Paul Adam's "Gianni Castiglione" series

[Aloisius12]

The series of this British author consists of two books (The Rainaldi Quartet and The Paganini's Ghost) and they are marvellous example of spirit-of-place genre. The scene is laid in the town of Cremona in Italy with occasional visits to other places of Italy and elsewhere. The environment is the world of luthiers and you come to know a lot of intriguing things about violins, music and musicians. They are interwoven into robust crime stories about precious violin hunters, who don't hesitate to swindle and kill as opposed to true and honest music lovers and professionals depicted with great sympathy. At the end you are charmed with these people and places and can't stop brooding about the whole subject. Is there anyone who read these books and is inclined to comment?