One day a young woman calling herself Amy Cox comes to the office to arrange bail for her brother. As collateral for the bail bond she offers her violin, an Amati which is a priceless antique worth more than $60,000. She needs the violin for her concert appearances so they arrange for a replacement from Pawn.USA. Little does Jackson know he is being set up by con artists.

Shortly after the arrangement is made, Amy is murdered in front of Jackson's office. Then when Jackson checks on the security violin at the pawn shop, he finds it has been stolen. The police consider Jackson the prime suspect. With his dubious past in Detroit, Jackson wishes to avoid any contact with the police. So he embarks on a pursuit after the murderer of Amy and the reason why he has been conned. There are many claims for the missing violin, which is supposed to have a curse. Jackson discovers the history of the violin reaching back many years. There is more murder and much confusion before the situation is resolved.

This is a well-written and well-plotted story with enough twists and turns to keep the reader confused until the final confrontation. The characters are fully developed, the most charming of them is the sassy waitress, Rosie, who adds zest and humor to the story.