The Schumann Proof

by Peter Schaffter

"...He keeps the reader going with solid characters and great atmosphere. Definitely an author to watch." - The Globe and Mail

"Well written, with a gripping plot, loads of fascinating asides that turn into important details, and no obvious or easy answers, The Schumann Proof is an extremely enjoyable read." -Mystery Scene

"...having now read The Schumann Proof I find myself constantly talking about it to any and all who will listen. This is easily the strongest first novel I have ever had the pleasure of reading." - Storyteller Magazine

Vikkan Lantry, a pianist with more talent than ambition, is content with his job at an upscale cocktail lounge until a request from reclusive soprano, Ulrike Vogel, draws him grudgingly back into the world of classical music. Ulrike's mysterious past, and her friendship with elderly Viennese piano teacher, Dieter Mann, usher Vikkan into an intrigue that begins in the nineteenth century with an unknown song cycle composed by Robert Schumann, and ends in the present-day with a grisly double murder. As Vikkan probes the layers of deceit obscuring a killer's identity, The Schumann Proof reveals itself to be a study in ambition gone awry. The theme is hardly new, but The Schumann Proof gives it a fresh slant, examining not only the devastating results of too much seeking after personal glory, but the painful consequences of too little.

ISBN 978-1894917-06-3 / 352 pages / 5 1/4" x 7 1/2" / $14.95 CDN, $12.95 U.S.