves the reader out of the detecting because the length of the book has been pre-determined. On the whole Blechta is able to develop the personalities of the key characters and link this to the solving of the murder.“Orchestrated Murder” is the second book in the Rapid Read series I have read. “Rapid Reads focus first and foremost on strong writing and storytelling. We are committed to providing books that will help adults achieve their literacy goals in an interesting and accessible way. Each novel in the Rapid Reads series is written between a 2.0 and 4.5 reading level. The plots are contemporary and entertaining, with adult language and themes.” < rapidreads.ca/>. I can’t speak for all their audiences but I found it to be an enjoyable, quick read. For English as a Second Language (ESL) and adults who struggle with literacy the series offers a variety of interesting fiction and non-fiction, which would encourage them to read. I would read from this series again and I do recommend it to others,

    Book preview

    Orchestrated Murder - Rick Blechta

    ORCHESTRATED

    MURDER

    RICK BLECHTA

    Copyright © 2011 Rick Blechta

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

    Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

    Blechta, Rick

    Orchestrated murder [electronic resource] / Rick Blechta.

    (Rapid reads (Online))

    Electronic monograph in PDF format.

    Issued also in print format.

    ISBN 978-1-55469-886-8

    I. Title. II. Series: Rapid reads (Online)

    PS8553.L3969O73 2011A      C813’.54      C2011-903443-3

    First published in the United States, 2011

    Library of Congress Control Number: 2011929015

    Summary: The murder of the symphony’s star conductor leaves Detective Lieutenant Pratt and his young sidekick with an orchestra full of suspects. (RL 5.4)

    Orca Book Publishers is dedicated to preserving the environment and has printed this book on paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council®.

    Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

    Design by Teresa Bubela

    Cover photography by Getty Images

    www.orcabook.com

    Printed and bound in Canada.

    14  13  12  11  •  4  3  2  1

    Dedicated to my uncle, George Blechta, with

    great fondness and with gratitude for his help

    and support over the years.

    CONTENTS

    CHAPTER ONE

    CHAPTER TWO

    CHAPTER THREE

    CHAPTER FOUR

    CHAPTER FIVE

    CHAPTER SIX

    CHAPTER SEVEN

    CHAPTER EIGHT

    CHAPTER NINE

    CHAPTER TEN

    CHAPTER ELEVEN

    CHAPTER TWELVE

    CHAPTER THIRTEEN

    CHAPTER FOURTEEN

    CHAPTER FIFTEEN

    CHAPTER SIXTEEN

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

    CHAPTER ONE

    Pratt felt like pounding his head on his desk. Why couldn’t McDonnell just leave him alone today?

    He felt every one of his fifty-four years as he walked past all the empty desks to the office of the man who ran the Homicide Division. His desk was as far away from the office as he could get it.

    What can I do for you? Pratt asked.

    Captain McDonnell looked up from the papers on his desk. There’s a problem at Symphony Hall. A big problem.

    What?

    I’ve just had a call from upstairs. Appears someone’s murdered the damn conductor.

    Luigi Spadafini?

    Yes—if he’s the conductor. I thought it would be right up your alley. You like this kind of music so much.

    Thanks, Pratt answered glumly.

    What he wanted at the moment was a good nap, not another job. The previous night he’d been wrapping up a tricky case and got exactly three hours’ sleep on a sofa in an empty office he’d found. He had the stiff neck to prove it too.

    The chief wants you to tread lightly. That’s the other reason I’m sending you. You know how to act around the symphony set.

    Anything else?

    McDonnell shook his head. Nope. Just hustle down there. Once the press gets hold of the news, all hell’s going to break loose. As Pratt turned to go, his boss added, Take Ellis with you. Show him the ropes. This promises to be a little out of the ordinary.

    Just great. Saddled with the greenest member of the squad. Pratt didn’t even know the kid’s first name and didn’t care to. Hopefully the young pup wouldn’t screw anything up.

    As he went back to his desk, the captain called, Good job last night, Pratt. You did us proud.

    Pratt bit his tongue. Then why not let someone else handle this job and let him go home?

    Pratt let Ellis drive across town to the city’s latest municipal wonder. Built four years earlier to a lot of taxpayer squawking, Symphony Hall was beautiful outside but cold and sterile. Inside, though, it was all wood, and the sound quality was lovely. He’d heard Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony there the previous month, and it had been a concert he’d remember for a long time. Spadafini had been very impressive.

    Now Pratt’s head felt as if it was stuffed with sawdust. Great way to begin an investigation.

    Ellis was a good-looking lad. Tall and still lanky, a lot like Pratt when he’d been that age. Thirty years later, he’d lost most of his hair and put on a good fifty pounds. At least he didn’t need glasses—yet.

    Making conversation, he asked, "How long have you been in Homicide?

    Two weeks, sir, Ellis answered.

    Seen any action yet?

    Only that domestic murder last Friday. Terrible situation. Mostly I’ve been pushing papers.

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