Publication Date: June 10, 2025
A beautifully written, evocative literary page-turner about a brilliant nineteenth-century female pianist from Poland lost to history and another woman’s quest to ensure she is not forgotten—with a shocking twist of a finale.
Clara Bishop hasn’t touched a piano since a concert hall fire nearly took her life a decade ago, ending her career as a rising star in the world of classical music. Significantly scarred and unable to play, she has turned away from everything and everyone associated with music, especially her ruthless mentor Madame, whom Clara blames for her injuries.
Her life is upended when Madame dies, leaving Clara an unexpected inheritance: an ornate nineteenth-century metronome with a cryptic message hidden inside. Convinced this is not a gift but a puzzle Madame wants her to solve, Clara comes to suspect that the unusual bequest is the long-lost metronome of the composer Aleksander Starza—a priceless object missing since 1885, when Starza was murdered by the brilliant female pianist Constantia Pleyel.
As Clara works to uncover the metronome’s haunted past and protect it—and herself—from those who wish to obtain it, she discovers that nothing about Starza and his murder are what they seem. History has remembered Constantia Pleyel as an unstable artist who killed Starza in a fit of madness. The truth could rewrite the history of music—and give Clara the second chance she has been longing for.
This moving tale is perfect for fans of Brendan Slocumb’s The Violin Conspiracy.
Since the fire that destroyed her budding career as a classical pianist and left her disfigured, Clara Bishop has stayed in the shadows.
However, when she inherits a metronome from her mercurial piano teacher, along with a strange note, it kicks off a mystery tying together the lives of three women.
With The Fire Concerto, author Sarah Landenwich delivers a powerful story featuring a fictional composer, Aleksander Starza, and female musician, Constantia Pleyel. While inspired by historical figures, these characters evoke a strong sense of realism.
To track down the significance of the metronome, Clara joins forces with a fellow musician from her past. Their research points to Starza, but they soon uncover a web of secrets.
As they explore events from before World War II, the pieces of the mystery fall into place with startling revelations. Add in a dose of danger courtesy of those intent on nabbing the metronome and a slice of history.
Beautifully crafted, The Fire Concerto resonates with emotion that will leave readers fully satisfied.
Sarah Landenwich is a writer and writing educator. Also a classically trained pianist, her debut novel The Fire Concerto was inspired by her love of music of the Romantic period. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky with her husband and daughter.
